Janie’s Gift

I'm very pleased to post this guest article by Edward Stern who captures the spirit of organ donation and the profound effect it can have on both donor families and recipients.

Edward Stern is a guest blogger for Pounding the Pavement and a writer on the subject of vocational schools for the Guide to Career Education.

My niece Janie was extremely sharp for a young girl. She excelled in all aspects of school and had many friends. Her personality was simply magnetic, and her friendships seemed to cross the borders of normal cliques. What impressed me the most about her was her giving nature, always willing to help others.

One time when I was with her and my sister (Janie's mother) we were walking downtown and passed a homeless man. I'd given Janie a couple bucks earlier in the day to spend on candy or a little trinket during our shopping adventure. After passing the guy down on his luck, she stopped, turned around, and without hesitation gave him her money. We were all shocked, and the gentleman was very appreciative. When I asked Janie why she did that, she replied, "Because he needed it more than I did. Candy is bad for you anyways."

In a culture so vain and bent on consumerism, Janie was an anomaly, always caring for others and being completely selfless. Tragically, she passed on after a car accident. But before that, she made the decision to be an organ donor.

Her mother told me about that decision, which Janie made after learning of organ donation over the news. I didn't agree with the decision. I thought organ donation was just an unpleasant act. I thought organs should stay put and that we shouldn't go around turning people into Frankenstein creations. I kept my opinions silent from Janie—as I always supported her in all her choices— and after that initial conversation, I never really thought about it. She made the decision when she was 11. Organ donation did not seem to be in her immediate future, certainly not while I was still walking this earth.

The car accident was absolutely devastating. It seemed Janie had been robbed of her life, of so much potential to do good on this earth and make others happy. After the accident, paramedics took her to the hospital. Janie was going to continue to give.

At first, I was truly outraged, but I kept my feelings to myself. I didn't want to upset my sister more during such an awful time. I got word that the hospital was able to salvage Janie’s organs and that they were going to go to some children in need. As it turns out, that was all I needed to hear. I blocked any negative preconceptions from my mind. It wasn't hard to do so, being in mourning for my little niece.

Months went by and wounds continued to heal, though a part of me seemed to be gone forever. Then I received a call from my sister. She was going to get a visit from another little girl. This little girl had been very sick and had received a kidney transplant from Janie. She was going to come visit the family to give her thanks.

I struggled. I didn't know if I should go. I eventually did, to support my sister. It was life changing, and I am so grateful I was able to meet Eva. A beautiful little girl so full of life, she couldn't thank us enough for Janie's gift. No thanks was necessary to us—it was all Janie's
doing.

After losing one life, we gained another, and a whole family to boot. Eva and her family are now close with ours. It has been amazing to watch this little girl grow up, one who would not have had a chance otherwise. I still hurt knowing Janie is not here. But having Eva helps so much. It
made me realize how wrong I was about organ donation, and what a beautiful, amazing, truly life-changing gift it really is.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

Getting a lung for Jay

Fundraising continues for Parrsboro, Nova Scotia man

by Darrell Cole Amherst Daily News

AMHERST - It may only be a matter of time before a 47-year-old Parrsboro man is sent to Toronto for a transplant that could save his life.

Jay Spencer remains in the ICU at the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre awaiting word on when he'll go to Toronto for a lung transplant.

The community, friends and family have all been chipping in to help raise money to help support the Parrsboro man during his stay in Toronto. To date, about $15,000 has been raised, but it's going to cost him about $2,000 a month remaining they may have to raise as much as $40,000 to support him following the transplant.

"Everything is all in place for him to go to Toronto for the surgery. He should be heading to Toronto soon for an assessment, but Jay is so sick right now there's a good chance he won't be coming back before the surgery," family friend Catherine Smith said.

Smith said she has talked to other families of transplant recipients and the hospital and now has a better handle on just how much money is needed. Not all the expenses are covered - although Spencer's medications and oxygen are covered by the province.

