On Scene with Bill Wilson: Race for the Cure while Running for Mayor of Rome

San Francisco Sentinel


Dr. Ignazio Marino was elected to the Italian Senate in 2006

Among the candidates running for mayor of Rome on May 26 and 27 is one with an interesting career previous to his political involvement. Ignazio Marino is a medical doctor who specialized in organ transplants. Although he has done over 650 in his career, the transplants for which he is most well known for involve HIV positive individuals.

According to his wikipedia entry, confirmed by a brief exchange I had with him during the Race for the Cure Italia on May 19, he was involved in the first baboon to human liver transplants in 1992 and 1993. The first transplant recipient was a 35 year old HIV positive person who was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver as a result of Hepatitis B. Baboons were chosen as donors because they don’t respond to the hepatitis virus. The patient lived for 70 days on a regular hospital ward with nearly normal liver functions before he died.

In 2001 an HIV positive person came to him with a request for a kidney transplant after having been turned down by other transplant centers in Italy. He agreed to consider the request and eventually it was approved. That person is still alive and doing well. Dr. Marino said to me with obvious and justified pride, “He was a boy when he came to me and now he is a young man.”
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Organ Donation: A Bittersweet Story of a Friendship That Began in the Darkest Hour

The Snap Mom


Mary and her husband Tim lost their 29 year old son TJ (Tim Jr.- pictured above) in 2009 due to a softball accident. It was during a game one night, when he and another softball player collided while trying to catch a fly ball.

TJ was hit in the head and was unconscious immediately and remained so until he passed away two days later. He had a severe brain injury, having 3 skull fractures. Because of TJ’s decision to donate his organs, 3 people received life-saving organ transplants and his parents began a life-long friendship with one recipient in particular,who received TJ’s heart and who’s name (funny enough) is Tim.

What was your initial feeling/reaction about the fact that your son chose organ donation?
I clearly remember where we were standing in my kitchen, when my son, TJ, told me that he is an organ donor. I guess I had known that both my daughter Shana and TJ were organ donors, because I had heard them talking about it, but I had never discussed it with them until that day in the kitchen. I don’t even remember what sparked the conversation, but I remember TJ saying to me, ‘well mom, I am an organ donor’ and I reacted with, ‘ TJ, are you sure you want to be an organ donor?’ I can still see his face, when he kinda smiled and said, ‘mom, if I wouldn’t be here anymore, why shouldn’t someone else have my organs?’

That conversation with him has helped us immensely, in dealing with his death and realizing how blessed we are to have a relationship as friends with 3 of his recipients. We carried out his wishes, and see the wonderful results of his gift. TJ didn’t just respond at the DMV with a ‘yes’ answer when the lady behind the desk asked, ‘do you want to be an organ donor?’ He had decided before he got there, because he had told me so. That conversation is a big plus in helping us accept all that has happened.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Hurricane man creates statewide bike ride in honor of organ donation

KSL | Sandra YI


MIDWAY — A Midway family who lost a daughter to a failed organ transplant is being honored by a Hurricane man doing a bike ride across the state.

John McDonald and his family have had a hard time moving on after their daughter Mia died in 2012 when her body rejected her heart transplant.

"Mia lived four years as a normal, healthy child, and we never would have had that," McDonald said. "I think the biggest part of trying to pick up the pieces is trying to figure out how to continue on."

Mia was born in 2008 with a faulty heart, but was given a second chance at life as the recipient of an organ donation. In October 2012, the family took a trip to Walt Disney World sponsored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

However, while the family was in Florida, Mia's body began to reject the heart transplant. During a biopsy, she went into cardiac arrest and suffered brain damage. The family took her off life support and donated her organs after Mia passed away.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Living Kidney Donation Declining in U.S.

Renal & Urology News | Jody A. Charnow

SEATTLE—Living kidney donation has steadily decreased since the peak year of 2004, researchers reported at the 2013 American Transplant Congress.

