A lengthy medical journey can be overwhelming, especially when it means being away from family, familiar surroundings, and the comforts of home. For Kathy, a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis meant traveling to Pittsburgh for care. There was only one question: who was going with her?
The answer was easy. Karen, her best friend of 51 years, had been by her side since their high school days in Buffalo, New York. Somewhere along the way, “best friends” had turned into something closer to family. Karen flew up from New Port Richey, Florida in November 2025, and by January 2026, once Kathy’s new insurance came through, the two made the drive to Pittsburgh together. They arrived in the middle of a Pennsylvania winter that Karen, a 10-year Florida resident, was entirely unprepared for.
Kathy had first heard about Family House about a year earlier from her Buffalo pulmonologist, who had trained at UPMC. Now, as she moved between UPMC hospitals, from Montefiore to Presbyterian, depending on what her care required, Family House became her home base.
She still remembers that first night clearly. They unpacked the car, toured the building, settled into their room, and headed out for dinner. “Everybody was so kind,” Kathy says. “I saw the pictures online and thought, this place is amazing. But there’s still more than those pictures show.”
But the true gift of Family House went far beyond having a roof over their heads. Within its walls, Kathy and Karen discovered a community of people who understood what they were experiencing. Fellow guests were facing their own medical challenges, waiting for transplants, supporting loved ones, and hoping for better days ahead. Although their stories were different, they shared a common understanding that brought them together.
Over time, the guests became more than neighbors sharing a temporary residence. They became friends, encouragers, listeners, and a support system for Kathy and Karen. Some of Kathy’s closest friendships today are with people she’d never heard of before coming to Pittsburgh. “Some of my hardest days were made lighter by the smallest things. A quick chat in the kitchen, a meal shared with someone who understood, a coffee run, or just a friendly smile. At Family House, those little moments meant everything,” Kathy states
Those little moments mattered, because the waiting was the hardest part. Kathy was tired, in body and in spirit. Her blood type meant she could give but faced a harder road when it came to receiving a transplant. Watching friends who arrived around the same time move ahead in the transplant process took a toll. It’s the kind of weight that’s easier to carry when you’re next to someone who has known you for fifty years and surrounded by people who understand the anxious waiting and the emotional ups and downs.
Kathy’s journey reached its turning point in September 2026, when she received her double-lung transplant. She is still in the ICU at UPMC Presbyterian today, and the news from her care team is good: she is doing well, resting, and recovering from her surgery.
For nine months, Family House was Kathy’s “home away from home.” Now, with the hardest chapter behind them, Karen has returned home to Florida.
Kathy now has a second chance because of the skilled medical team, the lifelong friend who never left her side, and the generosity of those she met along the way, particularly at Family House. And to the donors and supporters who make it all possible, Karen says it simply: “Everything you do is deeply, genuinely appreciated.”
By donating to Family House, you help provide comfort, financial relief, and emotional support to patients and their caregivers when it is needed most.
Support Family House: familyhouse.org/donate
Kathy outside of Family House before her transplant.