Special event at Toronto General HospitalWednesday, October 31st

Note: The cheque presentation originally planned for this date has been rescheduled to November 28th.

On Wednesday, October 31st Dr. Thomas Todd will be launching his book, BREATHLESS, A Transplant Surgeon's Journal*, at an open meeting of the lung transplant support group from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. Dr. Shaf Keshavjee will be introducing Dr. Todd and following the launch there will be lunch, mingling and book signing.

This book is a tribute to the world’s first successful lung transplants. Dr. Todd assisted in the first successful lung transplant in the world in November of 1983. Dr. Todd was 38 and the youngest member of a dream team of surgeons at Toronto General Hospital that included Dr. Griff Pearson, Dr. Joel Cooper, Dr. Mel Goldberg, Dr. Alec Patterson and Dr. Bob Ginsberg. These were the innovators who established the legacy of thoracic surgery and lung transplantation that has earned Toronto General Hospital a reputation as one of the world's leading transplant and research centers.

BREATHLESS, A Transplant Surgeon's Journal is an invaluable book for anyone interested in the history of lung transplantation. Let’s have a good turnout in support of Dr. Todd and his pioneering work in lung transplantation. All are welcome!

Location: Toronto General Hospital, Astellas Pharma Conference Room (previously named: “Fujisawa Conference Room”), NCSB 11C- Room 1135 (11th Floor). (NCSB - New Clinical Services Building, - take elevators from University lobby)

*Read the publisher's review & ordering info.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Sign Your Donor Card & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network

Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

Transplant Headlines

These are a few selected organ donation and transplant headlines from around the world.

B.C. celebrates 1,000th organ donor
This story in the Vancouver Province spotlights living donor Joanne Sawadsky who donated a kidney to her nephew Jesse Sawyer and became the Canadian province of British Columbia's 1,000th living donor.

"After the transplant," said Sawyer, "suddenly, you're energized, you're feeling smarter. It's like getting a [computer] upgrade. It's made a huge difference in my life and my family's life." Read the article.

Organ donation facts in the U.K.
From icWales.co.uk comes this post about five-year-old Kyle Nuttall, from Grimsby, who received the 50,000th kidney transplant in the UK last Wednesday.

Since April 1 this year 417 people have donated organs. 1,236 people have received transplants and 7,481 people are still waiting for transplants in the UK.

The first successful transplant was of a cornea on December 7, 1905 in what is now the Czech Republic.

The first major organ transplant success involved the donation of a kidney between living twins in Boston, USA, on December 23, 1954. For more of the story and further facts read the article.

Donation register to go online
The People's Daily Online in China reports on a new organ donation initiative.

The country's first human organ donation information platform will be launched in Shenzhen, a city in South China's Guangdong Province, in the first half of next year, the local Red Cross said.

"The platform is a communication agent for hospitals and the Red Cross," Zhao Lizhen, the secretary-general of Shenzhen Red Cross, told China Daily yesterday.

Hospitals will provide the Red Cross with the records of donors and patients. When the donors are ready for transplant operations, the Red Cross will pick patients strictly according to their orders, Zhao said.

The procedure ensures all patients have a fair opportunity to receive transplant operations, and potentially prevent some patients from jumping the queue by bribing doctors. Read the full story.

WMC recognized for high organ donor rate
The Wyoming Business Report notes that The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) honored 10 Colorado and Wyoming hospitals for excellence in organ donation at the National Learning Congress in Nashville last week. Wyoming Medical Center in Casper was awarded Medal of Honor status.

The HHS Medal of Honor is awarded to hospitals that have been able to sustain a donation rate of 75 percent or more for at least a year and have had at least eight potential organ donors.

There were 392 winning hospitals nationally. Read the full article.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Sign Your Donor Card & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network

Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

Transplant Headlines

This is a selection of recent headlines about organ donation and transplantation from around the world

New Dawn - Giving Away Organs
Dawn Morgan at NationNews.com in Barbados has some insightful thoughts about the state of organ donation in Barbados as well as some personal observations as in this example: "But considering that a huge chunk of mankind happily gobbles down the organs of animals to keep alive – even calling them "delicacies" – then the idea of human organs to help the living should not be so unpalatable." read more

Organ Donation Still an Issue
NationNews.com's editorial gives still more insights from Barbados with emphasis on the the Anglican Church's recent pronouncements on organ donation. read the editorial.

U-M Transplant Center receives HHS Organ Donation Medal of Honor, joins bold initiative
WebWire.com reports that the University of Michigan has been awarded the Organ Donation Medal of Honor from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services for its success in raising organ donation rates. This was the third consecutive year UMHS has won the Medal of Honor.
It earned the recognition by collaborating with its Gift of Life Michigan partners to achieve the national goal of converting at least 75 percent of eligible deaths into actual organ donors. Each organ and tissue donor can save the lives of up to eight people and enhance the lives of 50 more. read the article.