The downward trend is most pronounced among men, blacks, younger and lower-income adults, siblings, and parents.

After an analysis of data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), James R. Rodrigue, PhD, of the Center for Transplant Outcomes & Quality Improvement at The Transplant Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues concluded that “there is considerable downward pressure” on living donation rates despite novel programs to help patients find a suitable living donor, national financial programs and state tax incentives, and heightened general public awareness of living donation.

OPTN data show that the number of living donors increased from 1,817 in 1988 to 6,647 in 2004, and then declined to 6,572 in 2005. In 2012, 5,618 living donations took place.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

A double dose of compassion

Calgary Herald
Albertans get support helping loved ones with health problems
When you're contending with serious illness, either in yourself or someone you love, things can look pretty dark. But thanks to two provincial government bills, a little more light is shining on those who have such struggles in their lives.

The first bill completes a federal law that allows people to take eight weeks leave in a six-month period to care for loved ones who are gravely ill or dying.

Under the federal law, people who take such compassionate leave are eligible for employment insurance benefits. Alberta's new law takes away one more nagging worry for these people by ensuring that they won't lose their jobs and will be reinstated at the same level of wages and seniority when they return.

We simply cannot agree with Richard Truscott, spokesman for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, who says negotiating a compassionate leave should be between employer and employee. He neglects to point out that if the employer simply says "no," or stipulates that the leave can take place, but the employee's job will not be there at the end of it, the employee has no recourse. He or she will be forced to choose between keeping the job while being unable to care for the sick family member, or letting the job go so as to be home with someone who is dying. That's not a choice anyone should have to make, and thankfully, the federal and provincial laws now ensure that such a scenario won't happen.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Reader's View, organ donation: Honor memory of loved one by giving the gift of life

The Idaho Statesman
I would love to share with readers the importance of becoming involved in the donor bank program, and the outcome of our family experience.

On Dec. 10, 2012, our 16-year-old daughter was in a tragic car accident. Seeing Shauna with the injuries she suffered broke our hearts. Not only was she in a coma for six days, but she spent several additional days on life support awaiting an organ transplant. She was finally laid to rest the day after Christmas.

The decision to participate in the donor program had been made by my husband and me in a response to saving the lives of others, and honoring our daughter's generous spirit. It was also a way for us to share our love for Shauna, keep the memory of her within our world, and practice the joy of giving during the holiday season. It was an opportunity as parents to teach our other daughter, Haley, about giving, resiliency, finding a deeper spiritual meaning in life, and finding ways to move forward in the face of tragedy. We were told that Shauna's organs were child-size and would have to be transplanted in either a child or very small adult.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Biomarker Predicts Organ Rejection and Death in Heart Transplant Patients

Herald OnLine
Critical Diagnostics’ novel cardiac biomarker, ST2, could offer a way for doctors to monitor transplant patients versus expensive and risky biopsies.
SAN DIEGO — Critical Diagnostics announced today the recently-published results of a Utah Transplantation Affiliated Hospitals Cardiac Transplant Program study involving the use of a novel biomarker, ST2, to monitor heart transplant patients for rejection. Subjects with the highest levels of ST2 had a more than 3-fold increase in the risk for death than those with the lowest ST2 levels. Moreover, this risk was present early and sustained from the time of initial blood draw to many years forward.

Just over 45 years ago, on December 3, 1967, that Dr. Christian Barnhard transplanted the first human heart into 53-year old Lewis Washkansky, a South African grocer dying of chronic heart disease. After his surgery, Washkansky was given drugs to suppress his immune system, but they also left him vulnerable to deadly infections. He died 18 days later from double pneumonia.

Medicine has come a long way since then. Worldwide, over 3,500 heart transplants are performed annually, more than half in the U.S. Post-transplant survival rates now average 15 years, yet rejection and death are still all too common.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Time out for transplant kids - Australia

Dubbo Weekender | Prue Burgun


Kids having fun: Temana and Wairangi Te Rupe will attend the Dubbo sleepover this weekend. Photo: Supplied

CHILDREN who have received a life-saving transplant or are on the transplant waiting list certainly know hardship.

