The Future of TODF

Dear TODF supporters,

A little more than three years ago I founded the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc. (TODF) with the help of several others. We had two goals: 1) improve awareness about the need for more organ and tissue donors in order to help more people receive life-saving organ transplants, and 2) help transplant recipients with post-transplant financial needs. I’m thrilled to say we have been able to do both.

During the last three years our accomplishments include:

• Our participation in nine events sharing with Tennesseans about the importance of organ and tissue donation. 
• The distribution of approximately 400 brochures at those events containing information about organ and tissue donation and how to register as a donor. 
• The registering of a few people as donors via the internet at our events. 
• Plus, we helped over a half dozen transplant recipients with various financial needs, such as their anti-rejection medications.

Our website, blog, and Facebook pages have been popular and been visited by hundreds of people. The website has provided a way for folks to make memorial contributions to TODF to honor and remember family and friends who gave the gift of life when they passed away. 

All of us at TODF feel blessed to have been a part of all this. However, due to a number of reasons, over the last year TODF’s leadership has been contemplating TODF’s future, and unfortunately, we have come to the conclusion it is time to cease operations. All of the paperwork necessary to officially close TODF is in process.

On behalf of the Board, Officers, and others, I want to sincerely thank all who have attended our events, made financial contributions, volunteered, and supported our endeavor the last three years. I want to encourage all of you to continue to be advocates for and support organ and tissue donation. I am alive today because of the miracle of a second chance at life it provides.

Sincerely,

Johnny Black,

Executive Director, Board Chair, and Founder

Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc.

Making the Journey from Transplant Patient to Caregiver

At the age of 24, Ken Sutha was dying of kidney failure. He needed a kidney transplant, so his father became his living donor. The procedure was performed at Emory. Since then, Ken's health has greatly improved to the point that he's became a competitive athlete. His athletic prowess has led hm to compete in triathlons, and he won three medals in swimming at the 2010 U.S. Transplant Games.

University of Washington quad in Spring (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ken's athletic success is not the most amazing part of his recovery, though. The Georgia Transplant Foundation gave him a four-year scholarship to Emory University School of Medicine. After graduation, Ken moved to Seattle, WA and now trains as a pediatrician at the University of Washington and at Seattle Children's Hospital where, sometimes, he takes care of both pre- and post-transplant children.

What a story - from being the transplant patient to taking care of kids who may either need transplants or have just received them. Ken's story is a great example of the types of miracles that can come from organ and tissue donation. If you would like to learn more about organ and tissue donation, or learn how to register in the state where you live, please visit our website www. SaveLivesTN.org by clicking here.

Read more - News.Emory.edu article titled "From Kidney Transplant Recipient to Emory Medical School Graduate"

A Great Way to Say "Thank You"

An Ohio heart transplant recipient, Adam Burkhart, is honoring the man who saved his life in a very special and unique way - he named his daughter, Mattyn, after him. There was a time when Adam did not know if he would live long enough to have a family, but now, thanks to his donor, Matthew, he is enjoying every day with his wife and two daughters.

English: The illustration shows the major signs and symptoms of heart failure. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At the age of six(6), Adam was diagnosed with familial cardiomyopathy. Unfortunately, the disease runs through this mother's side of his family. The disease did not affect Adam until one day, at the age of 17, he could not run anymore while playing soccer. Doctors diagnosed him with heart failure, and he learned a transplant was in his future. In September 2000, Adam received the life-saving heart transplant he needed and has been in good health since.

Since his transplant, Adam has advocated for organ and tissue donation and met the parents of his donor. When he asked them about naming his daughter after their heroic son, they were thrilled. What a great way to say "thank you" and continue the life-saving legacy of Adam's donor, Matthew.

If you would like to read more about Adam, Matthew, and Mattyn's story, you can do so on www.ZanesvilleTimesRecorder.com in their article titled "Local Man Names His Daughter After Donor Who Saved His Life" by clicking here.

For more information about organ and tissue donation and to register as a donor where you live, please visit our website, https://SaveLivesTN.org/, by clicking here.

