Inspiring Stories
ANNUAL REPORT 2019
Gratitude
Alard Kaplan
Whether traversing countless countries with her best friend Mabel Caldwell or living in exciting locales such as Singapore and the Netherlands with her husband, Alard Kaplan, Sheri Kaye Kaplan had a knack for adventure and helping others. Although she passed away in 2019 after battling a long illness, her husband made gifts to Houston Methodist in honor of Sheri Kaye Kaplan’s generous spirit.
“I’m a great believer that it’s not about the amount of time you live but rather the quality of life you have that is important,” says Kaplan, whose gifts will support transplant research, cardiac research and the hospital’s nurses. “Sheri did her best to not let her medical issues slow her down, living life to the fullest.”
Since his wife was a two-time kidney transplant recipient, Kaplan established the Sheri Kaye and Alard Kaplan Kidney Transplant Research Fund in the Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center. The fund enables physicians and physician-scientists to observe the impact that viruses, organ rejections and other complications have on transplant patients.
ALARD KAPLAN MADE GIFTS IN HONOR OF HIS WIFE SHERI KAYE, SUPPORTING CARDIOLOGY, TRANSPLANT AND NURSING.
“My wife’s transplant doctors were so good with her, particularly Dr. A. Osama Gaber, Dr. Juan Gonzalez and Dr. Abdul-Jabbar Khan,” Kaplan says. “They’re making great strides in trying to reduce the need for immunosuppressant drugs. I’m hopeful that they will come up with additional or better methods to perform transplants, so that the recovery process is easier and has fewer lifelong consequences.”
Kaplan says he is equally optimistic about the heart failure research the Sheri Kaye and Alard Kaplan Cardiac Recovery Training Program will make possible. His wife’s cardiologist, Dr. Mohammed Attar, inspired the gift. “Dr. Attar is one of those great guys, and Sheri really liked him,” says Kaplan. “After getting to know him, I really like him, too. It’s hard not to be enthusiastic when you’re around him.”
Also leaving a lasting impression on Kaplan were the Houston Methodist nurses who cared for his wife with such compassion. He created the Sheri Kaye and Alard Kaplan Fund for Nursing Education as a way to thank them.
“The fund is there for them to use to expand their skills and increase their knowledge,” Kaplan says. “All her nurses had such a positive impact on her; they really improved her quality of life.”
Kaplan notes that everyone he encountered at Houston Methodist shares an extraordinary quality: optimism. “They’re trying to change the world,” he says. “They remind me that we all have the ability to do that, no matter what we have to offer.”
Kaplan says he is equally optimistic about the heart failure research the Sheri Kaye and Alard Kaplan Cardiac Recovery Training Program will make possible. His wife’s cardiologist, Dr. Mohammed Attar, inspired the gift. “Dr. Attar is one of those great guys, and Sheri really liked him,” says Kaplan. “After getting to know him, I really like him, too. It’s hard not to be enthusiastic when you’re around him.”
Also leaving a lasting impression on Kaplan were the Houston Methodist nurses who cared for his wife with such compassion. He created the Sheri Kaye and Alard Kaplan Fund for Nursing Education as a way to thank them.
“The fund is there for them to use to expand their skills and increase their knowledge,” Kaplan says. “All her nurses had such a positive impact on her; they really improved her quality of life.”
Kaplan notes that everyone he encountered at Houston Methodist shares an extraordinary quality: optimism. “They’re trying to change the world,” he says. “They remind me that we all have the ability to do that, no matter what we have to offer.”