Spencer began feeling ill in the spring when his breathing became more laboured to the point he had to go to the doctor because drawing each breath was becoming more difficult.

It's not known how he got sick, but he did work around chemicals and asbestos years ago while working on a school renovation project.

Originally, the group set $10,000 as the fundraising target because that's the amount the hospital in Toronto needed to know was raised before proceeding with an assessment. The province doesn't cover things like lodging, meals and paying for an attendant to look after him in Toronto after he's discharged from hospital.

He's expected to remain in Toronto for up to 24 months after the surgery.

A number of fundraising events have already been held for Spencer and more are planned in the coming weeks and after the Christmas season.

Smith said the community response has been overwhelming and Spencer's family and supporters are so happy with the lengths staff at the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre are going to help.

People can support the effort by participating in fundraisers that are posted on the website www.lung4jay.com or contacting one of the people listed on the website.

Any money left over after his treatment will be used to help others in Spencer's situation.

"He was ready to go home to die in a palliative setting because there were no funds to support him. We don't want that to happen to anyone else," said Smith.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

Donor's mother asks for meeting with recipients of son's organs

It's unusual for patients to know who their donor was, but Chris Henry's mother requested a meeting with all four of the people who received her son's organs.

"She wanted to listen to my lungs with a stethoscope. She went all to pieces because she was listening to Chris' lungs,"

By Karen Kiley, reporter wdbj7,com

NFL player donates his lungs to save a Chatham, Virginia man

Chris Henry's mother donated his organs when he died last December.

CHATHAM, Va. — His death grabbed headlines from coast to coast. NFL football star Chris Henry died last December after falling from the back of a truck. But part of the football star lives on because Chris Henry's death forever changed one local man's life.

"You think you're invincible. Nothing is going to happen to me," said Tom Elliott.

Tom Elliott should be dead, his doctors told him as much.

"He said you can keep on smoking if you want to, but if you do you are going to die," remembers Elliott.

And yet he's alive today because Chris Henry, a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, died.

"I just couldn't breath. I was gasping for breath and I thought: God is deciding whether to let me stay or let me go," remembers Elliott.

After 40 years of smoking, Tom was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, an incurable lung disease.

"I was scared. I didn't know what would happen. I didn't know if I would live through it. I almost didn't...," said Elliott.

Tom's only hope for survival was a double lung transplant.

"I thought there was a good chance he wasn't going to make it," said Lance Elliott, Tom's son.

But on December 17, 2009, after waiting just 10 days for a donor, Tom got the call.

Chris Henry had died. His mother made the decision to donate his organs.

"I think about Chris Henry just about everyday," said Elliott.

It's unusual for patients to know who their donor was, but Chris Henry's mother requested a meeting with all four of the people who received her son's organs.

"She wanted to listen to my lungs with a stethoscope. She went all to pieces because she was listening to Chris' lungs," Elliott said of the emotional meeting.

"I'm sorry he had to give up so much for this to be possible for me but you can't believe how much good came out of it, even though it was a terrible situation," reflected Elliott.

Each breath Tom takes reminds him that he and his family are getting a second chance at life.

"There was no such thing as taking a deep breath before, but there is now," said Elliott.

"I'm just grateful I can spend quality time with him. Now we can get out and enjoy life together," said Bryan Elliott, Tom's son.

"I can't explain how much it means to me to be able to do what I'm doing now. It's just a good life," said Elliott.

Tom Elliott underwent the lung transplant at Duke Medical Center last December.

Just three weeks ago, Elliott and the other three people to receive Chris Henry's organs met his mother at a reception in Charlotte, North Carolina. CBS Sports was there to film a reunion special that aired during an NFL game on Thanksgiving Day.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

How transplant gift almost turned to tragedy

By Lindy McDowell Belfast Telegraph

Roller-coaster of emotion is one of the grand clichés of the age. But it’s a pretty apt phrase nonetheless to describe what the family of a liver transplant donor on this side of the Irish Sea and the recipient in England must surely have gone through at the weekend.

