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"

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.

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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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"

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"

Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and .... Caring

Recently, an Ohio school teacher, Wendy Killan, taught the students and community surrounding Mansfield Christian School a lesson about something more important than reading, writing, and arithmetic. She taught them what it means to care. When 8-year-old Nicole Miller was in dire need of a life-saving kidney transplant, Killan chose to be a living kidney donor for the little girl.

View of Mansfield Christian School from Logan Road. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nicole has a genetic disorder which causes hearing loss and kidney malformation. The disorder also caused Nicole to miss school frequently due to severe fatigue. However, Killan, who was a perfect match for Nicole, stepped up to the plate to help despite the fact it meant going through a major surgery. According to Killan, "Yes, I'm going to be going through a major surgery, but you know, it's only going to be a few weeks of my life, but to this little girl, it is her whole life."

Wendy Killan taught her students one of the most important lessons they will ever learn, when she showed them what it means to care by being a living kidney donor for Nicole. We at the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc. believe it may have been the most important lesson of their young lives. Therefore, we applaud her. We would love to see more people do the same thing as the list of people waiting on a kidney transplant continues to grow and grow.

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

Read more - article on www.MedicalDaily.com titled "Ohio Elementary School Teacher Gives Life Lesson with Kidney Donation"

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Alabama Children Have Another Transplant Alternative

Pediatric transplant patients in Alabama have a new, more convenient alternative. Recently, Children's of Alabama received approval from UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) to begin solid organ transplants. Children's will be performing heart, liver, and kidney transplants.

Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children (Photo credit: Dystopos)

Additionally, pediatric transplant patients have a one-stop shop at Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children. Until now, their pre-transplant testing would be done at Children's. Then, they would be taken to the University of Alabama at Birmingham for the actual transplant and be transported back to Children's for post-transplant care. The back-and-forth was not very convenient for the patients' families, nor was it easy on the young patients.

With UNOS' approval and the completion of the brand new $400 Million Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children, all pediatric transplant care is in one facility. It's a win-win for everyone, but especially for the patients.

For more information on organ and tissue donation, including how to register in the state where you live, please visit the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc.'s website at https://www.SaveLivesTN.org/ by clicking here.

Read more - cbs42.com article titled "Childrens' Approved to Perform Solid Organ Transplant Surgery"

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Making Plans and Holding On

Molly Pearce, 24, has her future planned out with her boyfriend, Corey Eaker. They have cruises to go on and trips, including ones to New York and Australia, to take. They even have the names, Peyton and Colt, of their two future children planned out. However, there is one thing that must happen first in order to see their plans come to fruition - Molly needs a transplant.

Molly needed an intestinal transplant at birth, but such a surgery did not exist at that time. She lived on a liquid diet until she received the needed transplant at the age of 13. However, at the age of 12, a medical error put Molly even further behind the 8-ball. She was given an antibiotic that should have only been given to hospital in-patients. Worse yet, the dose she received was too large. The error severely damaged Molly's kidneys putting her way behind on the road to recovery.

English: Doctor Preforming An Organ Transplant. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After the intestinal transplant, Molly could eat solid food for the first time in her life, and doctors thought, and hoped, that the additional nutrition she was getting might heal her damaged kidneys. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. So, in 2007, Molly's mom donated a kidney to her. By all accounts, the combination of the intestinal and kidney transplant gave Molly the two best years of her life.

Unfortunately, 2012 saw things take a turn for the worse. Molly went to a local emergency room, because she was feeling bad. While there, she was given the wrong type of blood leaving her in need of a four-organ transplant, including liver, kidney, pancreas, and small intestine. The toughest part is that all four organs must come from the same donor, and Molly is running out of time.

Molly's story is a difficult one. In need of one transplant at birth, she finds her self needing an even more complicated transplant at the young age of 24 through no fault of her own. Molly needs a hero and needs one soon. There are over 117,000 Americans like Molly currently needing life-saving transplants from heros, too. The good thing is that we know what the solution is - it is more Americans registering as organ and tissue donors.

For more information about organ and tissue donation, including how to register in the state where you live, please visit our website at www.SaveLivesTN.org. One day, you might be a hero to someone like Molly.

Be a hero - register today.

