Transplant Network News 4-28-05

IN THIS ISSUE:
1 – National Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness week
2 - Coming events
3 – Patient updates & CarePages
4 – Photo Gallery - many updates

1 - Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness
National Organ & Tissue Donor Awareness Week was officially April 17 - April 23, 2005. Activities started much earlier and are still continuing. In addition to the Trillium Gift of Life Network's major promotion of the event, many organizations like the Kidney Foundation and The Eye Bank of Canada, etc. had their own promotions. Many individuals took the initiative to promote organ and tissue donation as outlined below.

Lisa Mitton, lung transplant recipient, wrote to area newspapers and had an article published in the Guelph Mercury. Gerald Sutton wrote a friend at Q107 in Toronto and had an announcement on the air. CITY-TV in Toronto visited Gerald and family at home and did a feature on his lung transplant. Monique McTernan Black has been posting a message through her web contacts and I've included a note from her in the next paragraph. And this list goes on. See my photo journal for more details under the photo captions. Organ Donation Awareness Photos

"From Monique McTernan Black: (Moncton, NB, Canada)
Hi Merv,
Mark's in the final stages of prep for his marathon - he'll run it in Halifax on May22nd. I'll approach the media there - it'll be 26 yrs from the day that he was featured in their local paper - one of the IWK hospital "miracles"...an infant who'd survived 2 heart open heart surgeries."
(Ed. note: Mark Black received a Heart & Double-lung transplant in September, 2002. Born with a congenital heart defect, he was never able to enjoy activities that normal kids do. But now he's running marathons! What an amazing story.) Monique continues:
"I wonder how many other heart and double lung transplant patients will have completed a marathon?...I'm always looking for another way to provide education re. the need for donors and how to give consent....:) Have had great response from emails I've sent - just affirms that there's no such thing as overkill on this one:)

Here's the message I've been forwarding...

April 17th – 24th is National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week. Each of us has the potential to give the “gift of life” – a gift that could impact more than 40 critically ill people.

Many Canadians have not made the decision about whether to be donors once their lives are over. There are nearly 4,000 people waiting for a life saving transplant and statistics show that more 1,000 of them will die because of a shortage or organs or tissue. Please make your decision - then tell your family your wishes. A signed donor card is not enough. Monique"

You can view the photo-journal of activities I've been involved in at Organ Donation Awareness

This is a good time for Canadians to remember how they can help one another. One donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and, save or improve up to 50 lives through corneal, bone, skin and other tissue transplants. There are 1895 patients waiting for transplants in the Province of Ontario and 30% of them will die before receiving their life saving transplant. Would you like to help promote Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness as a volunteer for Trillium Gift of Life Network? Volunteer application forms can be accessed from the website at: Gift of Life


2 – COMING EVENTS

• Toronto Support Group meetings – Wednesdays at 11am –

• “WAITING IN HOPE” MONDAYS 11am to 12 Noon in Room NCSB 12C 1202 - "Waiting in Hope" offers a place for patients and/or support persons to gather together and share their experience and how it impacts their sense of spirituality, faith and understanding of life.
Info: Chaplain Ann Vander Berg at ext. 16-5276 or 416-946-4501 ext. 5276

• Kitchener Support Group Meeting Tue., May 3, 2005 7:00PM at the Lions Arena, (corner of Rittenhouse & Block Line Rd.) in Kitchener, ON. (For more info please call Denise Secours at 519 578-0288). Meetings are the 1st Tuesday of every month. Marcel Secours just sent a note asking us to please help them advertise the group. So far they are a small group but meet regularly and enjoy their evenings together. Please let anyone you know in the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge area about this new group. Thanks.

• Toronto Lung Transplant Civitan Club Golf Tournament – Thursday, May 26, 2005. To raise money for temporary housing for pre-transplant out-of-town patients. Contact Carmine or Anna Foglia (905) 856-2950.