The liver was being flown from Belfast to Birmingham in a Cessna plane with the pilot and one other man aboard when disaster — or near disaster — struck.

The light aircraft crashed as it attempted to land at fog-bound Birmingham airport.

The pilot and his passenger were injured, though thankfully both survived.

The crash however, could still potentially have cost a life — that of the man awaiting the liver transplant.

Fortunately the organ was recovered unscathed and was delivered, on the back of a police bike, to the hospital unit concerned.

It’s an amazing and poignant story with a relatively happy outcome which will surely be all the more comfort to the brave family who made it all possible.

The family who agreed to the organ donation.

Over 6,000 people had their flights delayed at Birmingham as a result of the crash.

An inconvenience for them.

But in this instance inconvenience is very much a relative term.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

Researchers discover reasons for organ rejection

Following up on yesterday's post this is a report published by the Daily Bruin, University of California, Los Angeles

In this vasculopathic heart vessel, interaction between two specific molecules narrows blood vessels, causing a reduction of oxygen flow.

Results of study reveal that two molecules are interacting to create negative immune response

By Sarah Khan UCLA Daily Bruin

For patients whose organs have failed, an organ transplant often means another shot at a healthy life.

But more than 40 percent of organ transplants fail within one year. A patient’s antibodies will sometimes attack the foreign organ, a phenomenon that has been little understood by researchers up to this point, said Elaine Reed, director of the UCLA Immunogenetics Center.

On Tuesday, UCLA researchers published the results of a five-year study that uncovers previously unknown reasons for why organs are rejected by their host body, said Reed, a co-author of the study.

The key lies with two molecules, human leukocyte antigen and integrin beta-4, which depend on each other to incite the organ rejection, she said.

The interaction of human leukocyte antigen and integrin ignites a negative immune response in a patient with an organ transplant, Reed said. The patient’s body then produces antibodies to shut down the functioning organ, often by overgrowing blood vessel cells and restricting the organ’s access to oxygen and other nutrients.

This mechanism may explain why organ rejection is difficult to reverse, Reed said.

“Once the patients start making the antibodies, you can’t stop it,” she said. “Chronic rejection is the major problem.”

Although it is possible to live without an organ like a kidney, there are not many options for a patient whose body rejects a heart, liver or lung. In these cases, retransplant is often the choice for survival, Reed said.

Waiting periods to receive organs can be so long that patients sometimes die on the wait list, said Murray Kwon, a heart transplant surgeon at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

The study doesn’t stop at solving the mystery of organ rejection.

The team is also looking at applying the research to cancer prevention and treatment, said Xiaohai Zhang, lead author of the study and a postgraduate researcher in pathology and lab medicine at UCLA.

In the lab, Zhang prevented integrin from combining with human leukocyte antigen and, as a result, noticed that blood cells did not grow as much, he said.

It may be possible to do the same thing to tumors to keep blood vessels from sprouting inside them, he said.

Although the findings are not ready to be developed into drugs or therapies, the findings provide hope for organ transplant and cancer patients who otherwise have few options for a healthy life, Reed said.

“We have to understand the mechanism before we develop the therapy,” she said.

Published November 24, 2010 in News, Science & Health

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

Scientists Find What Causes Organ Transplant Rejection

By Tanya Thomas MeDIndia

Scientists have at last identified the culprit responsible for chronic rejection of heart, lung and kidney transplants.

The findings suggest new therapeutic approaches for preventing transplant rejection and sabotaging cancer growth.

University of California - Los Angeles researchers focused on the mechanism behind narrowing of the donor's grafted blood vessels, which blocks blood from reaching the transplanted organ.

Starved of oxygen and other nutrients, the organ eventually fails, forcing the patient back on the transplant waiting list.

"Chronic rejection is the No. 1 cause of organ failure in the first year of transplant," explained Elaine Reed, director of the UCLA Immunogenetics Center.

