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.

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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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"

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"

9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant

New England area

Nine-year-old Alannah Shevenell recently received a 6-organ transplant. The little girl received a new small intestine, stomach, pancreas, liver, spleen, and part of an esophagus. In doing so, she set a New England-area record for the most organs transplanted at one time.

Alannah's record-setting transplant was necessary, because a rare cancerous growth called an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor had spread it's tentacles throughout her abdomen. The tumor caused swelling, pain, and an inability to eat. Alannah's doctors made two failed surgical attempts to remove the huge tumor. Chemotherapy had failed to rid Allanah of the monster, also. Her only hope for survival was to remove the tumor and all the organs and tissues it had wrapped itself around.

Alanah spent a year waiting on the needed transplant which doctors only gave her a 50% chance of surviving. However, she survived the surgery, despite its complexity, and the great blood loss that went with it. She is now doing well and learning how to adjust to her new routines, such as avoiding crowds and taking numerous medications. After spending three months in the hospital recovering from her transplant surgery, Alannah's just fine with all the adjustments saying that she's happy, "Just being home."

For more information about organ and tissue donation, including how to register as an organ and tissue donor in your area, please visit the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation's website at https://www.SaveLivesTN.org/ by clicking here.

Read more - today.com article titled "Maine Girl Bouncing Back After 6-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"

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" 

A Milestone in Hawaii

Recently, Sarah Chee made history as the first liver transplant recipient to have had both her transplant and child in Hawaii. Interestingly, her doctor shared with her that it is pretty rare for a liver recipient to have a child - it happens only about 25 times a year.

Hawaii polynesian cultural centre (Photo credit: Danielle Bauer)

Even though such pregnancies are a little riskier, both mom and baby are doing great. Sarah is just thankful for the opportunity to still be alive. In her words, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for organ donation. I wouldn't be sitting here to have this opportunity."

The end of the article reporting this story on www.kitv.com refers to the blessing the Chees have received as a result of someone choosing to be an organ donor as "One transplant gift, two lives, and a whole new world ahead for the Chee family." At the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, we believe those words sum up the miracle of organ donation perfectly. Besides the recipient, there are always multiple lives affected, including spouses, siblings, parents, friends, and others who get to spend more time with the recipient after their transplant. It's why we do what we do at the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation.

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

Read more : kitv.com article titled "Doctors Hail First Childbirth to Liver Transplant Patient in Hawaii"

Son Saves Mother

Bile duct and pancreas 1. Bile ducts: :2. Intrahepatic bile ducts :3. Left and right hepatic ducts :4. Common hepatic duct :5. Cystic duct :6. Common bile duct :7. Ampulla of Vater :8. Major duodenal papilla 9. Gallbladder 10-11. Right and left lobes of liver 12. Spleen 13. Esophagus 14. Stomach 15. Duodenum 16. Jejunum 17. Pancreas: :18. Accessory pancreatic duct :19. Pancreatic duct 20-21: Right and left kidneys Español: Vías biliares y pancreas Català: Vies biliars i pàncrees (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Shay Segura received some bad news in 1999 after donating blood. She learned that she had primary biliary cirrhosis, or PBC. The disease destroys the bile ducts of the liver. The disease is slow in developing but normally leads to a person's liver shutting down. Shay's only hope was a liver transplant, and she received one from her own son.

Shay first started the process of getting on the national transplant waiting list. However, her doctor told her that the wait would likely be too long, and she would die. It was recommended that she consider, and try to find, a suitable living donor. Her son, Bryan Cesario, stepped up to the plate to help his mom. He said, "I wanted to do it when I was 16 but you have to be 18." Shay didn't want him to do it, but he insisted. Both are now doing well and want people to know that living donation is an option for people needing liver transplants. In a living donor liver transplant, either the right or left lobe of the donor's liver is removed from the donor and then transplanted into the recipient. Then, the liver will regenerate itself within the donor in about two months.

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

Read more : publeochieftain.co.newsmemory.com article titled "I'm Giving You My Liver and That's It"

Help Joel

We recently learned about a young man named Joel Beeson who suffers from a genetic bleeding disorder. Due to the disorder, Joel is in grave need of a liver transplant. He recently had a living donor, his brother, lined up and ready to go until the transplant facility changed the age requirements. The change disqualified Joel's brother from being a living donor.

Joel is now back to square one and needs help. To learn more about Joel and his situation, or to help out, please visit the Facebook page that his friends have set-up for him. Just click here.