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Three is a lucky number for Doyle Duke and Tony Miranda.
Both men are alive today thanks to an extremely rare and complex surgery – a triple-organ transplant, including a heart, liver and kidney simultaneously.
Watch: Rare transplant turns strangers into friends
Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:52) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.
Tony's story
Tony had always considered himself a healthy guy. You'd often find him out on the basketball court, playing with family and friends or just shooting hoops by himself.
Then, at 50 years old, Tony had to stop playing basketball. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Over the next decade, Tony underwent one procedure after another. Still, his health continued to decline.
Doctors told Tony there was only one option left – a triple-organ transplant, including a heart, liver and kidney. The transplant is so rare and complex that it is performed at only a limited number of hospitals.
Tony turned to Mayo Clinic in Arizona, where he found hope and a friend who would become his inspiration.
Hope comes calling
In 2025, Tony was admitted to Mayo Clinic. On the day of his triple-organ transplant, just hours before his surgery, Tony got an unexpected phone call.
"You're going to be just fine. You've got the best doctors and nurses," said Doyle, who was speaking from firsthand experience. Doyle is Arizona's first patient to undergo a triple-organ transplant, including a heart, liver and kidney.
Doyle called Tony to offer support and encouragement.
"You're going to feel a hundred percent better than you do today. I hurt, but I could tell a difference immediately," said Doyle, calling from his home in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. In 2022, Doyle traveled with his wife Billie to Arizona to undergo the milestone triple-organ transplant.
The phone call was just what Tony needed to hear.
"It helped a lot talking to somebody who has gone through what I was going through," says Tony. "Every day I thought if Doyle did it, I can too. He was my inspiration."
Billie also spoke with Carrie, Tony's wife, to share her insight on being a caregiver. "She told me I could call her 24 hours a day," says Carrie. "I called her quite a bit. It was so helpful to speak with someone who had already been through this."
The families stayed in close contact throughout Tony's transplant journey.
Even though the two men had never met, Doyle says he didn't think twice about reaching out to Tony.
"Calling Tony was the least I could do to help Tony to understand what he's going to do and what he's got to do," says Doyle.
Mayo Clinic – a leader in triple-organ transplantation
Mayo Clinic also performs triple-organ transplants in Rochester, Minnesota.
As of February 2026, Mayo Clinic has performed 13 triple-organ transplants, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.
In 2024, Mayo Clinic in Rochester performed a highly complex and rare triple transplant, including a heart, lungs and kidney.
The patient, Mike Loven, had battled serious health problems since childhood. He had three open-heart surgeries by the time he reached his teens. Mike lives in Coon Rapids, Minnesota with his wife and two daughters.
Like Tony and Doyle, doctors told Mike a triple-organ transplant was his only chance for survival.
The triple transplant was a success. "I'm feeling better than I have in years," says Mike. "I'm walking up to two miles on the treadmill. I'm back to working. I feel great."
Strangers no more
It's been nine months since Tony's triple-organ transplant. Doctors still closely monitor his progress, but he's back at home, enjoying time with family and friends.
Tony is even slowly making his way back to the basketball court.
Doyle and Billie made a special trip Arizona to meet their new friends in person.
"We share such a special bond," says Billie. "I know we'll be friends forever."
Though Mike has not met Tony and Doyle, the three begin each new day the same way – with deep gratitude for the gift of life.
"I hear my heart beat everyday and remember my donor, I'm so grateful. Thank you to my donor and donor family," says Tony. "Every day is a miracle day."
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