Newark Beth Israel heart transplant provides hope amidst family tragedy
Sonda McInnes recently spent quality time celebrating Mother’s Day with her six children, after a successful heart transplant at Newark Beth Israel gave her a new lease on life.
Seeing her now, smiling and active, it’s hard to believe that the start of 2020 saw Ms. McInnes battling heart failure. As her health deteriorated, she found herself unable to walk, struggling to breathe, and fearing for her life. All that changed in February, when she received a lifesaving call from Newark Beth Israel’s Advanced Center for Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant with the news that a donor had been found.
As she slowly recovered from heart transplant surgery, COVID-19 struck, leaving a trail of death in its wake. The pandemic was particularly cruel to her family with no fewer than four of her relatives tragically succumbing to the virus, while a further family member also passed away last year of unrelated causes.
Ms. McInnes credits her recovery to the love and support of her children and the incredible care and professionalism of Newark Beth Israel’s team of specialists. Together with the tragic loss of so many family members, she has a new perspective — “It makes you want to cherish life.”