One of those kids is Wairangi Te Rupe from Orange who received a liver transplant in 2009 and then went through post-transplant Burkitt’s Lymphoma, an immune deficiency that can occur in some patients. She is now four years old and needs to make regular trips to the hospital.

A sleepover at Taronga Western Plains Zoo organised by Transplant Australia is aimed at offering kids like Wairangi time out from the difficult journey they are experiencing.

The Te Rupe’s will make a family weekend out of the sleepover with Wairangi’s mother Samantha, father Toby and brother Temana all coming along too.

“It is really special for my daughter because she has missed out on so much, so it is something nice and happy that we can do as a whole family because we are always making trips to the hospital,” Samantha said.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Transplant patient gets wrong heart

The Standard | Mary Ann Benitez and Kelly Ip


Doctors at the center of a bungled heart transplant in which the donor organ came from a person of an incompatible blood type had noticed the mismatch.
But Timmy Au Wing-kuk, cardiothoracic surgery chief at Queen Mary Hospital, went ahead with the transplant for reasons he "cannot explain."

The patient, a 58-year-old woman with critical end-stage heart failure, underwent the emergency procedure on Tuesday. But her blood type is A, while the donor's was AB.

The patient is now in serious condition in the intensive care unit of the Pok Fu Lam hospital for post-operation observation.

About 15 days after the woman started treatment at Grantham Hospital on May 4, doctors there were notified that a donor heart was available from Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Organ Donation Highlights Benefit for Harbor House June 15

University of Rochester Medical Center


Gala supports housing for people traveling to URMC for critical, transplant care.

The importance of organ donation – or sharing the gift of life – will be highlighted during the Harbor House benefit dinner, “And the Beat Goes On…,” Saturday, June 15, at the Doubletree Inn in Henrietta.

Harbor House is a home-away-from-home for out-of-town patients and their families who come to University of Rochester Medical Center for heart transplant or other critical care. The event raises funds to keep the house open and affordable.

Rob Kochik, executive director of the Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network, will be the keynote speaker. As leader of the organ procurement organization affiliated with the University of Rochester Medical Center, Kochik is dedicated to raising awareness of the need for growth of the state’s organ donor registry. New York ranks 48th out of our 50 states in enrollment, based on per capita registry enrollment.

The seventh annual event, which begins at 6 p.m., includes dinner, a variety of raffles, including baskets donated by staff from various units of Strong Memorial Hospital, and auctions featuring artwork created by Harbor House guests and transplant patients. Event host Doug Emblidge, 13 WHAM- TV anchor, will lead the live auction.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Save a life, be an organ donor

Chicago Tribune
I am 43 years old and have been living for more than 300 days on the national organ transplant list. I am awaiting a heart donor. My own heart no longer works without the assistance of a mechanical pump called a ventricular assistance device. It’s a truly amazing medical device, and I am alive because of it.

Sadly, there are many people that are waiting for donated hearts and other organs. Demand is far great than supply. This is a fact that has a simple cure: awareness.

About a quarter of those waiting for a donated heart will not make it to a transplant. They will die while on a waiting list.

As I drove south on the Edens Expressway recently something jumped out at me. There was a digital billboard that calculates how many fatalities are traffic related. Following the staggering number of total deaths is the statement: “SAVE A LIFE; BUCKLE UP.”

I think it is important for the Department of Transportation to promote seat belt safety. But organ donor awareness is equally as important. How about another message: “SAVE A LIFE; BE A DONOR.” I imagine that the benefits of the additional message would far outweigh any associated cost.

Please help. Lives are depending on this - literally.

