ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Strong Hospital celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Heart Transplant Center, which opened on Feb. 7, 2001. It remains the only heart transplant center in upstate New York. News10NBC’s Erin Mahon spoke with the second patient to undergo a transplant at the center and the family of the first transplant recipient.
The center marked the occasion with cake and balloons. Dr. Leway Chen, Director of Advanced Heart Failure, said, “We started with one cardiologist, one surgeon, and one nurse practitioner.” Chen has been with the center since its inception and has seen it grow from a staff of three to 70.
“It’s a mixture of you want to do whatever you can to help people, not to need our services, but we’re also very thankful that we can be here,” said Chen…