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How we began
Second Chance Hero was founded by Rafi Barragan, a double organ transplant recipient. In the spring of 2021, Rafi's heart condition; a congenital condition known as Shone's syndrome - deteriorated rapidly. He found himself at Vanderbilt University medical center under the care of the transplant and congenital cardiology teams. Having multiple previous surgical interventions made him a complex patient. Now in need of a heart transplant, the extensive repair, scar tissue, and unique anatomy of earlier surgeries increased his risk. Most transplant centers would find congenital patients like Rafi too complex to risk attempting a heart transplant, let alone a heart and liver transplant. Congenital patients often get denied transplants due to their inherent higher risk and unique anatomy, forcing them to travel across the United States, sometimes the world, to find a hospital that will give them an opportunity at transplant. Finding a center willing to take on a congenital patient in need of a transplant, as Rafi discovered, is only half the battle.
After meeting many patients on a similar path, our founder realized that patients could tick all the boxes for transplant evaluation and still be denied candidacy if they cannot afford to relocate near their treatment center post-transplant. Organ recipients must remain local and near their transplant center for up to a year post-transplant. Second Chance Hero exists because we believe that no congenital patient should ever be denied a second chance as a result of an inability to travel, relocate or poor support system.
