Barnes-Jewish Hospital

05/29/2026

There was a time when Crystal couldn't do the simplest things without help—combing her hair, folding laundry, or picking up groceries.

Multiple strokes had stolen her independence.

Her right hand was too weak to grip. Her balance was thrown off. Her speech was no longer fluid. For years, she fought to get it back. Even as progress slowed to a standstill, she never stopped telling herself: "I can do it."

With an advanced neurotherapy option offered from WashU Medicine Physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Crystal finally broke through that standstill and is now doing things she once feared were gone forever.

Watch Crystal’s story below ⬇️

WashU Medicine
WashU Medicine Orthopedics
WashU Medicine Neurology

05/28/2026

After multiple strokes, Crystal was told she had likely reached the limit of her recovery. She refused to let that be the end of her story.

“Somebody had to help me do everything,” she says.

Her right arm and hand lost strength and dexterity. Her balance was affected. Even her speech became less fluid. For years, she pushed forward through therapy, doing everything she could to regain strength and mobility. But like many stroke survivors, her progress eventually slowed.

Still, Crystal never gave up. When her physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital offered a new approach, she was eager to try.

WashU Medicine specialists use advanced neurorehabilitation technologies—including vagus nerve stimulation paired with intensive rehabilitation, and IpsiHand®, a brain-computer interface therapy—to help rewrite what recovery can look like for chronic stroke survivors.

“When we combine this therapy with targeted rehab, it allows patients to move beyond what was once considered a plateau,” says Alexandre Carter, MD, a WashU Medicine neurologist specializing in neurorehabilitation at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Crystal began noticing changes in everyday moments. Tasks that once felt frustrating or impossible started to come back.

Folding clothes. Cooking. Cleaning. Walking with a cup of water without spilling it.

“I can do that. I couldn’t do that before,” she says.

Her arm could lift higher. Her grip became stronger. She could grasp and release objects on her own again. She even found herself doing something she once thought she might never do again: jumping rope.

For Crystal, her progress added up to greater independence—and a renewed sense of what’s possible. Now, Crystal hopes her story encourages other stroke survivors not to give up—and to explore what might still be possible in their recovery.

“I did it,” she says. “And you can do it, too.”

Read Crystal’s full story and learn how WashU Medicine Physicians are helping patients move beyond what was once considered a plateau:
https://heyor.ca/iE2raO

WashU Medicine Orthopedics
WashU Medicine Neurology

05/27/2026

Less pain, smaller incisions, and faster recovery are now a reality for patients with coronary artery disease.

That's thanks to the WashU Medicine cardiothoracic surgery team at Barnes‑Jewish Hospital, who performed the hospital's first robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedure earlier this year.

CABG, commonly known as heart bypass surgery, helps improve blood flow to the heart when coronary arteries become narrowed or blocked. Using robotic-assisted technology, surgeons can create a new path for blood flow through small chest incisions — without opening the chest.

Barnes‑Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine are proud to be among the few programs in the region offering this advanced approach to heart surgery.

04/30/2026

For 20 years, Joe lived with serious heart disease—knowing that his heart could fail at any moment.

The fear followed him everywhere. Once while swimming, Joe's heart faltered, and his family rushed to pull him out of the water. Joe’s health only got worse from there, causing him to miss out on countless moments with his kids.

One year ago, at dinner, Joe went into cardiac arrest, and he was rushed to the hospital. Doctors told him his heart failure had reached a point where a transplant was his only option.

Joe spent months in the hospital, much of that time on life support, waiting for a call that could save his life. As he waited, another complication emerged: his liver was failing, too. Fewer than one percent of transplant patients require both a heart and a liver.

“Organ donation gives patients a chance before it’s too late,” said Joel Schilling, MD, a WashU Medicine cardiologist at Barnes‑Jewish Hospital. “For too many people, that call never comes—up to 10% die while waiting for a heart transplant.”

Joe got his call.

Last September, Joe underwent a complex, 12‑hour surgery at Barnes‑Jewish, receiving both a heart and a liver from a donor. The procedure was performed by WashU Medicine Physicians, and a multidisciplinary transplant team experienced in caring for patients with the most advanced organ failure.

After Joe regained his strength, he got to ring the bell signaling that he’d officially made it. He could go home.

For Joe, everyday moments now feel extraordinary.

“It’s unbelievable. Just last week I mowed my yard,” Joe shared.

Today, Joe is continuing physical therapy and getting back to the life he once feared he might lose. He even made it to the father‑daughter dance at his daughter’s high school—the first one he’d been healthy enough to go to in five years. He’s watching his kids play hockey again, planning a trip to his hometown in Michigan, and thinking about a round of golf.

“To be there and make memories with the kids is amazing,” said his wife, Nicole.