- Paul S. Knapp, Chicago
Story source

______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

BROADCAST PREMIERE OF ‘THE POWER OF TWO’

Rafu Shimpo


Anabel Stenzel and Isabel Stenzel Byrnes at Stanford Hospital and Clinics on July 28, 2009. (Photo by Norbert von der Groeben/Stanford Hospital and Clinics)

The award-winning documentary “The Power of Two,” the story of half-Japanese twin sisters Anabel Stenzel and Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, their battle with the fatal genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF), and their miraculous survival through double lung transplants, premieres on TV and online Wednesday, May 22.

The film will air on Link TV satellite network (DIRECTV Channel 375 and DISH Channel 9410) and on KCET (public TV in Southern/Central California) at 8 p.m. It can also be watched online through June 30 at http://bit.ly/pwrtwo. For more information, including other dates/times, go to http://bit.ly/11QpWNF.

The identical twins were born in Los Angeles in 1972 to Japanese and German immigrant parents. At three days old, Ana and Isa were diagnosed with CF, a fatal genetic disease that impacts the lungs and pancreas. Their doctor told their parents they would be lucky to live to reach 10 years of age.

For decades, the sisters struggled to maintain their health with rigorous daily respiratory and digestive treatments. Working together, they survived and thrived into adulthood, graduated from college and graduate school, started careers as a genetic counselor (Ana) and social worker (Isa), and developed loving relationships.

In their mid-20s, however, their health began to decline precipitously. Every breath was difficult. Many of the activities they loved, including hiking and traveling, tried the limits of their stamina. Their passion and will to live remained but CF was relentless.

There is no cure for CF. But in their darkest hour, when their ability to breathe was leaving them, the twins received the gift of new life and new breath in the form of double lung transplants in 2000 and 2004, respectively.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

UCSF Pediatric Transplant Picnic Seeks Donations

Synapse | UCSF Student Newspaper
Staff Report


“Celebrating Our Children and Their Families” is seeking donations to cover the cost of its 17th annual picnic. The event provides pre- and post-pediatric transplant children and their families an opportunity to meet others who have undergone similar life-changing experiences, provide education as it relates to organ transplantation and have fun together.

The cost of the picnic is $7,500, and all the proceeds go directly to the children. There are no overhead administrative costs. Everyone who participates is a volunteer.

The guest list includes all of UCSF’s pre- and post-liver and kidney transplant children and their families, as well as health care providers caring for this patient population.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Transplant patient and donor reunited

Maple Ridge News | Neil Corbett


At a one-year reunion to mark his life-changing kidney transplant, Paul Rosario announced he and his wife Keesha will begin work for people who suffer from the same disease.

At the top of their list will be lobbying for a national organ donor registry, because presently matching of donors with those needing transplants is done only on a provincial basis. Last year, doctors told Paul he could be in for a nine-year wait to get a new kidney.

Keesha said a suitable donor could be available in another province, and health officials here wouldn’t know it.

“For anyone who needs an organ, that’s ridiculous.”

Paul’s transplant got a lot of media attention last year because a complete stranger – a Washington State mayor – came forward as a donor, after a chance meeting.

Big hearted Scott Dudley, the mayor of Oak Harbour, had vacation plans interrupted last spring. With time on his hands, the dedicated Rotarian decided to drop in on the meetings of some neighbouring clubs. That took him to Meadow Gardens Golf Course for the meeting of the Rotary Club of Haney.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Pot luck dinner to raise awareness for organ donation -Australia

Glen Innes Examiner | Christopher Bath
THE Glen Innes Lioness Club has organised a charity and awareness night on Saturday June 1, in support of Mark Duggan and his family as he still battles it out after having a lung transplant several months ago at St Vincent’s in Sydney.

The Pot Luck Dinner will revolve around the idea of raising awareness for organ donation, both of people who have had transplants and the fact that there is such a need for the life-saving gift.

Dr Patricia Mackay will be the guest speaker and will address the audience about organ donation and its importance in society. There will also be three women who have received life-saving and -changing donations who will speak. One of these is Barbara Chard who was given a kidney nine years ago after she had kidney failure due to reflux nephritis.

“It changed my life and allowed me to see my kids grow up, and their kids as well,” Mrs Chard said.