"In the first five years, some 40 percent of organs fail after transplant due to blockage of the grafted blood vessels. Currently, we have no way to treat this deadly condition," Reed said.

In this study, Reed and her colleagues looked at how human leukocyte antigens HLA molecules on donor tissue provoke an immune response in the patient. he scientists discovered that HLA's ability to stimulate cell growth and movement depends upon a quid pro quo relationship with another molecule called integrin beta 4.

"Integrin enables cells to survive and spread, which is essential for tumor progression. We suspect that integrin hijacks HLA and takes over its functions. When we suppressed integrin, HLA was unable to make cells grow and move," said Reed.

Conversely, when the team suppressed HLA, integrin could no longer support cells' communication with their environment. The finding implies that HLA is required for functions regulated by integrin, such as cellular movement.

The research was published in the Nov. 23 edition of Science Signaling.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

Brief Intermission

Im on vacation until November 23rd and will resume regular posts at that time. Meanwhile, please browse previous posts and the extensive sidebar links. Thanks, Merv.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

New book collects letters from transplant recipients to their donors

New book collects moving messages from transplant patients to bereaved families who saved their lives

DailyRecord.co.uk
They are the tender and heart-warming words of people who owe their lives to the generosity of those surrounded by tragedy.

The moving letters written by transplant patients and their families have been turned into a book to encourage more people to sign the organ donor register.

Thank You For Life has been compiled by Professor Andrew Burroughs. He is responsible for passing on letters from transplant patients to the family of their donor. With the consent of everyone involved, he decided to bring some of the moving messages together in the book.

Professor Burroughs, consultant physician and hepatologist at Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, said: "My colleague Linda Selves, a transplant co-ordinator, and I have been thinking about this for four years.

"We see the results of transplantation but realised there wasn't enough thanks going to our donors. We believe they should be recognised and celebrated.

"The book is a first step in that process and illustrates transplants are about people and not organs.

"At the launch, I suggested we start a campaign to use the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square for a monument to donors. The square is dedicated to unknown heroes and the donors are certainly that.

"Almost all families are pleased to receive these letters because it is confirmation some good has come from their loved one's death.

"Even though it reminds them of the sadness, I do think it helps with the grieving process.

"Of course, we hope the book encourages more people to sign the organ register."

Here, we take a look at a few of the letters in this touching collection, published by the Royal College of Physicians for NHS Blood Transplant.

Helen Eccles was given a life-saving liver transplant two days after her daughter's birth in 1996. In her letter to the donor's family, she wrote: "Without the transplant, I would certainly have died, leaving my husband to look after our new-born baby on his own.

"Like most transplant patients, the gift of life has been amazing and words can never express just how grateful we really are. I enclose a picture of Ella, our baby."

Helen wrote again to the family recently. She said: "It's a relief to be writing again ... to reiterate my deepest heartfelt thanks to you all for the amazing gift of life that your grandmother and mother gave me, my friends and my family, by donating her liver to save my life.

"I have so much to be grateful for and to celebrate that is marvellous and I am pleased to say that one of the legacies of being a transplant patient is that I really appreciate the small things in life.

"Being able to spend time with family and friends is so important to me, as is doing the most ordinary things with them.

"My daughter Ella is now a beautiful teenager and every year on her birthday I am reminded how blessed we are because that is the time of my transplant."

Joan's letter was in many ways the inspiration for the book.

It was read out at her memorial service by her grandchildren, almost 20 years after her liver transplant. She said: "When I had my transplant, there was a very strong feeling of what I can only describe as love among us all. I felt proud and humbled to be part of the team. Transplantation is much more than a physical miracle.

"It is a bonding of humanity, and it has altered and enhanced my life in so many ways. I cannot adequately express my gratitude."

Simon had his first transplant in 1994 for liver failure. Two months later, he had to be listed for a second, and for a third eight years later.

