Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn held a special reunion to celebrate its first pediatric heart transplant patient and officially launch its new transplant program. Fifteen-year-old Natalie Pomo returned to the hospital for the first time since her discharge in December, joining her mother, nurses, and doctors who supported her throughout her journey. Pomo was the first pediatric patient to undergo a heart transplant at the hospital, which has since completed three pediatric transplants.
With this milestone, Advocate Children’s Hospital is now a certified pediatric transplant center. Doctors emphasized the importance of continuity in care, especially for young patients facing such life-altering procedures. They highlighted how maintaining familiar relationships with caregivers can have both clinical and emotional benefits, helping families stay close to home while receiving specialized care.
Until this announcement, Lurie Children’s Hospital had been the only pediatric heart transplant program in Illinois. The addition of Advocate Children’s expands access to life-saving transplants for children in the state, ensuring more families can receive expert care without traveling far.
