FALL/WINTER 2025
gift
SHARING THE gift of life
Gift of Life Transplant House Comes Full Circle: Orginial Home Reopens as a Pediatric Transplant House A familiar house to Gift of Life has started a new chapter in Rochester, Minnesota. The original Gift of Life Transplant House at 624 W. Center Street has been transformed into the new Gift of Life Pediatric Transplant House. This house originally welcomed transplant patients and their caregivers during their journeys in 1984. Now, over 40 years later, it is once again ready to welcome transplant patients and their families with pediatric transplant patients in mind. When Ed Pompeian opened the first Gift of Life Transplant House, his mission was simple: provide affordable housing to transplant patients and their caregivers in a home-like environment. The original house had only eight bedrooms, which filled quickly. To meet the demand, Ed and his mother, Helen, opened their own homes to transplant patients in need. Within a few years, the convent at St. John’s Catholic Church was leased to provide more rooms. The need for affordable accommodations in Rochester
continued to grow. The Judd house, now known as the Edward and Jayne Pompeian Home, was purchased and remodeled. By 2000, the home had 48 guest rooms. In 2009, a second house was opened across the street. With the addition of the 36 guest rooms at the Anne and Henry Zarrow Home, Gift of Life Transplant House became the largest transplant house in the country with 84 rooms. The need continues to exceed the space available, particularly for families navigating the pediatric transplant journey together. For this reason, the original house has been remodeled to serve as a dedicated Pediatric Transplant House. Keeping families together during the pediatric transplant process was a driving motivator in the creation of the Gift of Life Pediatric House. Gift of Life has always been able to host pediatric guests, but not in the way the Pediatric House can. Stephanie Donovan, Executive Director, says, “This house is so special because they're