Amy's House Milestone
Temple’s transplant hospitality center hosts 1,000th guest since opening in 2021
Margaret and John Henderson admire a photo of their daughter, Amy, who died in 2012 from an unexpected brain hemorrhage. The local Transplant Recipient International Organization (TRIO) board named the Temple transplant hospitality house in her honor. David Stone photo
Phyllis Renfrow, executive director of Amy’s House, prepares the kitchen for the next guests. The kitchen has two of everything — refrigerators, stoves, sinks — so families have plenty of room to prepare meals. David Stone photo
Amy’s House, a hospitality facility for transplant patients, donors and their families, is located at 2114 S. 15th Street, just east of TMED Circle between Baylor Scott & White Medical Center and Temple College. David Stone photo
DAVID STONE | OUR TOWN TEMPLE
Amy’s House, a Temple hospitality facility for transplant recipients, live donors and their families, hit a massive milestone this week: The center hosted its 1,000th guest since opening Jan. 4, 2021.
“That’s quite a feat considering that we’ve been in a pandemic during most of the time we’ve been open,” said Phyllis Renfrow, executive director of the facility.
“Since January of this year, we’ve hosted 22 new patients and 58 families who have returned for appointments and additional treatments at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center,” she said. “Their round trip mileage has exceeded 20,000 miles.”
The large red-brick house on South 15th Street just east of TMED Circle was named in honor of Amy Firth, a former Copperas Cove cheerleader and educator of autistic children who died in 2012 from a brain hemorrhage.
“Amy lived life to the fullest, and her generosity has saved or improved the lives of many fellow Texans,” said Margaret Henderson, Amy’s mother and a member of the local Transplant Recipient International Organization (TRIO) and Amy’s House boards.
After Amy passed, her organs and tissues were donated to at least 70 other people.
“After Amy died, her parents — John and Margaret Henderson — started Amy’s House through the local chapter of TRIO,” Renfrow said.
“TRIO was established in 2012, and the TRIO Trailer was parked at Baylor Scott & White’s RV park in 2014,” John Henderson said. “It was small and only served one family at a time, and it’s not uncommon for a family to need a place for eight days or more.”
At the urging of BSW officials, the Henderson’s began raising money for a larger facility. They received donations of money, supplies and services, and in January 2021, Amy’s House opened on city-donated land at 2114 South 15th, just a few blocks east of the hospital. The first family spent the night January 4.
“Our mission was to design a facility to help transplant patients and their families,” Margaret said. “Some of the board members approached us and said they would like to name the house in Amy’s honor.”
“This is the only TRIO hospitality house in the world,” John added. “There are transplant hospitality homes in other cities run by other organizations, but Temple has the only TRIO house.”
Renfrow said Amy’s House has rooms for eight families, and each room sleeps three people. The rooms are also equipped with a large recliner.
“We have a large community space, a large dining area, a conference room, a laundry facility and a kitchen that has two of everything,” she said. “The laundry room has three washers and three dryers, and the washers are prefilled with detergent. Guests just put their clothes in and push a button.”
Amy’s House also has a large outdoor sitting area equipped with a garden, patio furniture and a grill.
“Sanitation is a big thing here,” John said. “Organ transplant recipients are susceptible to infection so we are constantly sanitizing the facility. We also have electronic sanitizers in the air conditioning system so the air is sanitized as it circulates.”
Families are not required to pay to stay at Amy’s House, but donations are encouraged.
“We don’t turn anyone away who can’t afford to make a contribution,” Margaret said. “We have guests from all over the state and from other places. We’ve had patients come from the Rio Grande Valley, West Texas, Oklahoma — all over. Most of the local transplant patients just go home, but sometimes that’s not an option if there are kids or animals living at their residence.. We are here as an option.”
Most of Amy’s House guests live one to four hours from Temple.
“They can stay here while they are being evaluated prior to the transplant,” John said. “The evaluation can involve several days of lab work and studies. It’s a lot easier on the patient to stay close to the hospital.”
“Doctor’s want the patient to be nearby for a few days after they are released from the hospital in case of infection or another problem,” he said. “The stay at Amy’s House after the transplant can be several days.”
Renfrow said the average stay is about eight days, but that time can fluctuate.
“If someone comes back for an appointment or checkup, they might be with us just for a night,” she said. “But we’ve had patients stay three months or longer. It just depends on their situation. Those who have had transplants frequently return for follow-up visits at BSW, and these patients are welcome to stay at the house overnight.”
A BSW shuttle bus is available to provide transportation between Amy’s House and the hospital.
To stay at Amy’s House, caregivers, family members, and vehicle drivers must be at least 16 years old, have no known communicable diseases and pass a Covid-19 screening.
In addition to sleeping and dining quarters, Amy’s House is outfitted with an exercise area and a huge pantry stocked with sanitizers, face masks and other supplies.
For additional information, call (254) 598-2378 or email exdir@amyshouse-temple.org.
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