“I could go places where I couldn’t before. It has just given me a much brighter and better quality of life.”

The mother of four and grandmother of seven received the organ from a donor that had unfortunately died in a motor vehicle crash, but fortunately that person has managed to save another person’s life.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Organ donors are saluted at Valley Hospital

North Jersey | Darius Amos


PHOTO COURTESY OF THE VALLEY HOSPITAL
Family and friends of organ and tissue donors joined officials from The Valley Hospital and NJ Sharing Network for the unveiling of a new digital donor memorial tribute at the hospital. Pictured on left of the tribute board are family and friends of organ donor James Dallas, formerly of Ridgewood. Pictured on right of the board are (left to right): Peter Diestel, senior vice president of administration and COO at The Valley Hospital; Joe Roth, president and CEO at NJ Sharing Network; Scott Pruiksma, a donor family member from Midland Park; and Jayne Press, a donor family member from Waldwick.

The Ridgewood News

One woman's empty glance had been aimed without a target, quickly becoming lost among the friendly faces that filled The Valley Hospital's auditorium. Her expression was frozen and blank.

That all changed, however, in the instant Tina Basenese's warm eyes broke down Dolly Lizalda's stare. There was an immediate connection, familiarity. Soon, tears followed.

Eventually, there was a hug. In no time, both women had joined the circle of others.

Basenese, a registered nurse at The Valley Hospital, was one of several dozen staff members who joined the hospital and NJ Sharing Network's special salute to organ and tissue donors as well as their surviving family members and friends. Basenese had previously cared for Lizalda's son, organ donor Bryan Jason, who died suddenly nearly three years ago at age 25.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Gold Medal Partners for Life

LifeLine of Ohio | Marilyn Pongonis, Director of Communications


(L to R) Barry Massa, LifeCenter; Andrea O’Malley, Life Center; Dr. Ted Wymyslo, director Ohio Department of Health; Marilyn Pongonis, Lifeline of Ohio; Debra Smith, Second Chance Trust Fund; Kent Holloway, Lifeline of Ohio

Donate Life Ohio recognizes that continuing to grow an effective Ohio Donor Registry can’t happen without the support of two key partners in state government — the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Ohio Department of Health.


Recently 10 states, including Ohio, were awarded Gold Medals of Honor at the National Learning Congress for the Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice for their achievements in increasing the number of registered organ, eye and tissue donors who save and heal lives.

The states were recognized for their high performing donor registries based on results in five key categories including: a 50 percent or greater Donor Designation rate (the rate at which individuals join the registry expressed as a percentage of licensed drivers of ID card holders); 50 percent or more of all state residents age 18 and older registered as donors; and 40 percent or more each in organ, eye and tissue donors who are registered at their time of death. Gold medals reflect achievement in all five areas. Ohio was the only state east of the Mississippi River to receive a gold medal. Other states included Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. This is only the second time these prestigious medals have been presented. Ohio also received gold medal of honor recognition at the inaugural awards in 2010.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Remembrance Mass for Clare Organ Donors and Recipients -Ireland

Dunphy Public Relations
Families from all over County Clare and surrounding counties attended the Annual Mass of remembrance and thanksgiving for organ donors and recipients at Ennis Cathedral on Sunday
Organised by the Clare Branch of the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) and celebrated by Fr. Tom Hogan, the Mass was attended by the Mayor of Clare Councillor Pat Daly who afterwards met with donor families as well as local transplant recipients.

Also in attendance was IKA National Chairperson, Martin Doody; National Transplant Co-ordinator at Beaumont Hospital, Phyllis Cunningham; and Clinical Nurse Manager II, Hazel O’Brien of St Vincent’s Hospital.

Speaking following the Mass, Mayor Daly said: “I was delighted to accept the IKA’s invitation to attend the mass which remembered and honoured the memory of all organ donors. In attending I wanted to pay tribute to the many donor families around Clare for their immense courage and compassion in donating their loved ones’ organs.”