Read more : www.smdp.com article titled "SMC Student Holding Out for Four Organ Transplant"

A Special Christmas

Doctors at Emory University Hospital recently achieved a first for a hospital based in Georgia - a triple organ transplant. In doing so, they gave 38-year-old Stephanie Lindstrom an opportunity to spend another Christmas with her family.

Diagram of the human heart 1. Superior Vena Cava 2. Pulmonary Artery 3. Pulmonary Vein 4. Mitral Valve 5. Aortic Valve 6. Left Ventricle 7. Right Ventricle 8. Left Atrium 9. Right Atrium 10. Aorta 11. Pulmonary Valve 12. Tricuspid Valve 13. Inferior Vena Cava (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Stephanie was born with a congenital heart defect. Her heart did not have a tricuspid valve, which keeps blood moving through the heart in the right direction. As a girl, she had four surgeries to correct the problem. Then, after college, she developed an additional heart valve problem - mitral valve regurgitation. Doctors determined that the mitral valve problem needed to be corrected, too.

Stephanie's multiple heart surgeries had failed to correct her heart problems. It was determined that she needed not only a heart transplant, but also a liver transplant, because her heart failure had caused liver failure. On top of that, Stephanie had become septic which resulted in kidney damage and the need for a kidney transplant.

Stephanie received the life-saving heart and liver transplants she needed on July 7, 2012 and her kidney transplant the next day. After spending three months in the hospital, she went home in October and spent a special Christmas with her family. She said, "The holiday season has truly taken on such a special meaning to my family and me this year because of the many gifts we have been given."

Interestingly, Stephanie's new heart, liver, and kidney all came from the same donor who is a hero that The Lindstrom Family will be forever grateful to. For more information about organ and tissue donation, including how to register as an organ and tissue donor where you live, please visit the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc.'s website by clicking here.

Read more : article on news.emory.edu titled "Emory Performs First Triple Organ Transplant in Georgia"

DJ Helps Co-Worker

We ran across this story of a L.A. disc jockey who recently became a living kidney donor for a co-worker. It is powerful and moving and is a great example of how important living donors are. Please watch the wonderful video embedded below. You can also watch it here.

 

For more information about organ and tissue donation, please visit our website by clicking here.

Read more : article on www.cbsnews.com titled "L.A. DJ Donates Kidney to Co-worker"

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Triple-Transplant Recipient

Below is a video of a news report about a South Carolina woman who recently received a triple-organ transplant, including heart, liver, and kidney. We have embedded the video report below, or you can watch it and read the article by clicking here.

FOX Carolina 21

For more information about organ and tissue donation, or to register as a donor in the state where you live, please visit the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation's website by clicking here.

Read more : article on www.FoxCarolina.com titled "Woman Recovers from Heart, Liver, and Kidney Transplants"

Making A Difference

Back in March of this year, a young man named Ty Osman was attending college in Arkansas when he began a spring break trip to Texas. Unfortunately, he never reached his destination, because he perished in a traffic accident en route. To one Texas man, though, and his family, Ty will always be remembered as a hero.

Peritoneal dialysis (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kelly Barnes was diagnosed with diabetes at a young age. By 2011, he found himself on dialysis, because his kidneys were failing. When young Ty passed away in that tragic accident, however, Kelly received Ty's pancreas and one of his kidneys and is no longer on dialysis nor does he need insulin. According to Barnes, "Because of the organs I received from Osman, I can look forward to a long healthy life."

Last month, Barnes got to meet Ty's family at a special ceremony at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Texas. Ty's family, including his mother, his father, and two sisters, joined Barnes for the hospital's dedication of the Wall of Heroes which honors organ and tissue donors. Ty's mother, Nancy, was very happy to meet Barnes saying, "It's a blessing. I'm glad to see that Ty is still making a difference in the lives of others, even after his death."

Ty also donated his other kidney, heart, liver, and lungs saving additional lives. If you would like more information on organ and tissue donation, please visit the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation's website by clicking here. While visiting the site, you can also learn how to register as an organ and tissue donor in the state where you live.

Read more : article on www.news-journal.com titled "Organ Donation Changes Lives" 

Volunteering Life

Tennessee is known as "The Volunteer State" for a reason - Tennesseans give and give and give. Back in July, Amy Rye gave new meaning to the state motto as she volunteered life to a fellow Tennessean in dire need of help.

