While transplant patients are closely connected to their healthcare team post-surgery to ensure a safe physical recovery, they may feel emotionally disconnected and experience sensations of guilt and loneliness as they begin to process the mental impact of receiving a transplant.1
Following an organ transplant, patients may have concerns for their future, including fear of organ failure; high anxiety; difficulty managing the burdens of their treatment regimen; social emotional impact; and limitations of their physical activity.2
TransplantLyfe allows users to share their questions and experiences, and to find companionship and support without being limited to their local community. The ability to identify with others’ stories, remain anonymous or connect one-on-one with peers may help improve a patient’s sense of security and inspire them to thrive with their transplant – not just survive.
“CSL Behring is proud to partner in the development and launch of TransplantLyfe – a critical tool that can directly help provide support to patients and their care team,” said Kevin Kovaleski, Vice President, Global Commercial Development, Transplant, CSL Behring. “The opportunity to be a part of changing the way that transplantation is managed and cared for is one that closely aligns with delivering on our promise to address unmet needs in the transplant community.”
TransplantLyfe was developed as part of an open and honest dialogue with the transplant community to identify and help fulfill the needs of transplant patients, their care partners and donors throughout their journey.
“As a transplant recipient myself, the creation of TransplantLyfe is extremely personal and is at the very core of the reason Lyfebulb was founded: patients need patients,” said Karin Hehenberger, MD, PhD, Founder & CEO, Lyfebulb. “The ability to have partnered with CSL Behring, a company dedicated to making strides to improve the continuum of care in transplantation, was pivotal in developing this platform that will serve the needs of thousands of transplant patients across the country.”
In addition to managing the physical side effects of anti-rejection medications, transplant patients often carry an emotional burden from the surgery, which can develop into mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression.3,4 While there may be a feeling of euphoria immediately following transplant surgery, patients can face a complex range of emotions – including anguish, fear, distress and happiness – as they navigate life post-transplant.4
TransplantLyfe users will be able to make connections to share stories with others, participate in Q&A forums, access information through vetted resources and create journals to track biometrics and other health measurements over time.
For more information on TransplantLyfe or to register, please visit https://www.transplantlyfe.com/.
About Lyfebulb
Lyfebulb is a chronic disease-focused, patient empowerment platform that connects patients and industry to support user-driven innovation. Grounded with its strong foundation in diabetes, the company has expanded disease states covered into cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, mental health, substance use disorder, migraine, transplantation, psoriasis, chronic cough, and chronic kidney disease.
See Lyfebulb.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Karin Hehenberger LinkedIn, and Lyfebulb LinkedIn.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a global biotherapeutics leader driven by its promise to save lives. Focused on serving patients’ needs by using the latest technologies, CSL Behring develops and delivers innovative therapies that are used to treat coagulation disorders, primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema, respiratory disease, and neurological disorders. The company’s products are also used in cardiac surgery, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn.
CSL Behring operates one of the world’s largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. The parent company, CSL Limited (ASX:CSL;USOTC:CSLLY), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, employs more than 27,000 people, and delivers its life-saving therapies to people in more than 100 countries. For inspiring stories about the promise of biotechnology, visit Vita CSLBehring.com/vita and follow CSL Behring on Twitter.com/CSLBehring.
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Lyfebulb Contact:
Karin Hehenberger, MD, PhD
CEO & Founder, Lyfebulb
Phone: + 1 917-575-0210
Email: karin@lyfebulb.com
CSL Behring Contact:
Jennifer Purdue
External Communications Manager
Phone: +1 610-306-9355
Email: jennifer.purdue@cslbehring.com
References
1. Schulz K, Kroencke S. Psychosocial challenges before and after organ transplantation. Transplant Research and Risk Management. 2015;7:45-58 https://doi.org/10.2147/TRRM.S53107.
2. Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER); U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Voice of the Patient: Patients Who Have Received An Organ Transplant. April 2017. https://www.fda.gov/media/105219/download.
3. National Kidney Foundation. Immunosuppresants. June 2020. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/immuno.
4. De Pasquale, C., Veroux, M., Indelicato, L., Sinagra, N., Giaquinta, A., Fornaro, M., Veroux, P., & Pistorio, M. L. (2014). Psychopathological aspects of kidney transplantation: Efficacy of a multidisciplinary team. World journal of transplantation, 4(4), 267–275. https://doi.org/10.5500/wjt.v4.i4.267.