Following his final transplant, Simon married fiancee Tansy and nine years on he enjoys good health.

His mum, Maureen, has routinely written to Cathy, the mum of Simon's donor, Emma.

In one letter, she said: "Thank you for Emma's photograph. She was beautiful. I have not shown it to Simon. I do not think he could bear to see it. He is so conscious she has enabled him to live.

"When Simon was in ITU after his transplant, Tansy used to talk to Emma's liver. She welcomed it, said it was now safe after its trauma and told it about Simon. That he was gentle and would look after it."

Deborah had her transplant 12 years ago and remains well and grateful for this amazing gift. In her letter to her donor's mum, she wrote: "It feels good to be able to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the gift of life your daughter has given me and for the kindness and compassion you have shown.

"My name is Deborah and I am 39. I am engaged to Mark and we are planning to get married in May this year.

"I want to say to you it was a wonderful thing you did as a mother that in your deep sadness showed a caring and giving heart.

"I have a much better quality of life now since coming off dialysis five years ago. My father died of kidney failure when I was three.

"I often think about your daughter, who she was and what she was like. Despite not knowing her, I think about her with affection and much respect."

Susan Lee-Clark had chronic liver disease since she was 11. Five years ago, she was so ill she didn't leave her room for 18 months.

In her letter, she said: "I watched a year in my son's life tick past.

"Family life was not good, my husband's work suffered and he became extremely tired and desperate as he took on more and more responsibilities in the home.

"To give you a small example of just how much your gift has meant to us, please imagine this.

"My son Harry and I were at our local play area last week and I was able to help him ride his bike without stabilisers. We had smiles and tears of joy and the glow of confidence beaming from Harry.

"I can honestly say the memory of the three of us just "being", smiling, holding each other and crying will live with me forever."

Dad-of-four Steve, 37, was diagnosed with liver disease about five years ago. In his letter, he says: "I would love the donor family to know their brave decision not only saved my life, but it transformed all our lives. We've been able to move on from illness and benefits."

John was 14 when he had his kidney transplant. That was eight years ago and he is still fit and well.

His younger sister Sarah wrote to the donor family, saying: "Thank you for making my brother's life better.

"We're all happy he has had his transplant.

"He is happy as well."

NOTE FROM MERV
Also please read the heartwarming exchange of letters between a lung transplant recipient and her donor family that was posted here in September.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

Natalie Cole Memoir Details Her Health Battles

CBS News


NEW YORK (CBS) "Love Brought Me Back," a second memoir by singer Natalie Cole, details her health battles, including time on dialysis and a kidney transplant, as well as the death of a beloved sister.

In it, Cole describes how her sister, one of her most ardent supporters, fell ill just as she was getting her transplant, leaving her with a choice between saving her own life or spending a last few days with her dying sister.

PICTURES: Natalie Cole

Speaking about the choice Monday on the" Today" show, Cole said, "I wouldn't wish that on anybody."

The daughter of jazz legend Nat "King" Cole, Cole spent Monday promoting the book, published by Simon & Schuster. It is to hit bookstores on Nov. 9. She also spoke with the co-hosts of "The View" about the memoir, written with David Ritz.

Her first book, "Angel on My Shoulder" was published in 2000, and covered the early years of her career and her years of drug abuse which eventually led to later health problems.

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“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

Double-lung transplant patient finishes full New York City Marathon

Double-lung transplant patient Tim Sweeney finishes full New York City Marathon in 7 hours
BY Simone Weichselbaum, Ryan Lavis and Henrick Karoliszyn

New York Daly News

It took Tim Sweeney almost seven hours to finish the New York City Marathon but he walked on air every step of the way.

The 33-year-old medical miracle competed in the epic race Sunday with a new set of lungs after receiving a double transplant a year ago.

Sweeney was one of 43,000 to compete in the New York City Marathon on Sunday.

