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Shanksville, Pa., chief who led department’s 9/11 response gets new heart

Terry Shaffer is recovering, and a fundraiser to help him and his family with medical bills has surpassed $100K

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Former Shanksville Volunteer Fire Company Chief Terry Shaffer received a new heart after a five-month wait.

By Leila Merrill

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. — Former Shanksville Volunteer Fire Company Chief Terry Shaffer received a new heart on April 18, the Tribune-Democrat reported.

Shaffer – the longtime chief of the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department, which was the first department to respond to the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001 – had been hospitalized since late February because of advanced congestive heart failure and had waited five months for a donor heart.

The good news about a donor heart came on Easter Sunday.

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Following a nine-hour procedure at the University of Pittsburgh Medical, Shaffer was recovering in stable condition.

Late last year, family and friends established the “Heart4Terry” campaign through the National Foundation for Transplants.

As of this writing, the campaign had collected more than $103,743 of the $120,000 goal.


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