Connect

Care at UVA is much more than scans, scalpels, and stitches. Healing continues long after the scars fade and normal life is resumed. Ongoing support, like what the Transplant Support Group offers, is one way that UVA Health System cultivates life-long relationships with its patients.

The Transplant Support Group offers a safe forum for potential, current, and former transplant patients and family members to make connections, share stories, receive support, and offer it in return.

Bill Potts, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, leads the monthly support group, and he’s been its anchor for over 20 years. “It’s the highlight of my month,” he said. He’s cultivated a culture of open communication that’s free of judgment. He guides the discussion but ultimately allows members to own the conversations.

“I can counsel patients on what to expect [with the transplant process], but nothing beats that peer aspect,” Potts said. “Their experience is unique, and they tend to find solace in supporting each other through the same process.”

Some attendees even travel two to three hours to attend, coming from Richmond, Tidewater, or northern Virginia.

“Since I’ve been leading it, I can’t remember a time when there hasn’t been someone that comes,” said Potts. “We’ve had individuals who have been coming for a decade.”

Some attend because they need support, and others attend to offer it.

“The long-timers mentor, comfort, and reassure others,” Potts said. “They are so grateful they’ve been given the gift of life. The way they respect their transplant is to help others. … They appreciate how close to death they were and how fortunate they are to have restored health.”

At a recent meeting, members laughed about pranks they played on their nurses and expressed thanks for their care team with comments like, “They are all wonderful,” and “Don’t give up because they don’t.”

Potts is glad patients experience the dedication and compassion he sees happening every day.

“From the person who greets them at the door, parks their car, to the person who checks them in, there is a sense of caring. … I feel fortunate to be a part of the Transplant department.”

Doctors or other members of the care team will often attend the support group meetings to talk to their patients or family members in a more casual setting.

“I don’t think you find that in every transplant center,” said Potts. “I think that’s unique to UVA. We have this very dedicated team of nurses and doctors who care about what they do. You can see that, to them, every patient is the most important patient.”

Each day, Potts helps patients navigate their transplant journey: setting expectations, providing education, and preparing caretakers for the responsibility that will inevitably be upon them. Through the process, he forms bonds with the patients. It’s what he like most about his job: the long-term relationships and seeing patients recover from the brink of death.

“That transformation is probably the most rewarding thing that I’ve ever experienced,” he said. “I’m amazed at the change in people … and I love watching patients get a new quality of life. It’s hard not to get swept up in that.”

As the list of transplant success stories continues to grow, Potts encourages each of them to continue writing their story with UVAHS. Every month, he opens the doors to the Transplant Support Group and greets everyone by name. It’s a room full of friends who will discuss the lows, the highs, the miracles, and the heartbreaks to which they all can relate.