Photo: Ruttle/AP

"It was so much more than I expected. It was overwhelming," Sweeney said after clocking in at just under six hours and 55 minutes. "I didn't care about time. I really wanted to finish. It meant a lot to me."

Sweeney, a personal trainer from Connecticut, suffered from cystic fibrosis, but always stayed active.

In 2007, however, he lost 80% of his lung capacity. He underwent the transplants at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia last year.

If Sweeney had any doubts along the 26.2-mile course, he had his surgeon, Dr. Joshua Sonett, running with him every step of the way. "When he said he wanted to run the marathon ... I didn't know if it was the right thing. But he did it, and he did it safely," said Sonett, a five-time marathoner.

Sweeney was one of 43,000 runners to compete Sunday in a field filled with inspirational and dramatic stories.

Gebre Gebremariam, 26, of Ethiopia, won the men's race in his first try after watching fellow countryman and world recordholder Haile Gebrselassie suffer a career-ending injury at the 16-mile mark.

Kenya's Edna Kiplagat, in the women's category, was another surprise winner, capturing her first major marathon title in 2:28:20. Officer Jose Benitez, 26, became the all-time recordholder for any of New York's Finest to ever run the race, finishing 102nd overall in just 2 hours and 39 minutes.

"It's awesome. It's a tremendous honor," Benitez said after crossing the finish line. "I spend six hours on my feet every day. It makes me tougher. You gotta be healthy to protect people."

All were cheered along by hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the course, holding signs, clapping and banging cowbells. "It's one of the best New York experiences you can have," said Mike Ryan, a 42-year-old union rep who watched in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

"It never gets old. It's a good tradition," said Stephen Pannone, 53, of Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. "We love to come out here, drink hot chocolate and yell for the runners. It's always worth it. We always have a good time."

After the runners passed, the Sanitation Department sprung into action.

More than a ton of plastic bottles and nearly 2 million paper cups, weighing more than 6 tons, were collected for recycling, officials said

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

An Unbreakable Bond - brother donates liver for transplant

 Brothers Brad, left, and Brody Meredith are closer than ever now. In September, Brody was a live liver donor for Brad. Photo: Maija Hoggett

By Maija Hoggett - Simcoe.com
ALLISTON, Ontario, Canada - The nurses called him Superman. Two days after receiving a liver transplant, Brad Meredith walked down the hallway of Toronto General Hospital to his younger brother Brody’s room.

Days earlier, Brody had saved his brother’s life as the live liver donor for Brad.

The Meredith family’s ordeal began in May. Brad, 27, went into liver failure and was given 30 to 60 days to live. That was later extended to six months.

He was swollen and jaundiced when he went to Stevenson Memorial Hospital. From there he went to Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket before seeing a liver specialist at Toronto Western Hospital.

Sept. 13, a medical team at Toronto General Hospital removed 60 per cent of Brody’s healthy liver, which Brad received. A week after the transplant, both Brody and Brad were back in their Alliston home.

During their short stay at Toronto General, Brody and Brad captured the hearts of their nurses.
The day after the transplant, their parents Mike and Sheri were going between their rooms with videos and photos to show the boys how the other was doing. On day two of recovery, Brad got up and walked down to his 19-year-old brother’s room, a trip that had their nurses in tears.

“It’s been amazing. It’s a bond that can’t be broken now,” said Sheri.

Before the transplant, doctors thought Brad had cirrhosis of the liver as well as liver cancer. That diagnosis has since changed. It is now believed that Brad has autoimmune hepatitis.

Brad has come a long way since the Herald first spoke to the Meredith family in August. At that time, it was weeks before the transplant surgery was scheduled. Brad was jaundiced and the toxins from his liver were affecting his brain. After the transplant, however, the personality his family promised he had shines through.

His sense of humor is back and these days Brad said he’s “a lot more positive.”

Recovery time for the brothers is different.

Brody is giving himself needles to help prevent blood clots and within three months of the surgery he should be back to 100 per cent.