A hemodialysis machine, used to physiologically aid or replace the kidneys in renal failure (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rye was a living kidney donor to a family acquaintance by the name of Jerry Clark. Jerry first found out he had a problem when an eye exam revealed a ruptured blood vessel in the back of one of his eyes. Things slowly deteriorated from there until he spent over a year on dialysis with kidney function of only 22% at the time of his transplant.

Within two days of his transplant, Jerry's kidney function was back to normal. He no longer has to spend nine hours a day on dialysis and says, "... Amy has given me my life back. Her unselfishness and willingness to give is really special. It takes a special person to do something like this."

For more information about organ and tissue donation, please visit the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation's website by clicking here. While there, you can also learn how to register as an organ and tissue donor in the state where you live. One day, you could be a life-saving volunteer like Amy.

Read more :TheLeafChronicle.com article titled "Organ Donation Gives Life Back to Erin Man"

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Indiana Woman Celebrates 20-Year Transplant Anniversary

Rensselaer City Hall (Photo credit: J. Stephen Conn)

TODF congratulates Lynda Edwards of Rensselaer, IN on recently celebrating the 20-year anniversary of her kidney transplant. Her sister was her living donor, and her gift had a big impact on someone besides Lynda - Lynda's daughter,  Courtney. Courtney is so grateful and believes in the miracle of donation and transplant to the point that she went to work at the Indiana Organ Procurement Organization.

There are currently over 114,000 Americans awaiting life-saving organ transplants. For more information about how you can help, please visit our website by clicking here.

Read more : wlfi.com article titled "Woman Celebrates 20-Year-Old Organ Donation"

Nurse Saves Neighbor

Debbie Beck has worked as a nurse in the transplant unit at Intermountain Medical Center for over 15 years. She has helped many who were seriously ill and running out of time. However, last summer a patient came through her unit who was really special to her. It was her neighbor, Russell Maynes.

Maynes, Beck, and their families have grown close since both families moved into the neighborhood five years ago. Last summer, Maynes spent the entire day at Intermountain after being rushed there in anticipation of a life-saving kidney transplant. Unfortunately, the day ended in disappointment when it was discovered that the donated kidney was not a good match. After hearing the heart-breaking story, Beck felt compelled to help him. So, she decided to be a living kidney donor for him. In doing so, she saved his life.

Maynes has 10 children and 40 grandchildren. He now has the opportunity to spend more time with them and see them grow up. When asked about his thoughts on his good fortune, Mayne replied, "You think, Well, what greater gift can someone give you than the gift of life, and especially when it could be their own life that they are willing to put on the line to give you the ability to be with your family and your friends."

TODF agrees, Mr. Mayne. That is exactly the message we are working to convey everyday. Organ donation is about giving the gift of life. If you would like more information about organ and tissue donation, or want to learn how to register as a donor, please visit our website at www.SaveLivesTN.org.

Read more - sltrib.com article titled "Transplant Nurse Becomes Kidney Donor for Utah Neighbor"

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1-Year Old Gets Second Chance From Uncle

In order to facilitate the advocacy of organ and tissue donation, the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation (TODF), will start sharing transplant success stories from across the U.S. on it's blog. Frequently, TODF runs across such stories about regular, everyday people who have had their lives saved or dramatically improved by caring organ and tissue donors and their families. TODF believes these heroes' stories show the personal side of organ and tissue donation having a dramatic impact in  encouraging Americans to register as donors. We hope you enjoy and are personally touched by these awesome stories. We share the first one today.

Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sarah Pastore, 15 months old, of North Reading, MA had only one, failing kidney when she was born. Doctors screened seven people as potential donors, and it turned out Sarah's uncle, Anthony Pastore, was found to be the best match. Sarah endured the four-hour surgery and is now doing well. After having to eat and take her medicine through a nasal feeding tube until she was one year old, she is now munching on Cheerios.

Her uncle is thrilled to see her doing well and feels blessed to have been able to help his niece. When asked about her, he just smiles and says, "She's my baby." He's a hero. Sadly, there's over 113,000 other Americans who need a hero, too. If you have not registered as an organ and tissue donor, TODF encourages you to do so. You might save a life, too, one day. For more information, or to register as a donor, please visit our website www.SaveLivesTN.org by clicking here.

Read more - Boston.com article titled "Birthday Gift of Life"