People Profile -- Williamson pours heart into transplant work
From Texas comes the story of 15-year post heart transplant recipient Ken Williamson's continuing effort to spread the word about organ donation. Read the full story in the Brenham Banner-Press.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Sign Your Donor Card & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network

Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

Coming transplant events in Toronto

This is a reminder about the following important events happening at Toronto General Hospital and area between now and the end of the year.

• Note: This event is now booked to capacity and reservations are no longer being accepted.
  Celebration of Life Thursday, October 18, 2007 at the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto (University of Toronto campus). Details are posted on the TGLN Event Calendar at TGLN Web Site. RSVP with your name and number of seats requested by sending an email to Celebration of Life or by phone 416-619-2313. This event honors donors and donor families and there will be a medal presentation for donor families of 2006. RSVP ASAP to assure getting a seat. Read Pdf File for full details re directions and parking.



• ANNUAL LUNG TRANSPLANT CRAFT AND BAKE SALE
  The annual craft and bake sale fundraiser for the lung transplant program is Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - 9:00AM – 5:00PM at Toronto General Hospital, Robert R. McEwen Atrium entrance, 585 University Avenue. Mark your calendars! You can support this fundraiser by contributing baked goods and crafts which may be dropped off before or on the day of the sale. For more information and instructions where to drop off or send items before the sale date e-mail Linda Lycett. You can also call Linda at (416) 245 9306.



• Special Event - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 11 A.M.
  Cheque presentations at Toronto General Hospital, Astellas Pharma Conference Room (previously named: “Fujisawa Conference Room”), NCSB 11C- Room 1135 (11th Floor). (NCSB - New Clinical Services Building, - take elevators from University Ave. lobby). Presentation of funds raised in the Breathe In Life Walk and the Lung Transplant Golf Tournament. Dr. Shaf Keshavjee and hospital staff will be present. Refreshments will be served. Let's have a good turnout in support of Dr. Keshavjee and the lung transplant team at Toronto General Hospital. All are welcome.



• Canadian Transplant Association 20th Anniversary Gala
  Saturday, November 10, 2007 from 6pm - MaRs Research Center in downtown Toronto (adjacent to Toronto General Hospital). Mark your calendars. Rooms are available at $129.00 single or double occupancy at the Delta Chelsea Hotel - call 1-800-243-5732 (under Canadian Transplant Association). Music by Dr. Heather Ross and Dr. Paul Greigg and the Marginal Donors band. Harpist Melody Klassen, Kidney transplant recipient. Tickets are $30 per person.
  Purchase your ticket(s) in advance (by October 31st). Make cheques payable to the Canadian Transplant Association.
  Send to: Carol Poirier, Treasurer, Ontario CTA
  6502 Meltzer Mews, Mississauga, Ontario L5N 3K7. Reserve tickets by October 31st and pay at the door: Call 905-824-4340 or email Carol Poirier.



• Lung Transplant Christmas Party
  Wednesday, December 12, 2007, 9AM - 2PM at Toronto General Hospital, in the regular support group meeting room, the Astellas Pharma Conference Room (previously named: “Fujisawa Conference Room”), NCSB 11C- Room 1135 (11th Floor). (NCSB - New Clinical Services Building, - take elevators from University lobby. (Cepacia negative patients are invited between 10:00 am and noon, and Cepacia positive patients from noon to 2:00 pm).
  
  This annual event is for pre and post lung transplant patients, their supports, doctors, nurses, and all other medical staff. As usual, this is a potluck affair, and any type of finger food will be appreciated. You can bring sandwiches, cheese plates, veggie plates, deserts of any type, etc. Coffee and tea will be provided. It is a great time to connect with post transplant patients, and get to know those pre-transplants on the list at the moment.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Sign Your Donor Card & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network

Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

Transplant Headlines

Here are a few selected news headlines from around the world.

Bad Personal Relationships Increase Coronary Heart Disease Risk
This item published in Medscape has no direct relationship to the world of transplantation, but when you think about it our physical health is a major factor in achieving a successful outcome following an organ transplant.

October 9, 2007 (London, UK) – A new prospective cohort study shows that negative aspects of a close relationship--such as not confiding and not getting emotional support--can increase the risk of coronary events [1]. Dr Roberto De Vogli (University College, London, UK) and colleagues report their findings in the October 8, 2007 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"We think the quality of social relationships can be a very important factor for health and well-being," epidemiologist De Vogli told heartwire. "There is a growing body of literature that shows that being exposed to negative relationships that increase worry, anxiety, and feelings of low self-esteem can in the long term produce emotional effects that may trigger biological changes in the body. Read the full article.

