The Mayo Clinic experience and patient stories Heart Transplant Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. See the stories of Mayo Clinic transplant patients. (VIDEO) 13-year-old Ava is home with a new heart, kidney following a 22-month hospital stay After more than 22 months at Mayo Clinic Children's, 13-year-old Ava Weitl went home to Iowa. She and her family were met with tears and cheers as dozens of members from her care team, who are now considered friends of the family, said goodbye and wished her well. This was a day Ava had been looking forward to after a long journey with heart failure, two lifesaving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapies, a heart transplant, kidney… Social worker helps patients on transplant 'journey of cautious hope'When Tiffany Coco steps into a room at Mayo Clinic Transplant Center in Arizona, she focuses on the patient's needs beyond the medical updates. "Often, patients put their best face forward with the physicians," says Coco, "And when they talk to us, they let their guard down and open up about how transplant affects their day-to-day life." As a licensed clinical social worker embedded in multidisciplinary care teams, Coco uses her clinical expertise to assess… Britiny's teamBritiny Schultz Britiny Schultz can't wait for fall. A huge football fan, she's looking forward to cheering on her favorite teams. It's something many fans take for granted — not Britiny. She's able to keep cheering, thanks to her doctors at Mayo Clinic and the incredible gift of life from not just one, but two organ donors. Britiny and her nieces and nephews The South Dakota native says she closely follows two teams: "The Bison… Heart transplant patient finding motivation through competition, music and the Mayo Clinic communityMark Forbess playing the piano in the Mayo atrium The fall It was Good Friday 2023. Mark Forbess was just leaving Mayo Clinic in Florida after his first appointment as a new patient at the heart failure program, when everything went black. "I found myself on the pavement in front of Mayo Clinic," says Mark. "I was emerging from unconsciousness. Everything was dark. I opened my eyes to see that my face was pressed onto… Request an appointment ResearchCosts & insurance July 11, 2025 Share on: FacebookTwitter Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has been recognized as one of the top Cardiology & Heart Surgery hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Learn more about this top honor Heart Transplant ProgramDepartmenthomeSectionsRequest an appointmentOverviewConditions treatedDoctorsDoctors by location and specialtyExpertise & rankingsLocations, travel & lodgingClinical trialsResearchPatient storiesCosts & insuranceNews from Mayo ClinicVolumes and outcomesEligibilityReferralsContactus SectionsRequest an appointmentOverviewConditions treatedDoctorsDoctors by location and specialtyExpertise & rankingsLocations, travel & lodgingClinical trialsResearchPatient storiesCosts & insuranceNews from Mayo ClinicVolumes and outcomesEligibilityReferrals ORG-20193490 Medical Departments & Centers Heart Transplant Program