Everyone wants to know why the name "2 Bubbies Cookies". My father, Joseph J. Kessler Sr. nicknamed my sons, Nicholas and Jonathan, his "Bubbies." My dad and his 2 Bubbies are pictured at left. He passed away from Gall Bladder cancer in May 2010. He was a brilliant and talented man who always encouraged me to be the best I could be.

This company is dedicated to him, the man who encouraged me to follow my passion and always believed I could do whatever I put my mind to. Special dedication also goes out to my mom who is and has always been my biggest supporter!

In February of 2017, I was diagnosed with Stage IV Rectal Cancer that metastasized to my liver. The news was very unexpected and scary, especially since I was still grieving the loss of my father to bile duct and liver cancer. What I was not expecting however, was how this experience became a journey of amazing blessings. I realized I was surrounded by an army of beautiful angels – my family, friends, parish and community who provided countless hours of prayers, support and love. This foundation of support allowed me to realize and see just how much I was loved and how lucky I was to have such special people in my life.

My journey would not have been complete without the phenomenal care I received at the Cleveland Clinic. I was fortunate to be under the care of the most talented and compassionate doctors, especially Dr. Cristiano Quintini, who expertly performed my liver resection surgery.

Now more than ever, I admire the dedication and skill of the medical community. Because of my incredible experience with my doctors, I want to support them in their life-saving research. My custom sugar cookie business, 2 Bubbies Cookies (fondly named after my 2 sons, Nicholas and Jonathan, whom my father called his “Bubbies”) is my passion. Although it doesn’t directly save lives, donating 10% of each order is a way that I can use what I do best to help fund Dr. Quintini’s continuing Ex Vivo Organ Perfusion Research and potentially save lives in the future. Please help me support his research with your continued purchases of 2 Bubbies Cookies.

Last year, 5,000 people around the world died while waiting for a lifesaving liver transplant. The demand for viable livers far exceeds the number of available organs, creating an immense need for advancements in liver transplantation. The primary technique used to transport organs for the past 40 years involves keeping them at near freezing temperatures, causing unnecessary damage to the organ. Maintaining the quality of organs being transplanted, and minimizing additional damage is critical to caring for patients and eliminating the gap between patient need and available organs.

Cristiano Quintini, MD, Director of Liver Transplantation, graduated from the University of Bologna School of Medicine, completed his fellowship at Cleveland Clinic and joined as full time staff in 2006. He led a team in pioneering a new method of preserving organs for transplant, referred to as Ex-Vivo Organ Perfusion. Using a device designed by his team, the organ is stored in a portable, body-temperature intensive care unit that provides oxygen, nutrients and medication to restore the organ to optimal health before transplantation. This revolutionary device will lead to better, healthier outcomes for recipients and more viable organs for transplantation overall. In the past four years, over 15patients at Cleveland Clinic have received successful liver transplants using this technique. Philanthropy was the catalyst in creating this technique and will be imperative in order to introduce this technology beyond Cleveland Clinic. Philanthropy can ensure that Dr. Quintini can take his research one step further into the use of ex-vivo with other organs. The ultimate goal is to obtain the next set of approvals from the FDA to bring ex-vivo to the global medical market and start saving the lives of more patients desperately in need of transplants.