“In June of 2017, three years after I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, I arrived at UCLA Health,” says Michael Trovato, whose condition had continually worsened. “I was assessed by a few hospitals in California, all of which declined to accept me as a heart transplant patient due to my age. I met with Dr. Daniel Cruz and he spent two hours talking with my wife and I, which demonstrated that he really had an interest in us personally. That went a long way. Dr. Cruz admitted me to the hospital that same day to clear up an infection in the driveline on my left ventricular assist device. He and his staff did everything to clear me of that infection so I could be listed. In August of 2017, I was given a heart and a kidney transplant. The last year and a half has been spectacular. I don’t feel any different than when I was 40-years-old. I have all my strength and energy. Not many people who have their sternum opened and have a heart and kidney transplant at the same time would use the term ‘pleasurable experience,’ but all the care I have had at UCLA Health has been pleasurable. I think the world of this facility and its people.”

Tags: congestive heart failure, Dr. Daniel Cruz, featured, heart transplant, kidney transplant, left ventricular assist device, Surgery, Transplant, UCLA Transplant Services