Mayor Daly acknowledged that 2013 is a landmark year for the IKA, both locally and nationally.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Charmaine Buss: I see donor benefits every day

Nottingham Post
It's hard to believe that the first successful kidney transplant took place almost 60 years ago in Boston, USA. Since then, thousands of lives have been saved by transplants.

But throughout all of this time, one thing has remained constant: none of this would have been possible without the generosity of patients and families consenting to organ donation.

I see the benefits of this in my work every day. Quite simply, the gift of organ donation saves lives.

Today, one person can save up to nine lives through the gift of organ donation. Heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas and small bowel, can all be donated as well as tissue.

Giving consent for organ donation is a very private decision. To give consent when the wishes of the deceased are unknown is exceptionally difficult for the family, and often results in families saying 'no' to organ donation.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Changes in Organ Allocation Helped Kids in Past Decade

Doctors Lounge


Changes to organ allocation have helped increase pediatric transplantation and decrease wait-list deaths, according to research published online May 20 in Pediatrics.
MONDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- Changes to organ allocation have helped increase pediatric transplantation and decrease wait-list deaths, according to research published online May 20 in Pediatrics.

Jennifer K. Workman, M.D., from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and colleagues analyzed data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (2001 to 2010). Age, organ, and deceased donor type (donation after circulatory determination of death [DCDD] or donation after neurologic determination of death) was assessed as was information of transplant wait-list removals due to death.

The researchers found that, over the study period, pediatric organ transplant recipients increased from 1,170 to 1,475. While infrequent, the number of organs from DCDD donors transplanted into children increased from one to 31. There was a decrease of 13 percent in pediatric donation after neurologic determination of death, whereas DCDD increased by 174 percent (50 to 137). There was a decrease in receipt of pediatric grafts (3,042 to 2,751), with the number of adults receiving pediatric donor grafts decreasing from 2,243 to 1,780, although the number of children receiving pediatric grafts increased from 799 to 971. Pediatric DCDD grafts received by transplant recipients were few but increased annually from 50 to 128 adults and zero to nine children. There was also a decrease in the number of pediatric candidates dying waiting for an organ (262 to 110).
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

DOCTOR HITS BACK OVER TIES TO CHINA ORGAN HARVESTING

Australian Broadcasting | Stephen McDonell


ABC ©
The Australian-trained doctor under fire for his involvement in China's controversial organ transplant program has defended the practice and responded to calls for him to be stripped of honorary titles from the University of Sydney.

Dr Huang Jiefu's honorary professorships be revoked over what is seen as the unethical practice of removing organs from prisoners thought to have been forced into organ donation.

China's transplant program has long been condemned and sparked protests around the world because most of the life-saving kidneys, lungs and livers used come from executed prisoners.

China has announced it is preparing to phase out organ donation from condemned prisoners.

In a rare press briefing, Dr Huang, who served as China's vice minister of health for 12 years, spoke to a small group of journalists to respond to his critics, saying Chinese prisoners must agree to have their organs harvested before they die.

"Our government already has regulations related to recovering organs from death row inmates," he said. "Consent is not presumed consent - written consent from the prisoner himself or herself as well as his or her family [is needed]."
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Man who took out billboard still looking for a kidney donor

Fox6 Now Milwaukee


MILWAUKEE (WITI) — Jeff Nelson continues to search for a perfect match in his quest to find a kidney donor. Back in March, FOX6 News profiled Nelson, after he took out a billboard seeking a donor in the Menomonee Valley.

Nelson has polycystic kidney disease. Today, his kidneys are the size of two NFL footballs, filled with thousands if not millions of cysts.

“My kidney function is down to 11%,” Nelson said.

Nelson did get some response after taking out the billboard, and eventually contacted Froedtert Hospital to see whether any of those who responded would be matches.

“We had about 40 new interests in trying to help him as the result of the billboard,” Stephanie Albano with Froedtert Hospital said.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Family grieves bicyclist hit by SUV in New Berlin

Today's TMJ News | Lacy Chrisp


NEW BERLIN- Fifteen seconds of silence for number 15. Whitnall High School soccer team honored their teammate Monday night.