• June 9, 2005 (Thursday) GOLF TOURNAMENT – Mark your calendar! This is a special third-party event in association with the Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation to raise funds for Lung Transplant Research at the Toronto General Hospital. It will be held at the Castlemore Golf & Country Club, Brampton, Ontario with a tee of time of 1PM followed by a dinner at 7pm. Dinner only guests will be most welcome also. To register: Peter Laurence. To dontate prizes and silent auction gifts: Kim Cassar. General info: Merv Sheppard.

• TRILLIUM GIFT OF LIFE NETWORK MEMORIAL SERVICE - FRiday, June 10, 2005 at 7:00 PM – St. Michael’s Cathedral, 65 Bond St., Toronto A “GIFT OF LIFE CEREMONY” SERVICE HONORING ORGAN AND TISSUE DONORS AND THEIR FAMILIES. Mark your calendars and plan to attend this wonderful opportunity to show our thanks and gratitude to our donor families as we honor them.

• Lung Transplant Picnic and BBQ – Sunday, June 26, 2005 at 12noon. Huron Park, Mississauga, ON. (This was originally planned for July 10th but that date conflicted with the Transplant Games preparations and many vacation plans). Info: Merv Sheppard.

• World Transplant Games, London, Ontario, Canada 2005 July 16th to July 24th, 2005
You can access on-line registration forms and also become a volunteer at the following site: Transplant Games

• Annual Craft and Bake Sale – Thursday, October 20, 2005 – Eaton Lobby (Elizabeth St Entrance) 8:30AM – 5:00PM) – It’s not too early to start working on your projects.

4 - PATIENT UPDATES

PATIENT CARE PAGES – updates
To access patient care pages please log on to:
CarePages

A new page has been set up by Lisa Mitton for her sister Kristy. Lisa says that Kristy is currently listed for a liver/double lung/pancreas transplant. She is 23 years old and has Cystic Fibrosis. While it is her liver that is in the worst shape, it is felt that it would be benefical to do all organs at once. Any words of encouragement or stories would help her keep a positive attitude.

CURRENT CAREPAGES
Bert Barron – CarePage Name: bbingonish
Jim Boone – CarePage Name: jbboone
Carla Borton Carr – CarePage Name: CarlaThunderBay
Dave Dunlop – CarePage Name: davedunlop
Marlene Gomes – CarePage Name: marlenesupdate
Herb Kershaw – CarePage Name: herbk
Kristy Mitton - CarePage Name: KrisMitton
John McNeil – CarePage Name: jnmcneil
Roger Plumb – CarePage Name: RPlumb
Fred Reid – CarePage Name: fredreid

Any patient can have a Care Page and enjoy the benefits completely free of charge.
When you log on you will be able to:

A - Create a CarePage of your own or view someone else's CarePage.

B - Post and receive news updates - concerned family members and friends can access the most recent news about the patient.

C - Post and receive messages - loved ones may leave messages in a non-intrusive manner, regardless of time or geographic location.

D - Share patient information - the personal and secure CarePage contains important contact information, as well as patient room numbers and TGH visiting hours for that patient.

E - Make a donation to the Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation. When you make a contribution to Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation on behalf of the patient, the foundation will send them a card acknowledging your gift (but not the amount). Donations can be flagged for any purpose you wish. For example, to direct your gift to Lung Transplant Research, simply indicate this and the monies will be allocated for that purpose.

3 – PHOTO GALLERY – YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT AND BROWSE ANYTIME:
Photo Gallery


Merv Sheppard
1-1198 Swan St
Ayr ON N0B 1E0
519.632.7940
Fax 519.632.9562
Email: Merv Sheppard
Web: Merv Sheppard

Organ Donation Awareness: Information
Trillium Gift of Life Network: Gift of Life

Canadian Transplant Association: CTA

Organ and Tissue Donation―The Gift of Life―Talk to your family―Your decision can make a difference.

To Support Transplant Research:
Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation
WW 1-404, 399 Bathurst Street
Toronto, ON M5T 2S8
Tel: 416-603-6433
Fax: 416-603-6224
(Donations can be flagged for any purpose you wish. For example, to direct your gift to Lung Transplant Research, simply indicate this and the monies will be allocated for that purpose).
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