Related articles

• Heart transplant 'gift of life,' says Manitoba's 1st recipient (updatednews.ca)
• The Gift of a Future (Part 2) (wnep.com)

New Test for Heart Transplant Rejection

Researchers at Stanford University have completed a study on a new method of checking for organ rejection in heart transplant recipients. The test, known as the cell free DNA test, simply measures the amount of the donor's DNA showing up in the recipient's blood. As these amounts increase, it indicates the early stages of rejection.

Unidentified persons in operating room (Photo credit: Stanford Medical History Center)

Currently, many heart transplant patients have to endure the invasiveness of a heart biopsy in order to check for rejection. These biopsies can cause problems of their own, including heart arrhythmia's and valve damage, not to mention the uncomfortableness of the biopsy. What may be even more important, though, is that the new blood test, could indicate the onset of rejection several months before it would be detected with a biopsy. As with other medical issues, early detection is often vital to successful treatment. Organ rejection is no different.

These findings are great news for heart transplant recipients. To read more of the article on www.HealthDay.com titled ""New Blood Test May Help Detect Heart Transplant Rejection", please click here.

Related articles

• New blood test identifies heart-transplant rejection earlier than biopsy can (medicalxpress.com)
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• New Stanford blood test identifies heart-transplant rejection earlier than biopsy can (esciencenews.com)

Help Us Celebrate Donate Life Month

April is Donate Life Month, and we want you to help us celebrate. How? Well, it's pretty simple. If you have not yet registered as an organ and tissue donor, register this month to help us celebrate! Don't know how? Then, please visit our website, www.SaveLivesTN.org, by clicking here to find out how to register in the state where you live.

HAPPY DONATE LIFE MONTH!!

Are You At Risk for Kidney Disease?

There are over 120,000 Americans currently waiting on life-saving organ transplants, and three out of every four, or 75% of them are waiting on kidneys. With March, National Kidney Month, quickly coming to an end, we would like to briefly share a few of the factors that can lead to your risk of kidney disease being elevated.

Kidney (Photo credit: Joshua Schwimmer)

These factors include :

1. diabetes,
2. hypertension (high blood pressure),
3. family history,
4. being elderly (60+ years of age), and
5. a history of kidney stones.

If you have one, or more, of these risk factors, you should have your kidney function tested. As with most medical ailments, such as cancer, early detection is vital to treating the disease. Please do not wait until your health deteriorates if 1 of the 5 factors above apply to you. With early detection there are a number of things that can be done to treat kidney disease, such as :

• reducing salt (sodium) intake,
• reducing blood pressure,
• reducing blood sugar,
• getting more exercise,
• drinking more water,
• quitting smoking, and
• not using pain medication excessively.

Just remember - early detection is key as there are often no symptoms associated with the onset of kidney disease.

With such a large percentage of the current transplant waiting list being made up of people who need a kidney, we also would like to encourage you to visit our website, www.SaveLivesTN.org, by clicking here to learn how to become a registered organ donor.

Source :article on www.OurMidland.com titled "Check Risk Factors During National Kidney Month"

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New Life After 26-Year Battle with Kidney Disease

Rebecca Miller is a trooper. After a 26-year battle with kidney disease, she received a kidney transplant from an anonymous living donor back on February 13th of this year. Her courageous story was recently reported by WSBT TV, where she was once the noon news anchor. The video of her story titled "Granger Woman Has New Kidney After Long Wait, Urges Others to Donate" is embedded below or can also be watched, or the text of the article read by clicking here.



Besides it being Rebecca's transplant date, February 13th is special to us at the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc. for another reason - it was on that date 7 years ago that our Executive Director and Founder, Johnny Black, was listed for a heart transplant, which he received just 8 days later.

For more information about organ and tissue donation and how you can help save a life like Rebecca's and Johnny's donors did, please visit our website, www.SaveLivesTN.org, by clicking here.