“We wanted to be here to support the team and for Brittany,” said Mel Mickey, Brittany Barnstable’s grandfather.

Whitnall freshman Brittany Barnstable was killed in a bike accident over the weekend. With tears in his eyes, her grandfather describes Brittany’s blossoming personality.

“She was bubbly, she was determined, she wanted to follow her sister’s weightlifting program. She was getting up at 4 o’clock every day riding her bike to a private gym,” Mickey said.

Barnstable was killed while she was riding on a trail in New Berlin when she was hit by an SUV. She wasn’t wearing a helmet.
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"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Reward offered in weekend shooting death

San Antonio Express News | Michelle Casady


Mechanically inclined and a smooth talker, Robert Moreno, 22, had bartered his way from a $600 motorcycle to a luxury SUV, making trades on Craigslist throughout high school and college.

“Robert was a little 'Barter King,'” said his stepfather, Larry Zancketti, referencing the reality TV show on A&E. “He'd clean things up, fix them, and trade up. He got really caught up in it, he was good at it, and thought that was going to be his future.”

But Moreno was shot in the head early Saturday by three armed men who police believe could be members of the Lincoln Court Kings street gang.

He died early the next morning at University Hospital.
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______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

West Covina resident continues coaching La Salle basketball despite continuing illness

San Gabriel Valley Tribune | Hillary Smith

Jelani Gardner is on dialysis and needs a fourth kidney.

But that hasn't stopped the 38-year-old West Covina resident from coaching the boys' varsity basketball team at La Salle High School in Pasadena. Nor has it stopped his Academy skill-based basketball training program. It hasn't even stopped him from starting a new travel basketball team, which he held tryouts for on May 18 at La Salle.

Gardner believes everything will work out in the end. But he realizes he is only human.

"God has been good to me," said Gardner who has a wife and three sons. "I've been able to deal with it. This is the second time I've gone through it. It was a dream of mine never to have to go through this again. I went through a trial. But I'm still not out of the woods."

Gardner has had kidney problems since he was first diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) at the age of 19. The rare disease attacks the kidney's filtering system, causing serious scarring and an inability to keep valuable cells and protein in the blood. The most crucial symptom is the leaking of urine into the kidney, which is detrimental to the organ.

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______________________________________________________ 
 "You have the power to SAVE lives." 
To register as a donor in California: 
 www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org 
 Outside California: 
 www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Board honors woman for kidney donation

The Intelligencier News 
The way Debbie Baczewski sees it, she’s sisters with Teresa Dickman.

“Instead of blood sisters, we’re kidney sisters,” the Highland woman told members of the Madison County Board recently. The board had just given Baczewski a proclamation praising her for donating her right kidney to her friend.


The operation took place on Dec. 4 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

“What you’ve done is just unbelievable,” County Board Chairman Alan Dunstan told her. “I know a lot of people would not do that.”

The two women grew up in Highland, sharing a bond that’s typical in small towns. They worked together briefly at the local Dairy Queen; Dickman’s brother had worked with Baczewski at Cygan Delaney Catering, near the town square; and Baczewski’s daughter and Dickman’s sister knew each other from school.

Dickman, who has a special education degree, was substitute teaching in March of 2007. That’s when she was diagnosed with Atypical Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome, a rare disease that causes abnormal clots to form in small blood vessels in the kidneys. That could block the flow that could cause her kidneys to shut down.

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______________________________________________________ 
 "You have the power to SAVE lives." 
To register as a donor in California: 
 www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org 
 Outside California: 
 www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

RTI Donor Services New Florida Division Will Offer Option of Tissue Donation to Families Throughout Florida

Fort Mills Times

ALACHUA, Fla. -- RTI Donor Services, a not-for-profit tissue recovery network, announced today the opening of a new Florida division working with hospitals and medical examiners in Florida to provide the opportunity of tissue donation to more families after the loss of their loved ones. As a member of Donate Life Florida, RTI supports Florida’s organ, tissue and eye donation registry and the decision of individuals in Florida to be donors.

