Lung Transplant Recipient's Donation Creates Rehabilitation Area

MAYWOOD, IL – Loyola Medicine recently celebrated the dedication of the Chris and Neil Blitstein Rehabilitation Track with a ribbon cutting ceremony at Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC). This newly renovated space is designed to inspire patients recovering from a transplant by giving them a cheerful place to walk and track progress toward their rehabilitation goals.

The Blitsteins' generous investment in the Chris and Neil Blitstein Rehabilitation Track has already made a positive impact on post-surgical transplant patients and their caregivers. Since its completion, patients have remarked that not only do they enjoy viewing the beautiful Chicago skyline as they walk, the track also inspires them to persevere and provides an opportunity to venture beyond the hospital unit where they spend so much of their day.

The Blitsteins, who live in Burr Ridge, made their generous gift in recognition of the exceptional care Mr. Blitstein received from Loyola Medicine's lung transplant team. Mr. Blitstein, who received his transplant at in 2017, credits Loyola’s lung transplant team with saving his life. Dan Dilling, MD, medical director of lung transplant at Loyola Medicine, said, “It has been a privilege for Loyola’s multidisciplinary lung team to be entrusted with Mr. Blitstein’s care and to see his life extended as a result.”

“Capital improvements like this one are critical to patient care at Loyola and at times are only possible as a result of the generosity of philanthropic supporters like Chris and Neil Blitstein,” said Tad Gomez, president of LUMC. “That is why we are so grateful to the Blitsteins for turning what before was simply a hallway into a source of beauty and inspiration for patients recovering from complex surgeries and working toward mobility and rehabilitation.”

Loyola Medicine is grateful to the Blitsteins for their many avenues of support including additional philanthropic generosity and volunteer leadership of patient and caregiver support programs. The Blitsteins explained, “It is an honor to support Loyola Medicine and the many caregivers who have given so much to our family. We are grateful beyond words.”

Loyola has the longest running and highest volume lung transplant program in Illinois. To date, our team has performed 1,195 life-saving lung transplants for patients from across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.

You can download photos of the event at this link.