9-Year-Old Returns Home After Kidney Transplant

In hemolytic uremic syndrome, toxins destroy red blood cells. These misshapen cells may clog the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

9-year-old Evie of Carthage, NC recently went home from the hospital after a brutal health ordeal that necessitated a life-saving kidney transplant. Her illness started after contracting E-Coli which caused Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, a condition which wipes out red blood cells.

The disease led to both of the little girl's kidneys and her pancreas failing, heart problems, pneumonia, a collapsed lung, and intestinal bleeding which required over three dozen blood transfusions. Fortunately, a living donor stepped up and donated a kidney to Evie, who is now doing well.

Evie's story was shared on WNCT Channel 9 news. The video of her story is embedded below, or the text can be read and the video watched at wnct.com by clicking here - "New Kidney Means New Journey for 9-Year-Old Moore Co. Girl".

WNCT
 
March is National Kidney Month. For more information on organ and tissue donation, including how to register as a donor where you live, please visit our website by clicking here.

New Orleans Becoming One of Best Places to Get A Liver Transplant

New Orleans, LA is slowly becoming one of the best places to get a liver transplant. The exciting thing is that it is not only due to transplant availability, but also due to the high rate of successful outcomes.

For more information, please watch the video embedded below. It is very interesting, very powerful, and the personal stories shared by several liver transplant patients will touch you. You can also watch the video and read the text of the article, titled "Local Hospital One of Best Places in Country to Get Life-Saving Procedure" on www.wwltv.com by clicking here. 

For more information about organ and tissue donation, please visit our website, https://SaveLivesTN.org/.

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The Importance of Living Donors

The video embedded below tells the story of a man who life was saved through the process of living organ donation. His story is powerful and shares some interesting facts about living donation that some may not know. We encourage you to watch this powerful video below.

You can also see the video and read the full news story on www.wkyc.com which is titled "Living Donors Help Ease the Transplant Waiting List" by clicking here.

The 600th Heart Transplant

Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute will celebrate the 28th anniversary of its heart transplant program later this year. However, before reaching their anniversary, they passed another milestone. Doctors there recently performed their 600th heart transplant.

English: The 15-county Kansas City Metropolitan Area, with the approximate city limits of Kansas City, Missouri in red and counties in blue. (In regards to image uploaded 6 August 2005, 2230 CDT) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Saint Luke's is one of the top transplant centers in the country and has the only adult heart transplant program in the Kansas City area. In fact, Saint Luke's has the only active transplant program for adults between Denver and Kansas City.

In addition to the milestones mentioned above, Saint Luke's :

• annually performs more heart transplants than 80% of heart transplant centers in the country,
• has averaged 37 heart transplants per year for the last 8 years when most other centers do less than 20,
• has shorter waiting times for transplants than most other U.S. transplant centers, and
• received the Medal of Honor from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for increasing the number of available organs.

For more information about organ and tissue donation, including how to register as an organ and tissue donor in your state, please visit our website, www.SaveLivesTN.org, by clicking here.

Read more - sacbee.com artitle titled "Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute Performs 600th Heart Transplant"                     ,

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900 Miles to Save Lives

Richard Gates recently completed a 900-mile bicycle ride to raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation. The journey took Gates from Pittsburgh, PA to Boston, MA where he was met by the doctors and nurses who cared for him when he received his heart transplant almost 10 years ago.

Boston Skyline (Photo credit: brentdanley)

Gates referred to his trip as "Tour de Second Chance" and said he wanted people to understand that he was only able to make the long bike trip because someone had chosen to be an organ donor. He also hoped it showed transplant patients they can lead full lives after their transplant.

For more information about organ and tissue donation, or to learn how to register as an organ and tissue donor in the state where you live, please visit our website, www.SaveLivesTN.org, by clicking here.

Read more : boston.cbslocal.com article titled "Heart Transplant Recipient Arrives in Boston After 900-Mile Bike Ride"

Congratulations

Today, all of us at the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation offer our congratulations to all the great people at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Recently, doctors, nurses, and others there reached a remarkable milestone - their 2000th kidney transplant !! The truly remarkable thing about this milestone is that approximately half of these transplants were accomplished with living kidney donors.