Joe credits his doctors, his support system, and the donor who made his recovery possible. He’s written a letter to the donor’s family to express his gratitude to the person who gave him his second chance.

“It wasn’t easy,” Joe said. “But when you wake up every day and look at your kids’ faces, it’s worth it.”

Joe’s story is a reminder of what organ donation can make possible.

“It’s the bravery and generosity of families during one of the most difficult times in their lives,” Dr. Schilling said. “They give someone else the chance to live.”

Joe puts it simply:

“It’s the gift of life,” he said. “I’m living proof of it.”

04/24/2026

This Donate Life Month, we’re proud of caregivers like Mary who support patients and families through uncertainty, surgery, and the everyday moments made possible by an organ transplant.

Across our campus, pediatric and adult transplant teams share a commitment to honoring every donor gift and walking alongside patients for life.

Some of the most meaningful moments in pediatric transplant care happen quietly, in places that most people never see—and Mary, RN, PA‑C, has been there for so many of them. 💙💚

Over more than 30 years in health care—including 22 at St. Louis Children’s Hospital—Mary has watched medicine and technology change in ways she never could have predicted.

What hasn’t changed is the reason she still chooses this work.

Mary was drawn to health care by a desire to help people. She finds purpose in being there for others when life takes an unexpected turn—especially when families are facing an organ transplant and the uncertainty that comes with it.

As a physician assistant on the inpatient cardiac transplant team, Mary supports patients and families through experiences that don’t make headlines: long days of waiting for an organ transplant, difficult recoveries, and the slow work of rebuilding life after surgery. She’s a witness to it all—from the life‑changing phone call to long after the celebration fades.

What stays with her most are the moments that follow:
Families returning to everyday life.
Children reaching milestones that now carry new meaning.
Futures unfolding that once felt out of reach.

The selfless gift of organ donation makes those futures possible, which is why Mary hopes more people consider registering to become donors.

Because sometimes, the moments that change everything are the ones most people never see.

04/23/2026

Congratulations to Keith on being honored as a St. Louis Blues Hometown Hero for his leadership in transplant pharmacy at Barnes‑Jewish Hospital.

With more than 17 years of experience, including 12 at Barnes‑Jewish, Keith oversees a team of pharmacists supporting patients and their families as they manage the complexities of transplant medication across every transplant program.

Keith’s impact reaches far beyond the pharmacy. He has served on national and international committees as an advocate for patients and contributes to ethics and quality discussions that shape how care is delivered. Whether he’s creating medication education materials that help transplant patients feel more confident at home or mentoring the next generation of transplant pharmacists, Keith’s focus remains the same: supporting patients through their transplant journey and helping teams deliver care patients can trust. His influence not only improves the lives of those he works with today, but will be carried into the future by the pharmacists and programs made better by his leadership.

Keith was recognized on the ice at a St. Louis Blues game following his nomination by Chad Witt, MD, WashU Medicine medical director of the Lung Transplant Program.

“Keith is a true Hometown Hero, providing exceptional care to the most vulnerable, high‑acuity patients in our community,” said Dr. Witt. “As our Transplant Pharmacy Supervisor, Keith has revolutionized our care pathways and brought invaluable expertise to the bedside. His commitment to patient safety and staff mentorship is unmatched.”

Thank you, Keith. During —and throughout the year—your dedication is felt by patients and team members alike. Congratulations on this well‑deserved recognition.

04/17/2026

The first four months of Yaheng’s pregnancy were routine. Everything was on track—until the 20‑week ultrasound, when the technician noticed something unusual.

Yaheng’s OB‑GYN referred her to the Fetal Heart Center, a partnership between Barnes‑Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children's Hospital, and WashU Medicine, for a closer look.

There, Yaheng and her husband, Jeff, learned that their baby had two rare and life‑threatening congenital heart conditions: truncus arteriosus and an interrupted aortic arch. Together, the diagnoses meant their baby’s heart couldn’t send blood where it needed to go. Without surgery, the risks to his development—and his life—were severe.

“It was quite shocking and just took a long time for us to process,” Yaheng recalls.

Within days, Yaheng and Jeff met with Caroline K. Lee, MD, a WashU Medicine pediatric cardiologist, and Pirooz Eghtesady, MD, PhD, a WashU Medicine pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, to begin planning coordinated care—before their son was even born.

“By diagnosing heart defects before a baby is born, we can help prepare families for what to expect, what procedures will be needed, and coordinate care for a safe delivery for both mom and baby,” Dr. Lee says.

In July 2023, Yaheng delivered her son, Ben, at Barnes‑Jewish, where teams were prepared to support both mother and baby from the very beginning. Shortly after birth, Ben was transferred to St. Louis Children’s for specialized pediatric heart surgery, with his care plan already in place.

