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"

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"

Related articles

• Kindergarten Teacher Donates Kidney To 8-Year-Old Former Student (cleveland.cbslocal.com)
• Teacher saves student by donating kidney (cbsnews.com)
• Ohio Girl, 8, Gets Kidney Donation From Teacher (abcnews.go.com)
• 8-year-old recovering after her kindergarten teacher donates kidney (chronicle.northcoastnow.com)