Dallas-Fort Worth gives strong showing in organ donation
The Dallas Business Journal reports that eleven hospitals in Dallas-Fort Worth have won awards from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for increasing organ donation rates at their facilities.

The hospitals all achieved and sustained a rate of 75 percent or more of eligible donors, HHS said.

A total of 392 hospitals nationwide received the award, up from only 55 hospitals four years ago. For a list of the Dallas-Fort Worth hospitals honored read the full article.

IKA chosen to host organ donation event
The Irish Medical Times notes that The Irish Kidney Association (IKA) has been chosen to host the 9th European Day for Organ Donation & Transplantation October 13th.

Representatives from 33 European nations will converge to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation and transplantation and to express solidarity and support to all those in need of organ transplants and to honor all donors and their families, according to the IKA. read the article.

20th Anniversary Gala Canadian Transplant Association

Saturday, November 10, 2007 from 6pm - MaRs Research Center in downtown Toronto (adjacent to Toronto General Hospital). Mark your calendars.

• Rooms are available at $129.00 single or double occupancy at the Delta Chelsea Hotel - call 1-800-243-5732 (under Canadian Transplant Association).



• Music by Dr. Heather Ross and Dr. Paul Greigg and the Marginal Donors band.



• Harpist Melody Klassen, Kidney transplant recipient.

Tickets are $30 per person.
Purchase your ticket(s) in advance (by October 31st).
Make cheques payable to the Canadian Transplant Association.
Send to: Carol Poirier, Treasurer, Ontario CTA
6502 Meltzer Mews, Mississauga, Ontario L5N 3K7

• Reserve tickets by October 31st and pay at the door: Call 905-824-4340 or email Carol Poirier.



• Visa, Mastercard, cash and cheques accepted.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Sign Your Donor Card & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network

Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian Friends

I hope you are having a great holiday weekend as we celebrate Thanksgiving. Regular posts will resume Tuesday. Merv.

Peter Laurence's Passing

It was with great sadness I learned of my friend Peter Laurence's passing. We were both lung transplant recipients who worked closely together raising funds for lung transplant research at Toronto General Hospital and promoting organ and tissue donation awareness. Peter put his heart and soul into "giving back" and I will miss him dearly. Merv.

PETER JAMES LAURENCE
December 16, 1957 - September 30, 2007

This notice appears in the Toronto Star

After a long and courageous battle, it is with great sorrow, that the family announces Peter's passing into eternal rest, in the autumn of his 50th year. Peter will be forever loved, missed and remembered by his beloved wife Lynne Marie (nee Haas) Laurence. Pre-deceased by his dear mother Dorothy (nee Beattie) Laurence and his brother Blake. Peter also leaves behind his father H.A. (Pete) Laurence and partner Pierrette Stinson; brother Craig W. Laurence; sister Sherri (nee Laurence) Cipparone; brother-in-law Paul Cipparone; nephew and niece, Paul and Sara Cipparone; sister-in-law Kathryn (nee Haas) McClure; sister-in-law Liz (nee Haas) Gardiner; brother-in-law Kim Gardiner; nephew and niece, Michael and Danielle Gardiner; brother-in-law Stephen Haas.

Please note the new time of 1 p.m. for the chapel service on Saturday (previously posted as 11 a.m.)
The family will receive visitors at BENISASIA FUNERAL HOME (3263 Derry Road East, Mississauga, 905-678-0467) on Friday, October 5th, between the hours of 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Family and friends will gather in celebration of Peter's life at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 6th in the Benisasia Chapel. Burial will follow the chapel service at Park Lawn Cemetery in Etobicoke. (with reception to follow).

Special thanks to Toronto General Hospital Doctors, Nurses and the many other Coordinators and Caregivers from Emergency to the Lung Transplant Team, for the care and dignity provided to him over the past 6 gifted years of life. Donations of your choice may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or the Toronto General Hospital Lung Transplant Research Program, as expressions of sympathy.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Sign Your Donor Card & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network

Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

TRILLIUM GIFT OF LIFE NETWORK GIVES THANKS

Canadian Thanksgiving will be celebrated this coming weekend and I'm pleased to post this announcement from Trillium Gift of Life Network.

Trillium Gift of Life Network Reminds Ontarians to sign donor cards and speak to family members as over 1665 people wait

October 3, 2007 -Toronto, ON - Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN) is giving thanks to the countless individuals both living and deceased who gave the gift of life resulting in over 708 organ transplants this year while reminding families that Thanksgiving is an opportune time to sign their donor cards and speak to their families about their wishes.

“Thanksgiving is a good time to think about and show appreciation for all of the people who have given the gift of life over the past year,” said Frank Markel, President and CEO of TGLN. “Right now in Ontario there are 1665 people on the organ donation waiting list. Please, as you head home to your family and friends this weekend, take a moment to discuss your organ donation wishes with them, your decision and your conversation can save lives.”

