A New Jersey man who was successfully treated for cancer nearly 10 years ago at the University of Nebraska Medical Center has shown his appreciation by making a $500,000 gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation to benefit The Lied Transplant Center, which is nearing completion on the UNMC campus.
David Aresty, of Morristown, N.J., received an autologous bone marrow transplant at UNMC on April 10, 1989. A partner in Alfred Dunner, Inc., a women’s clothing manufacturer and distributor, Aresty was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 31. His disease had spread and was in his right armpit, chest, liver and spleen.
Aresty’s oncologist in Morristown knew about the outstanding reputation of James Armitage, M.D., chairman of UNMC’s internal medicine department and the oncologist who started UNMC’s bone marrow transplant program in 1983. He urged Aresty to go to Nebraska for his care not only because of the quality of UNMC’s physicians and transplant program, but also because of the high caliber of its nursing staff and reputation for treating all patients like family.
The only knowledge Aresty had of Nebraska prior to his cancer treatment was that his brother, Jeffrey, was a 1980 graduate of the UNMC College of Pharmacy.
Following his transplant, Aresty returned to Omaha for his 100-day checkup, but he hasn’t been back since. Today, Aresty is in good health. He and his wife, Patti, have three children, and they plan to return to Omaha in November to participate in the grand opening ceremonies at The Lied Transplant Center.
In appreciation of the couple’s $500,000 gift, the lounge area on the second floor of The Lied Transplant Center will be named the “David and Patti Aresty Patient and Family Lounge.” The naming of the second floor lounge was reported at today’s University of Nebraska Board of Regents meeting held at the Agricultural Research and Development Center in Ithaca, Neb.
“The doctors and nurses in Nebraska are care givers in the truest sense of the word,” Aresty said. “I cannot say enough or do enough to thank them.”
The Lied Transplant Center will serve as a national model for other transplant programs. The 14-level building will feature 44 patient care suites as well as several floors devoted to transplant research. Patients staying at the transplant center will be part of an innovative cooperative care delivery system in which family or friends serve as care partners for the basic care needs of patients.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state. Through its commitment to research, education and patient care, UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for cancer research and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than $27 million in research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually. In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.
The University of Nebraska is a non-profit corporation supplementing support for students, faculty, facilities and programs at the University of Nebraska’s four campuses through gifts from alumni, friends, corporations and other foundations.