Fast. Stunning. Amazing. A miracle.
Those are just a few of the words Mella Pool uses to describe her experience in 2020, when a genetic condition led to the sudden need for a liver transplant. After feeling sick and visiting her doctor, Pool quickly found herself in the hospital and then on the transplant list for a new liver.
Pool underwent a liver transplant on Sept. 10 and was immediately filled with gratitude for her care team, which included Neil D. Shah, MD, of the UNC Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology as well as Elizabeth Lemmon, RN, BSN, CCRN, her transplant coordinator. That gratitude led Pool to establish the Jenny Tripodi Lamatrice Continuing Education Fund, named in honor of her late mother, who passed away in 2020.
In addition to honoring both her care team and her mother, Pool’s gift will be used to support scholarly activities, including continuing education, for Advanced Practice Providers (APP) in the UNC Liver Transplant Clinic. To learn more about Mella Pool’s incredible story and generous support of UNC Health, please watch the video below.