RTI Donor Services will provide services to hospitals and medical examiners including tissue recovery, family aftercare, professional education and community services. They will work in cooperation with other Florida donation agencies such as LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services, Translife, Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research and Medical Eye Bank of Florida to ensure outstanding services to families and healthcare providers. The main office will be located in Alachua with satellites located throughout the service area. RTI Donor Services currently serves hospitals and families through its existing offices in Wisconsin, covering counties in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois, and three offices in Texas – Dallas, Corpus Christi and El Paso.

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______________________________________________________ 

"You have the power to SAVE lives." 

To register as a donor in California: 

www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org 

Outside California: 

www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Dr. Gordon Katske is named one of America's top doctors

San Jose Mercury News | Marianne L. Hamilton

As soon as he extracted the letter from the envelope that had arrived in the day's mail, Dr. Gordon Katske suppressed a snicker. Beneath an authentic-looking logo from U.S. News & World Report, several paragraphs of complimentary prose informed him that he had been selected as one of the country's top cardiac and thoracic surgeons for 2012-2013.

Wandering out to the reception area of his Los Gatos offices, Katske showed the sheet to his nurse and filled her in on the joke. Then he pointed to the area on the page that he was confident would prove the undoing of his clever colleague: A phone number was included with the "announcement."

Planning to catch his friend in the ruse and possibly share a few chuckles before returning to his round of appointments, Katske called the number. When the receptionist answered with the name of the venerable newsmagazine, Katske was even more impressed with the sophistication of the practical joke.

"I thought, 'Wow, this really sounds official!'" Katske says, laughing. "I asked to speak with the person who was involved with the 'country's best surgeons' selection, and was immediately connected to a guy who also sounded official. I said, 'Listen, I just want to know which of my friends had the Photoshop skills to pull this off; I know it's a huge joke.' "

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______________________________________________________ 

"You have the power to SAVE lives." 

To register as a donor in California: 

www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org 

Outside California: 

www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

PinnacleHealth performs 1,000th kidney transplant

Penn Live | David Wenner

PinnacleHealth System noted on Monday it recently did its 1,000th kidney transplant since beginning its program in 2000.

PinnacleHealth noted that its organ survival rate is above the national average. Pointing out it usually takes four to six years to obtain a kidney from a donor who has died, PinnacleHealth further said it specializes in living donor transplant, where a living patient donates one of their two kidneys. People who donate a kidney can live a normal life.

A transplant from a living donor has several advantages, including reduced waiting time and longer life for the donated organ.Continue reading

______________________________________________________ 
 "You have the power to SAVE lives." 
To register as a donor in California: 
 www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org 
 Outside California: 
 www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net

Omid Abbasi, Iranian Firefighter Who Died After Saving Young Girl, Saves 3 More Lives Through Organ Donation

Huffington Post 
The story of an Iranian firefighter who gave his life to rescue a little girl made its way around the world last week.

Omid Abbasi was part of a team of firefighters that responded to a residential building fire in Tehran last Tuesday, according to Iran's Mehr News.

Press TV spoke with Jalal Maleki, the spokesman for the Tehran fire department, who said that when Abbasi learned there was a young girl trapped in the building, he rushed in to save her. He gave her his oxygen mask, but by the time he had gotten her to safety, Abbasi himself had suffered 'brain death,' Mehr News reports.

After his death, Abbasi's family donated his organs to three patients in need of transplants. "He was kind and loved saving people," his mother told Press TV.

On Sunday, Reddit user Soulsiick, shared this photo of Abbasi with the girl he saved, and it was upvoted more than 22,000 times.

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______________________________________________________ 
 "You have the power to SAVE lives." 
To register as a donor in California: 
 www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org 
 Outside California: 
 www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net