It was an extra special Thanksgiving this year for one mother and her family. Seven months after history was made in The Bronx, an emotional meeting took place on Tuesday, Nov. 22, between the world’s first HIV-positive to HIV-positive heart transplant recipient and her donor’s family. Westchester mom, Miriam Nieves, 62, who is HIV-positive, met the mom and sisters of deceased donor, 30-year-old certified nursing assistant, Brittany Newton, who was also HIV-positive.

 

Newton’s family had flown in from Louisiana for the special occasion. Seven months after her surgery at Montefiore Health System, Nieves shared her gratitude for her medical team, for her donor, and for her second chance at life. She also shared her message of hope and advocated for other people to consider organ donation. “I am so grateful to the Newton family, and to Montefiore for taking a chance and extending my life,” Nieves said. “I hope other people see my story and start the conversation about organ donation as they gather with their families this Thanksgiving.”

 

Nieves’ story is one of struggle and triumph. After overcoming drug addiction when she was younger, which resulted in her contracting HIV, she went on to have a successful career, three children, and six grandchildren. After years of recovery, and effectively controlling her HIV, Nieves experienced another health issue in 2006 when she was diagnosed with kidney cancer and needed to have one kidney removed.

 

Nine years later, her remaining kidney started to fail, eventually requiring nightly dialysis. Her kidney function was so poor it was determined that she would need a kidney transplant. When a match became available, Nieves, her husband of 27 years, Julio, and Nieves’ entire family were relieved and overjoyed.

 

However, devastatingly, when she was being assessed for the kidney transplant surgery, it became apparent her heart function had deteriorated significantly, making it unlikely that she would survive the operation. She would need a heart transplant also. Nieves thought her chances of finding a donor were zero.

 

Thankfully, her team of specialists at Montefiore Health System had the experience and determination to find a solution. In 2013, the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act enabled HIV-positive people to donate their organs to HIV-positive recipients. However, a HIV-to-HIV heart transplant had never been successfully performed. Montefiore infectious disease specialist, Vagish Hemmige, M.D., spearheaded efforts to develop the protocol and navigate the regulatory requirements, making Montefiore one of only two centers in the United States eligible to perform this novel surgery, and becoming the first in the country to make the surgery happen, as reported.

“Our experience with patients who had received other organs from HIV-positive donors convinced us that a HIV-positive heart donation could be carried out successfully,” said Hemmige, who is Nieves’ HIV care provider at Montefiore, associate professor of medicine, and director of medical student research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

 

According to Montefiore Health System, in the United States there are between 60,000 and 100,000 people who could benefit from a new heart. However, only around 3,800 transplants were performed in 2021. Omar Saeed, M.D., M.S. is Nieves’ cardiologist at Montefiore and an associate professor of medicine at Einstein. “Sadly, many people with HIV, waiting for a heart, never receive one,” he said. “By successfully managing Ms. Nieves’ care, we have shown that HIV-positive donors are a lifeline, and we encourage more people to consider sharing this lifesaving gift.”

 

Meanwhile, Jamil Borgi, M.D., heart surgeon and associate surgical director for advanced pulmonary failure and lung transplantation at Montefiore, said of the hospital system’s ongoing efforts to enhance the organ donation process, “Our multidisciplinary team of clinical and surgical specialists are uniquely positioned to find new, sophisticated ways to serve our patients.”

 

Once Nieves was listed for an HIV-positive heart, she was the only person on the transplant list eligible for such an organ, which meant she didn’t have to wait very long. Just a few days later, she was told there was a match. One thousand miles away, in Louisiana, Newton, who according to her family, had a heart of gold, tragically passed away.

 

In choosing to become an organ donor, and with the assistance of the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency, Newton became a hero, giving the gift of life to Nieves. Surrounded by her medical team at Montefiore, Nieves met Newton’s mom, Bridget, and younger sisters, Breanne, and Brianca Newton, for the first time on Nov. 22. Tears were shed in the room during the emotional meeting especially when, using stethoscopes, the Newton family took turns to listen to their late daughter’s / sister’s heart beating inside Nieves’ chest.

 

Addressing those gathered after the emotional meeting, Breanna Newton, the elder of Brittany’s two younger sisters, said she wanted to share a little of who Brittany was with those gathered. [Click here for a short video] She said in her role as a certified nursing assistant, Brittany had spent years working with the elderly. “She had a very, sweet, forgiving, helpful, and protective spirit,” Breanne said of her sister. “She was truly loved by her family, and to know her was to love her as well.”

