Founder Of Dollar Tree Donates $2 Million To Cleveland Clinic’s Respiratory Institute

A $2 million gift by Macon and Joan Brock has established The Macon and Joan Brock Endowed Chair, which will support lung transplant research and education. Marie Budev, D.O., MPH, is the inaugural chair holder.

Mr. Brock, one of the original founders of Dollar Tree, received a double lung transplant at Cleveland Clinic in September 2014 due to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that causes scarring of the lungs.

“I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Budev and the entire team at Cleveland Clinic, including the post-operation team that cared for me after a complication put me back in the hospital for several months. Without them, I’m not sure I would have pulled through,” he said. “Transplantation is not something most people think about until, unfortunately, they have to, but it affects a person and their family in such a profound way, essentially offering a second chance at life. It’s my hope and my wife’s that through this gift, other patients in similar situations will be helped and given the same second chance that I was.”

Mr. Brock co-founded Dollar Tree in 1986 and has been its Chairman since September 2001. He served as its Chief Executive Officer from 1993 to 2003 and President from 1986 to 2001. Mr. Brock also sits on several other boards. He served as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps and was a special agent for U.S. Naval Intelligence before entering the retail business. He holds a B.A. degree from Randolph-Macon College.

“The Brock family has seen firsthand the impact of organ donation and transplantation,” said Dr. Budev. “There is still so much to discover in the areas of pulmonary medicine and lung transplantation, and we are so thankful to have the Brocks’ support and dedication to the field. Their generosity will undoubtedly touch countless lives.”

Dr. Budev is the medical director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Program, one of the largest programs of its kind in the country. Averaging around 100 lung transplants per year, Cleveland Clinic has proven to be a national leader in lung transplant, both in terms of patient volumes and successful outcomes. The transplant program has established a reputation for accepting and transplanting challenging, complex patients and still holds the world record for most lung transplants in a single year.

Dr. Budev treats all types of end-stage lung disease, including congenital heart-lung diseases, interstitial lung disease, COPD and pulmonary hypertension. Her research has focused on antibody mediated rejection and selection of lung transplant candidates.

There are currently about 1,400 people in the U.S. waiting for a lung transplant.

This is the second chair to be endowed to the Respiratory Institute’s lung transplant program in the last year. The other, the Buoncore Family Endowed Chair in Lung Transplantation, is held by Atul Mehta, M.D. Cleveland Clinic’s Respiratory Institute is ranked No. 3 by U.S. News & World Report. Serving nearly 90,000 patients annually, the Respiratory Institute’s expertise and experience attracts patients from all over the world who seek a definitive diagnosis and cutting-edge treatment, often for a rare or complex lung disorder. With more than 100 pulmonologists, allergists/immunologists and critical care specialists, the Respiratory Institute diagnoses and treats a wide range of lung, allergy and breathing-related conditions.