Transplant Throwback: Lisa Haney

Lisa Haney

Nombre: Lisa Haney 

Edad: 54 

Hogar: Detroit 

Trasplante: Corazón 

¿Por qué necesitó un trasplante y cuándo sucedió? 

Lisa Haney in fatigues in KuwaitMy heart issues started as I was leaving the Army in 2017. I was doing my discharge physical, and my heart rate was extremely low. They diagnosed me with sick sinus syndrome. I received a pacemaker and, for a couple of years, everything was fine. 

Then I started having sweats, weakness, feeling like I would faint, and I was seeing auras. In May 2019, the pacemaker was removed and a small device that detects and corrects arrhythmia was installed. This helped a little, but my heart steadily got worse. I was in and out of emergency rooms for a couple of years. Eventually, I was recommended for a heart transplant. I was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia, congenital heart failure and atrial fibrillation. I received my heart transplant in 2023 at Henry Ford Hospital. 

How are you doing now? 

I am doing well concerning my heart. I feel fantastic. I can walk, run, climb stairs and have a lot of energy. I am grateful for that. But a consequence of the transplant is that my kidneys failed and have not returned, so I am on dialysis now. I am in the process of getting on the kidney transplant list. 

Your donor’s name was Michael. What else do you know about him? 

My donor family wrote me a sweet letter and told me he was a kind man who loved to help people. They said he always liked to make people laugh. They sent a picture of him sitting on a motorcycle. He was a son, brother and father. 

What are the most important events or experiences you’ve been able to enjoy because Michael saved your life? 

I can spend time with my family and participate in family activities. I can help my 83-year-old mother as she goes through her own health issues. I am grateful I’m still here to assist her. 

If you could talk to Michael today, what would you tell him? 

Thank you, Michael, for allowing me to have your heart. My family and friends thank you, too. Any good that I do from this time forward is because the Lord graced me to receive this most precious gift. 

Read more in LifeLINEShttps://giftoflifemichigan.org/lifelines/lifelines-spring-2025

Leer más publicaciones
Photos of transplant recipients on a mural at Gift of Life Michigan

A message to the donation community

From President and CEO Dorrie Dils Regulations pull donation and transplantation in opposite directions, resulting…

Lee mas
Gift of Life staff holding their hands in the shape of hearts

Gift of Life’s employee giving hits a new high

Nearly one-third of Gift of Life’s 394 employees gave back financially to the organization last…

Lee mas
Gift of Life logo on its building

Gift of Life set records in 2024

Thank you to donors who healed lives and residents who registered on their tax forms …

Lee mas
His time as a nurse assistant at Mott helping pediatric heart patients is a full-circle experience for Tommy.

Tommy Schomaker survives and thrives helping sick kids like him

He graduated this spring with a nursing degree Tommy Schomaker entered the world in 2000…

Lee mas
Dorrie Dils at the podium during the 2025 Champions Gala

Gift of Life Michigan’s 2025 Champions Gala

Congratulations to the individuals and organizations honored this year for their extraordinary efforts to promote…

Lee mas

A mother’s mission

When Cindy Hanback answered the phone and heard her son Alex’s voice, she thought he…

Lee mas
Vuelve al comienzo