At just five days old, Ben underwent a seven‑hour open‑heart surgery. Dr. Eghtesady reconstructed Ben’s heart—creating a pulmonary trunk, repairing his aorta, and restoring healthy blood flow throughout his body.

After weeks of recovery under close monitoring, Ben went home seventeen days after his surgery.

Today, Ben is a healthy, rambunctious 2‑year‑old with endless energy and a love for anything with a motor. While his care will continue as he grows, his parents face the future with confidence—supported by the same team that was preparing for Ben long before he ever took his first breath.

Read Ben’s full story to see how early diagnosis, coordinated expertise, and seamless care helped change the course of one family’s future: https://heyor.ca/1S7nwW

04/10/2026

Earlier this month, Isaiah raised the Donate Life flag outside Barnes‑Jewish Hospital—more than thirty years after an organ donor saved his life for the first time.

Isaiah received his first heart transplant as an infant at St. Louis Children's Hospital. That gift allowed him to take his first steps, go to school, create music, and grow up surrounded by the people who love him—to experience milestones once thought out of reach.

But that transplant was only the beginning of a lifelong journey.

Over the next three decades, Isaiah’s care continued to evolve. Transplanted organs require lifelong monitoring and specialized support—and they don’t always last forever. As Isaiah grew older, his care transitioned from St. Louis Children’s Hospital to Barnes‑Jewish Hospital, guided throughout by WashU Medicine Physicians and multidisciplinary transplant teams. Dedicated transplant coordinators and care teams walked alongside Isaiah and his family through every chapter.

Last year, following cardiac arrest and critical illness, Isaiah received a simultaneous heart and kidney transplant—made possible, once again, by the extraordinary generosity of organ donors and their families.

Now recovered, Isaiah returned to Barnes‑Jewish Hospital to raise the Donate Life flag, joined by members of the transplant teams who have supported him throughout his life.

Isaiah’s story is a reminder that an organ transplant is not a single moment. It is a lifelong commitment to care, partnership, and hope, sustained by donors and their families, and by the coordinators, nurses, physicians, and care teams who never stop showing up.

This Donate Life Month, we honor the donor families who gave Isaiah—and all transplant recipients—more time, more milestones, and more tomorrows, and the continuity of care that helps them make the most of every one.

💙💚 Learn more or register as a donor: https://www.donatelife.net/register

03/30/2026

𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲. Today, on National Doctors’ Day, we honor the hands that heal, the hearts that carry our community’s health, and the minds that never stop seeking better medicine. Your impact is felt far beyond our hospital walls—in the hope you restore, the lives you save, and the loved ones who return to their families.

Our promise is kept in the daily commitment of our doctors. It is a calling defined by quiet, personal sacrifice: the missed dinners, the long nights at the bedside, and a responsibility that doesn’t end when the shift does. We recognize the physicians who show up, who become the steady anchor a family needs, and who offer a reassuring presence that says: “We are in this together.”

To our physician partners: Thank you for the expertise you bring, the sacrifices you make, and the humanity you offer every person in your care.

𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀. We invite you to take a moment to thank a doctor in the comments and let them know the difference they have made in your life.

03/18/2026

For Jean S. Wang, MD, PhD, a WashU Medicine gastroenterologist who has served the St. Louis community for 17 years, the most rewarding part of her work is found in the years added to her patients' lives.

"Seeing a patient grow old with their family because an early-stage cancer was detected and cured is why I do this work," says Dr. Wang. “It is a privilege to help patients through those vulnerable moments."

Dr. Wang is driven by the fact that colon cancer is one of the most preventable and curable cancers. A colonoscopy is the gold standard of available screenings because it is the only tool that allows doctors to both find and treat precancerous growths, called polyps, during the same procedure. By removing these polyps, specialists can effectively stop cancer before it even starts.

This Colon Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Wang shares why a colonoscopy is your best line of defense against colorectal cancer:

Real-time Prevention: Unlike other tests that only look for signs of disease, a colonoscopy allows for the immediate removal of polyps. Catching these growths early significantly improves treatment outcomes and survival rates.

Advanced Technology: Over the last decade, endoscopy techniques have evolved significantly. Using high-definition scopes, specialists can now remove very large polyps and even early-stage cancers that would have required surgery in the past.

A Lower Age for Getting Started: Because colon cancer often has no symptoms in its earliest stages, the recommended age for your first screening has been lowered to 45. (If you are experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms, you should consult with a specialist regardless of your age.)

Outside the clinic, Dr. Wang stays active with her family to keep her own digestive system healthy. Her best advice for long-term gut health is simple: "Starting at age 45, make sure you schedule your colonoscopy. It is the single most important step you can take to prevent colon cancer."

Are you 45 or older? Take a proactive step for your health—request an appointment for your colonoscopy today: bjc.org/colonoscopy