Nursing student, multi-organ recipient, wants to care for other transplant patients

She drove herself across country, trusting the care she would receive at IU Health.

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

She was sick her whole life, suffering from intestinal failure. She was nourished through Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) and didn’t know transplant was an option.

At the age of 13, Kelly Baker had a diagnosis: “Chronic Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction (CIPO),” a rare gastrointestinal disorder. The condition causes severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, distension and constipation. So, Baker couldn’t live a life of typical teens – eating out, celebrating holidays with special meals, and even joining activities with her peers. Her life-sustaining nutrients were delivered through an IV, 16 hours a day. When she went to college to study nursing, she carried the weighty medical equipment with her to her 12-hour clinicals.

“I couldn’t stand the smell of food so I couldn’t go to a movie theater with friends and even on a date I felt like I had to explain my medical history,” said Baker. “On my worst days, I was miserable but still functioning in nursing school. I had septic or septic shock every few months.”

She was a junior in college, back in her home of Little Rock, Ark. with her focus on pursuing a nursing career when Baker learned of multivisceral transplantation. The complex, life-saving surgery involves removing and replacing abdominal organs. Baker put her nursing research to work and came to IU Health in July of 2025.

“I was originally told it would be a one- or two-year wait based on my size and blood type, but I was listed in 27 days,” said Baker, who packed her car and drove solo on the nearly nine-hour trek to Indiana.

IU Health is a nationally-recognized transplant program – both in volume and in specializations. It is the only center in Indiana approved to perform all organ transplantation, and the only liver, lung, and pancreas transplant program in the state. For Baker, that meant a chance to heal. On Aug 13, 2025, she was in the surgical care of Dr. Richard Mangus and a team of practitioners specially trained in multi-organ transplantation. In a seven-hour procedure, Baker had what she called a “modified multivisceral transplant” that included a stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and pancreas.

What followed was seven weeks of in-patient recovery. After discharge she remained in Indianapolis where she and her mother rented a home. Baker then transferred to Fair Haven, a non-profit organization that provides no cost housing to patients facing medical challenges.

“It was rough. I had a pretty good outcome overall, but it was a long road. I was extubated after surgery and was up and walking after I got closed,” said Baker. During that long road to recovery, she remained hospitalized through Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. One of the most difficult days was her 21^st birthday in September.

She turned 21 two weeks after her surgery and to help her mark the milestone, a nurse practitioner, Smyrna Rivera, gifted Baker with a jar of monarch caterpillars. During her recovery Baker watched the caterpillars turn into butterflies and then released them outside the hospital.

There were other nurses and practitioners who also played a key role in her recovery. She mentions taking part in music therapy with Adam Perry and yoga therapy with Katarina Svabcikova. Music and yoga are part of the CompleteLife Program at IU Health, attending to the holistic health of patients. Massage and art therapy are also offered.

“I didn’t realize how soothing it was to take part in deep breathing and guided relaxation and to close my eyes and listen to the music,” said Baker. “It helped with my anxiety and nausea.” She also passed the time crocheting. She wore one of her hand-stitched cardigans as she sat through her clinic visit.

“I can’t say enough about my transplant coordinator Lisa Jobe and Dr. Mangus and his whole team is amazing,” said Baker. “It’s hard to go through transplant when you see so many people not doing well, but they gave me the confidence I needed, and I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else.”

As she continues healing, Baker focuses on her life ambitions. She speaks publicly about her transplant and the care she received through IU Health. She plans to return to nursing school in August and there is another big goal: “I’ve always wanted to be in the medical field and now, going through transplant ICU I want to use my experience to help other patients. I want to come back to Indianapolis and work and maybe eventually work in transplant research.”