Mayo Clinic (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Mayo Clinic in Arizona began performing kidney transplants in 1999. With their 2000th, they become one of the top 10 largest kidney transplant programs in the country. The Clinic is also one of the leading centers for performing paired kidney exchanges, which help increase the pool of kidneys available for transplant.

Besides Arizona, the Mayo Clinic also has campuses in Florida and Minnesota where kidney transplants are performed, also. When you combine the number of kidney transplants performed at all the Mayo Clinic locations in these three states, the Mayo Clinic becomes the #1 kidney transplant center in the U.S. doing more kidney transplant than anyone. We congratulate them for that, too, and on behalf of the 2000 kidney recipients who have received the gift of life at one of their campus locations, we say, "Thank You."

Read entire article : www.YumaNewsNow.com article titled "Mayo Clinic In Arizona Completes 2000th Kidney Transplant"

30-Years and Counting

Orlando DeFelice recently reached a milestone - the 30-year anniversary of his heart transplant. It makes him one of the longest-living heart transplant patients ever. When he had his transplant in 1983, doctors felt he would die within four days if he did not receive one. Furthermore, the doctors said the odds he would survive five years after his transplant were only 50/50.

English: The old hospital building in Cape Town where the first human heart transplant was done by Dr Barnard in December 1967. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

DeFelice is not alone in reaching the 30-year heart transplant mark. Others have already achieved it. In fact, an Ohio man reached the 31-year mark before dying in 2009. A British man reached the 30-year milestone last year. Additionally, several others who received heart transplants at John Hopkins, where DeFelice received his, are just a few years away from the 30-year mark.

The road to DeFelice's 30-year heart transplant anniversary has not been easy. There have been some bumps in the road. For instance, he had to have a kidney transplant in 2010 as a complication from his immunosuppressant regimen. He's also battled skin cancer. However, overall he has done well and is happy to be able to enjoy life again thanks to his new heart.

DeFelice still works as an accountant, plays golf, goes on walks, and bike rides. He is thankful for his transplant. He stresses the importance of organ and tissue donation saying, "You (the recipient) can go out and do the things you were planning to do before the disease got you."

Orlando DeFelice was fortunate to receive his heart transplant and a second chance at life 30 years ago. However, there are 119,000 Americans currently waiting on the same opportunity. Sadly, 19 of those waiting die every day simply because a match does not come in time. The good news is that you can help them receive the same second chance that Orlando did by registering as an organ and tissue donor.

To learn how to register, or for more information about organ and tissue donation, please visit our website, www.SaveLivesTN.org, by clicking here.

Read more : www.BaltimoreSun.com article titled "Hopkins Patient Marks 30-Year Anniversary of Heart Transplant"

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Cartilage Transplants

Cartilage transplants are becoming more and more common, especially for young people who have suffered injury from an automobile accident or athletics. These transplants can repair knees, shoulders, and ankles where cartilage may be either missing or damaged.

Generally, candidates for cartilage transplants are less than 50 years of age with joint damage that needs repairing. For these younger patients, a cartilage transplant is a better option than a joint replacement, because they could need another joint replacement later in life if their first joint replacement wears out.

cartilage (Photo credit: jetheriot)

Thousands of cartilage transplants are done across the U.S. each year. They are classified as tissue transplants and are different from organ transplants. For instance :

• Cartilage does not need a blood supply as it gets its nutrition from joint fluid. Therefore, it can stay viable in a tissue bank for a significant period of time.
• Cartilage recipients do not have to take anti-rejection medication, because no tissue typing is done.

A cartilage transplant recipient's recovery period is six months to a year. It includes physical therapy during the first three months, resumption of strenuous activity after six, and a full recovery after a year.

Not everyone can be an organ donor but almost everyone can be a tissue donor. Cartilage and other tissue transplants are just as important as organ transplants, in some cases, because they can dramatically improve a person's quality of life.