 

Breanne continued, “She was kind, humble, and lived her life to the fullest. She left this world being a blessing to others, through her selfless act of organ donation. Brittany’s years on earth were short, but through organ donation, her spirit lives on. She will be missed, forever loved, and remembered by her family and all those that knew her.” The Newton family later presented Nieves with another gift, a memorial plaque, which they said they hoped she loved.

Brianca Newton then read the inscription on the plaque, saying, “A lady’s heart of gold, a second chance that is one of a kind, and a blessing from God that is so divine, for he is the reason we are here to celebrate the second chance at life so dear. We are [inaudible] on unforeseen circumstances but we are thankful for life’s second chance. We will always keep you near even though we are miles apart. We love you always because you have our sister’s heart. Prayers for you always, The Newton Family”

 

Later, smiling and laughing, Breanna explained that purple was Brittany’s favorite color and was, therefore, the reason why the plaque was purple.

 

Montefiore Health System provides care to approximately three million people in communities across The Bronx, Westchester, and the Hudson Valley. It comprises 10 hospitals, including the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory care sites. Montefiore officials say the advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes.

 

Later, addressing reporters [click here for a short video], Nieves said if it hadn’t been for the Newton family, she would not be alive today. “Words can’t express how grateful and thankful I am,” she said. Meanwhile, her son, Edward, spoke about how many more people, including his four children, would also benefit from his mom’s successful heart transplant operation.

 

In reference to Thanksgiving, Nieves later told Norwood News, “The only gift I wanted, I got this year. I got…the call [of a donor] and I’m ok, and I’m really thankful and blessed.” She, again, encouraged people to become organ donors, saying those living with HIV probably didn’t even know they could become organ donors. She added, “I hope to inspire more people to become organ donors and see that they have the power to save lives.”

Thursday, Dec. 1, marked World AIDS Day. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, currently on an overseas trip to Greece and Qatar, announced that both City Hall and the David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building would be lit red on Thursday night in recognition of the occasion.

 

“New York City stands united in the fight against HIV and AIDS, and today we show our support for those living with HIV/AIDS and honor those we’ve lost to this epidemic,” said Adams. “I’m proud that New York City reached the UNAIDS 90-90-90 goals in 2018, two years ahead of schedule, and that we are working toward meeting the new UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals by 2030, but we must never stop working [to] address persistent disparities, including in our Black and Latino communities.”

 

He added, “In recognition of World AIDS Day, our administration recommits itself to increasing awareness, fighting prejudice, and ensuring every New Yorker has access to the health care they need as we collectively work to end HIV and AIDS.”

 

Back in The Bronx, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson joined health and community leaders on Fordham Plaza on Dec. 1 to mark World AIDS Day. Information, screenings and resources were provided to members of the public to increase awareness of the virus as rates in The Bronx have increased in recent years, despite a global decline since the dark days of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.

 

“Today, we gathered with our community partners in solidarity with those affected by HIV/AIDS to bring awareness to this epidemic and fight against the stigma that keeps people from getting tested,” Gibson said.

Norwood News reported on this worrying HIV trend in The Bronx earlier this year, particularly as it pertains to the transgender community. In October, we also reported on an announcement by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) about a three-dose, Hepatitus B vaccine regimen that protects people with HIV.

 

Meanwhile, officials from the National Institutes of Health said on Dec. 1 that in the 34 years since the first observance of World AIDS Day, transformational progress has been made in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, yet challenges remain. They said leaders at the National Institutes of Health reflected on World AIDS Day on the 40 million lives lost to the disease, and renewed their commitment to the research necessary to end this global pandemic.

 

In a statement, NIAID director, Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., and NIH Office of AIDS Research director, Maureen M. Goodenow, Ph.D., the NIH leaders, recapped the encouraging HIV/AIDS scientific advances of the last year, while acknowledging the difficulties that remain, including getting people with HIV access to treatment and medical care and the underutilization of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, to prevent HIV acquisition.

 

Meanwhile, fighting back tears on the day of the press conference, Nieves’ husband of 30 years told Norwood News that words could not express how grateful he was for his wife’s new heart. “There’s still a lot of stigma around HIV and, as we know, there are not even donors,” he said. “Hopefully, with this, it can open the minds of many people out there, and it can make a difference in the world. To save somebody’s life…..it’s the ultimate gift.”

 

More information about general organ donation can be found here. Check our our previous Inquiring Photographer feature on the topic of organ donation here. Registration to become an organ donor is ongoing, and can be completed here. Those seeking more information about Montefiore Health System can visit www.montefiore.org. For more information on HIV and AIDS in general, check out our latest Health Check feature.