In Celebration of the Life of Laura Hart Burdick 1972 – 2005

Proceeds benefit patients of St. Joseph’s Hospital Heart and Lung Institute, Phoenix, Arizona

Laura was a typical fun-loving college student at the University of Illinois in 1992 when she was diagnosed with leukemia. She was declared “cured” in 1997 but a year later, her breathing became labored.  After many tests, she learned that her lungs had been irreversibly damaged, probably by chemotherapy drugs. In 2003, Laura underwent successful lung transplant surgery at Stanford University and returned to Arizona to live a full and productive life with her husband, Jon. In September 2005, at the age of 33, Laura succumbed to an intractable lung infection.

In 2003, there was no lung transplant program in the Phoenix area. Laura traveled to Stanford for surgery, stayed there for three months of rehabilitation, then returned frequently for the next two and a half years for checkups, tests and hospitalization if she became ill. Laura’s journey would have been so much less challenging for her had there been a local hospital that could provide the highly specialized care transplant patients require.

The goal of Laura’s Foundation is to help St. Joseph’s Hospital provide that care for lung transplant patients in the Valley.

Be Inspired!