For more information about organ and tissue donation, including how to register where you live, please visit our website www.SaveLivesTN.org by clicking here.

Read more - article on www.utSanDiego.com titled "Cartilage Transplant Now A Common, Viable Option"

True Love

Check out this news video about a case of life-saving true love. It's embedded below or can be watched, and the news story read, by clicking here.



Read more - article and video on cnn.com titled "She Donates Kidney; He Proposes"

18 Heart Attacks Lead to Heart and Liver Transplant

Mike Mader is one man who is fortunate to be alive. He has a genetic disorder known as familial hypercholesterolemia. His liver cannot process cholesterol. As a child, his cholesterol was 400+, and it led to his very first heart attack at just 22 years of age.

Spacefill model of the Cholesterol molecule (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At only 31 years of age and after a wait of over two years, Mike received a life-saving heart and liver transplant back on April 23rd. Prior to the double transplant, he was told by his doctors ... "that he needed to get his affairs in order ...", according to his mother. Now, Mike says he, "Couldn't feel better. Never happier in my life."

Mike is now enjoying life and the risk of more, multiple heart attacks is gone, because a caring donor and their family cared enough to give the gift of life. You can help save a life, too, by visiting our website at www.SaveLivesTN.org, by clicking here. There, you can learn more about organ and tissue donation and even register as a donor in the state where you live.

Read more - article on kutv.com titled "After 18 Heart Attacks, Man Undergoes Successful Double Organ Transplant Surgery"

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Enjoying the Simple Things for 20 Extra Years

A Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on a Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Twenty years ago, Gary Bullion of Wisconsin was just a few days from death. Then, he heard his doctor utter the hope-giving words Gary had been waiting for - "We have a heart for you."

Last month, Gary celebrated the 20-Year Anniversary of his life-saving heart transplant. Today, thanks to a teenage donor, Gary enjoys the simple things in life. For instance, he :

• saw his third grandchild born,
• grows milkweed for monarch butterflies,
• plays in a band, 
• builds things, and 
• sketches wildlife.

Gary is another example of how organ donation truly makes a difference in people's lives. In many cases, like Gary's for example, the recipients are given their lives back allowing them to spend additional time with their family and resume the hobbies they enjoy.

If you have not registered as an organ and tissue donor yet, we encourage you to do so. Currently, there are over 118,000 Americans on the waiting list for life-saving organ transplants. Sadly, 18 of them die each day waiting on a match.

You can help out by visiting our website at www.SaveLivesTN.org by clicking here to learn how to register as an organ and tissue donor in the state where you live.

Read more - article on www.GazetteExtra.com titled "Edgerton Man Marks 20th Anniversary of Heart Transplant"

A New Record

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital (Photo credit: Stanford Medical History Center)

April 22, 2013 was not an ordinary day for the transplant teams at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University in California. They set a new record for the hospital when they performed five organ transplants in just 24 hours. The five transplants included :

• a liver transplant for a 2-year-old boy, 
• a liver transplant for a 15-year-old girl,
• a heart transplant for a 3-year-old boy, 
• a kidney transplant for a 15-year-old boy, and
• a kidney transplant for a 14--year-old girl.

A little more than a month later, the doctors say that all five patients are doing well. They have a future of endless possibilities in front of them. They will have the opportunity to grow up, go to college, begin their careers, get married, have children, and more thanks to the gift of life they received from their donors. These kids are truly blessed.

For more information about organ and tissue donation, including how to register as a donor in the state where you live, please visit our website, www.SaveLivesTN.org, by clicking here.

Read more - online.wsj.com article titled "Five Transplants in 24 Hours Sets Packard Children's Record"

3-Year-Old Needs Kidney Transplant

Ephraim Harding is a 3-year-old Georgia boy who needs a kidney transplant. The video embedded below tells his story. The video and script of the story can also be watched and read by clicking the link below the video.

Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5 

Read more : www.MyFoxAtlanta.com story titled "3-Year-Old Cumming Boy in Need of Kidney Transplant"