Kelvin Martin is many things. He’s a deejay (DJ Flash … watch out for him), a father, a husband and a heart transplant recipient.
Last summer, Kelvin burst through the front doors of Gift of Hope for his first Advocates for Hope training. Since then, he’s inspired the Gift of Hope team with his boisterous, loving personality. He has reminded us of why our work is so vital to countless people across Illinois and Indiana.
On January 27th, Kelvin walked out of Rush University Medical Center as a new man with a new lease on life. We thank the selfless donor that allowed Kelvin to keep his beat going.
You can make a difference for others, like Kelvin, by registering as an organ and tissue donor at http://www.GiftofHope.org!
Depending on your political affiliation, you may view the title of this post as ironic, disturbing or a reason to celebrate. If you check Twitter, you’ll see a plethora of tweets about the former vice president’s transplant. Many of these are jokes, and a few express disgust by people who say that they’ll remove their names from their state’s donor registry because Cheney is “heartless” or that his status or power manipulated the organ allocation system.
It’s truly unfortunate that people feel this way. The fact of the matter is there’s a grieving family somewhere who said “yes” to organ and tissue donation. When that family decided their loved one could help others through donation, they knew their loved one could help ANYONE in need.
Organ and tissue donation is a final gift from one person to another. This gift does not take wealth, status, race, gender, or any social or physical attribute into consideration other than one’s desperate need for a lifesaving transplant. Cheney waited more than 20 months for his gift of life. This is more than twice the average wait time of nine months for individuals waiting for heart transplants in Virginia (where Cheney received his transplant). This shows that Cheney’s social status had no impact on his wait time or his position on the national organ transplant waiting list. Rather, his position on the waiting list was determined by medical urgency (his level of illness), blood type, length of time waiting for a transplant, body size and location of his donor in relation to his transplant hospital. The same criteria used for everyone on the list.
This leads us to the real issue: There is a dramatic shortage of registered organ and tissue donors in the United States. A wait time of 20 months, or even nine months, is far too long for many people waiting for the gift of life. Unfortunately, many potential recipients—more than 300 of whom are waiting for hearts—are unable to survive this wait and die before a lifesaving organ becomes available. If more people simply said “yes” to donation, then fewer people like Chicago Sun-Times columnist Lacy J. Banks or Justin Sipe, a 23-year-old college student from South Carolina, would die waiting.
Before you take your name off of your state’s donor registry or spread falsehoods about organ/tissue donation, please consider that these actions will only lengthen the wait for the more than 113,000 Americans in need of lifesaving organ transplants. Please take a few moments to learn more about organ/tissue donation before rushing to judgement and taking any actions.
Next week, our friends at Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network will start a new project to reach potential organ and tissue donors. They are “inviting” residents in Edgar, Greene and Brown counties to join the Illinois Organ/Tissue Donor Registry and help save lives through organ and tissue donation.
Over the next few weeks, residents of these counties will receive one of two direct mail pieces asking them to save lives by taking just 30 seconds to register as donors. One is designed to look like a party invitation and features Luke, a huggable young boy waiting for a liver transplant. The other looks like a thank-you card and features Drew, a cute little guy who’s now living an active life thanks to the heart transplant he received.
Gift of Hope chose Edgar, Greene and Brown counties for the direct mail campaign because of their manageable sizes and relatively low registration rates. For example, only of 47 percent of Edgar County residents have registered as donors compared with the statewide average of nearly 58 percent. We hope this direct mail campaign will help build awareness and register organ and tissue donors in each of these counties.
Here’s a look at the direct mail pieces being used for the campaign. Let us know what you think of them by leaving a message on our Facebook page. And if you’d like to see how your county’s donor registration rate compares with the statewide average, visit the interactive map posted on DonateLifeIllinois.org.
Register your decision to save lives through organ and tissue donation at DonateLifeIllinois.org!
Monday, October 3, marked the 83rd annual celebration of Child Health Day. This brings to mind many stories of lifesaving organ transplants given to children in need. During April, we featured the story of Mia Royer, a one-year-old girl who received a lifesaving intestine transplant in 2009. Today, she is fully recovered and living the life of a healthy, happy three-year-old.
Mia and the Royer Family
Our friends at Children’s Memorial Hospital have featured the stories of several children waiting for and receiving lifesaving organ transplants. Mackenzie Tannhauser, a 17-year-old girl from Crystal Lake, posted a video diary of her wait for a heart transplant. Her series of videos shows the “ups and downs” associated with waiting for the gift of life. Thankfully, she received a transplant last month and is on the way to leading a healthy, productive life.
There’s also the story of Drew Boedigheimer, a two-year-old boy and Cubs fan who received two life-changing gifts—a new heart from a selfless donor and a visit from his favorite Cubs player, Darwin Barney. After his transplant, Drew’s doctor encouraged the Boedigheimer family to contact the Cubs to set up a visit from Barney, their rookie second baseman. The Cubs were more than happy to accommodate the request, and Barney paid a visit and help raise Drew’s spirits. Watch Drew’s story at WGN.com.
Todd & Drew Boedigheimer
Stories like this are made possible by people who make the decision to be registered organ and tissue donors. Learn more about how you can help save lives through organ and tissue donation at DonateLifeIllinois.org. It takes just 30 seconds to register. It’s an ordinary action that can produce extraordinary results.
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is a not-for-profit organ procurement organization entrusted with coordinating organ and tissue donation and providing donor family services and public education in Illinois and northwest Indiana. .
This blog focuses on outreach initiatives, expert insight and commentary pertaining to the organ/tissue donation community.
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Illinois and northwest Indiana residents can REGISTER HERE.
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Click Here to learn how to register in your state.
Posted by jmuller123 
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