Today in Ontario, 1665 patients are on the transplant waiting list. Of those, 1035 are men, 610 are women and 20 of those patients are children.

"I needed a new heart to save my life - I was going to die,” said 28 year-old Cindy Quinn. "I was one very lucky person on the waiting list and now my entire life has changed. I’m taking a night class, I’m planning a trip I’ve always wanted to take - I’m just so excited - and it’s all because someone gave me very generous gift of life. This Thanksgiving I think it’s important to understand that every person has the power to save lives through organ and tissue donation. Sign your organ donor card and tell your family what your wishes are - I’m alive because someone did that for me.”

Everyone is a potential organ and tissue donor. The oldest Canadian organ donor to date was over 90 years of age while the oldest tissue donor was 102.

"I just had my 15th birthday but this was a special one because I also want to celebrate my new lungs,” said Brandon Gibson a 9th grader from Toronto. “This weekend with Thanksgiving, we’re celebrating again. I’m giving thanks for my friends, for my sisters, for my mum, for my dad but this year, my biggest thanks is for someone who made the decision to save my life. I want to remind people that their actions and their conversations can make a real difference to someone like me. Sign your card and talk to your family today.”

Organs and tissue that can be donated after death include the heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, small bowel, stomach, corneas, heart valves, bone and skin.

“Everyday I think of my donor family,” said 32 year-old heart recipient Heather Bishop. “They gave me a life I might not have had. I don’t think people always realize that they can make such a huge difference just by signing a donor card and having a conversation. It’s so simple and it saved my life. This Thanksgiving take the time to think about it. Think of me and have the conversation. You won’t ever regret it.”

Even if you have signed a donor card doctors will still ask your family before recovering organs or tissue.

“You can express your wishes to become an organ and tissue donor by signing a donor card and talking to your loved ones,” said Markel. “It's critical to share your decision with your family, as they will be asked for final consent to donate your organs after your death. Discuss your intentions with them this Thanksgiving and give them a copy of your signed donor card so they can understand, support and respect your wishes in the future.” For more details on Trillium Gift of Life Network please visit our at website or call 416.363.4001 or toll free 1-800-263-2833.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Sign Your Donor Card & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network

Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

Transplant Headlines

Here a a few selected organ and tissue donation and transplant headlines from around the world.

Organ-donor campaigner fumes at register setback
The New Zealand Hearald published a report on the Government's decision not to establish a donor register.

"The push to improve New Zealand's organ donation rates has had a setback after Parliament's health select committee recommended against establishing a donor register.

The committee yesterday approved the Government's Human Tissue Bill governing the legal framework for informed consent for organ donation, but a majority recommended against establishing a donor registry." Read the full article.

Family's experience leads to new N.C. law on organ donations
The Star News in North Carolina tells about how a potential organ donor's organs were not donated because authorities could not contact his family for their consent in time. Now, a new law allows people to indicate their wish to be an organ donor on their driver's license by means of a heart symbol.

North Carolina drivers can get the symbol on their licenses by signing up as organ donors with the DMV, but until now, the symbol represented only the intent to donate and did not have any legally binding authority. The new law takes effect Oct. 1, meaning doctors can immediately begin the process of organ recovery if someone who dies has the heart symbol on his or her license. Read the article.

State leads nation in organ donations
The Dunn County News in Wisconsin has an article noting that Wisconsin lead the U. S. in organ donations in 2006. It reviews the state's initiatives to promote organ donation and I was especially impressed to learn that for the last 14 years, Wisconsin governors have hosted the Gift of Life Medal Ceremony to give transplant recipients the opportunity to express their appreciation to organ donor families and encourage even more of Wisconsin’s citizens to sign their drivers’ license and indicate their willingness to become organ and tissue donors. (Ontario is having a similar ceremony this month that I will be attending.) Read the story.

Learning about organ donation
From the U.K. comes an article in the Sunderland Echo noting that schoolchildren across Wearside and Durham are being offered a special lesson in life aimed at highlighting the need for blood, organ, tissue, and bone marrow donors.

Five Sunderland schools and one school in Durham have signed up for the Give and Let Live programme – designed to teach teenagers about various forms of donation.

Schools will be delivering the programme to 14 to 16-year-olds using the resource in personal, social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship classes. One school is using the programme in regligious classes.

Mike Simpson, head of RE, citizenship and PSHE at the school, said: "Our curriculum for key stage four covers a lot of moral issues, and one of those is organ donation –and this programme will add to that."

The Give and Let Live programme, run by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), includes a teachering pack and a website including lesson plans, activity sheets, real life stories, debating topics, games, films and other activities. More than 1,000 schools across the U.K. have signed on to the programme. Read the full story.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Sign Your Donor Card & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network

Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov