Cardiovascular

Leading the Fight Against the Nation’s #1 Killer

Vibrant, 23-year-old Haylee has a tattoo on her forearm: a single line depicting an erratic heartbeat that flatlines, becomes a gift bow, and then changes into a normal heartbeat. It commemorates the heart and lungs transplant she received at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in July 2014.

For six years prior, Haylee had battled pulmonary arterial hypertension. Because of the disease, she couldn’t walk a dozen steps without needing a rest, her heart twice as large as normal. The complications of her illness had forced her to give up her job as a nanny and drop out of college. She had exhausted every other form of treatment when her physician, Dr. David Ross, medical director of the UCLA lung and heart-lung transplant program, checked her into Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He put her at the top of the nation’s heart-lung donor list, and 143 days later, he found her a match.

The nine-hour transplant surgery gave her a new lease on life. Haylee now runs, works as a nanny, and volunteers with the nonprofit Donate Life California. On January 29, 2015, she wrote on Facebook, “Six months ago today my life changed forever. I finally got my new heart and lungs. So extremely grateful for everyone who was there for me the entire time… and so blessed to get a second chance at life.”

Cardiovascular disease like Haylee’s is the number one killer in the United States. UCLA has an integrated team of physicians and scientists focusing on the following areas:

Precision Health: Pioneering strategies to promote lifelong cardiovascular wellness; tailoring care to individual patients for precise diagnoses, treatments, and cures.

Sudden Cardiac Death: Developing new ways to predict, prevent, and reverse cardiac arrhythmias.

Healthy Blood Vessels: Advancing the prevention and treatment of vascular disease, lowering the healthcare burdens from high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.

Scarless Healing: Developing approaches to improve healing of the heart after injury, reversing damage, and fostering cardiovascular regeneration.

Your generous gift will enable our world-class team to make breakthrough discoveries leading to new treatments and cures for cardiovascular disease.