Donors are welcomed into the Legacy Circle when they make a lasting gift to the Medical Center through their will, retirement plan, life insurance policy or trust.

ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, is a life-sustaining mechanical system that takes over for the hearts and lungs of critically ill patients, allowing them to rest and recover.

The method, rapid recovery with extended ultra-oxygenated preservation, involves flushing the donor heart with a cold oxygenated preservation solution after death.

Bystanders assumed the healthy teen — who has danced for nine years, six of those competitively — was overheated or exhausted. Conscious, though unresponsive to questions, Zoe quickly worsened.

When her evening pivoted from cheering for Nashville Soccer Club to suffering a heart attack, well-coordinated teams kept Leigh Anne Clark’s heart and life safe.

The team used an Impella, a catheter-based miniature ventricular assist device. It offered the best chance of getting rising eighth-grader Van Sung to transplant.

The consortium includes VUMC and all major health systems in Middle Tennessee as well as throughout the state in collaboration with the Tennessee Hospital Association.