Celebrating new hearts
Stanford Medicine marks 50 years of heart transplants for its youngest patients
In 1984, Elizabeth “Lizzy” Craze, then 2, underwent a heart transplant at Stanford Medicine, making her among the youngest recipients on record at that time. Now, as Stanford Medicine celebrates 50 years of pediatric heart transplants at the institution, Craze is marking 40 years of life with the same heart, far beyond the expected five to 10 years.
“There were very few of us who were transplanted in the early ’80s and are still alive,” said Craze, a college graduate who has married, launched a fulfilling career and started a family.
Stanford Medicine teams have completed more than 560 pediatric heart transplants since their first in 1974 for a teenager, and 98 pediatric lung and combined heart-lung transplants.
The success involved decades of collaboration between Stanford specialists, which led, for example, to the development of 3D imaging software to better match donor hearts with children who need them.
“Seeing our patients go from critically ill to living fulfilling lives is something I find gratifying, and it gives me a lot of optimism for the future of the field,” said David Rosenthal, MD, director of the Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Therapies program at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.
“I definitely try to do everything I want to do and live all the life I can,” Craze said. “I like to say yes to wild ideas.”
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