The full recovery time for the brothers is different.

Brad’s autoimmune hepatitis diagnosis means he’ll be on medication for the foreseeable future.

Within six months to two years, however, he should be back to living a normal life.

From the experience over the last year, the Merediths, and Brad in particular, have a new perspective on life and the generosity of the community.

The brothers are setting new goals for themselves after recovery.

Brad wants to open his own business and is using his downtime during recovery to come up with a business plan. He also wants to help spread awareness about his experience getting diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis and about live organ donation. He hopes he can help other people going through something similar.

Brody also has a plan.

“I’d like to get a job at Honda,” he said.

The whole ordeal has brought the family closer.

Before the surgery, Mike’s sister Sharon Pendergast organized a fundraising garage sale to help cover the cost of Mike and Sheri staying in a hotel in Toronto while their sons recovered from their surgeries.

That sale garnered the attention of their family and friends, along with people they didn’t know, who donated money and items to sell at the garage sale.

“It was over and above what we ever thought,” said Mike. “People just came out of nowhere.”

Even their newspaper carrier stepped up to help out.

Ten-year-old William Nimmo and his sister Morgan deliver the Weekend Herald and after reading about the Meredith brothers in the Herald, William decided to have his own garage sale.

He made $74.55 at the sale and donated it to the Merediths.

After donating the money, William found out that the Merediths are one of the houses on his newspaper route.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

Students fight for one of their own

Kayla Healy

By Vanessa Van Hyfte King 5 News

MILL CREEK, Wash. -- Jackson High School students are trying to save the life of one of their own.

Today the school held a fundraising walk in the town center in Mill Creek.Students are trying to earn $50,000 for 17-year-old Kayla Healy.

The Jackson High senior was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when she was five months old.

Remarkably, she didn't let the disease interfere with her active lifestyle. She has competed in three triathlons. But nowadays, Kayla can't take a few steps without getting winded.

Last month doctors put her on a waiting list for a double lung transplant at University of Washington.

Kayla's mother says the clock is ticking.

"Once you are on the list, the expected life span is two years," said Lori Healy Manens. "My kid is too awesome not to get the lungs, if I could give her mine I would."

If Healy is lucky enough to get the transplant, the surgery comes with incredible risks.

"It terrifies me, it keeps me up at night."

No one knows that fear better than Tina Jensen. She organized today's walk. She lost her son three years ago from Cystic Fibrosis.

"Greg had a transplant when he was 10 and then lived 11 more wonderful years. The Healy's have a long road ahead, but Kayla will be so much better once she has the operation," said Jensen.

Kayla says she's not afraid. She wants to get back to doing everything she loves.

"I have lived with this my whole life. I want to sing, I want to go for a jog. I am a fighter like my mom," said Kayla.

The Healy's insurance will not cover all of her expenses associated with the transplant.

To date, Jackson High School students have raised $13,000. The cost for a double lung transplant is between $600,000- $1,000,000. For more information on how to donate click here.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You

Jazz singer celebrates 2nd anniversary of double-lung transplant

I never cease to be amazed by the transformation that takes place in a person following an organ transplant. At a recent event I was introduced to Alex Pangman. They said she was a double-lung recipient and "our singer" for the cocktail hour. Little did I know how great a singer she was until I heard her from another room. I could have been listening to any of the great jazz singers from the 20's, 30's and 40's. Since then I found out that Alex has become an advocate for organ and tissue donation and works closely with Trillium Gift of Life Network in Ontario. Alex says she also rides her horse 5 days a week. Visit Alex's Web Site.

This Thursday, November 4th, Alex and her Alleycats will celebrate the 2nd anniversary of her double-lung transplant at the the RESERVOIR LOUNGE, 52 Wellington Street East, Toronto. 7-9pm, $5 (Alex and the Alleycats perform at the Reservoir Lounge on the first Thursday of every month).

Also, watch for Alex Sunday December 5th at Joe Mama's, 317 King Street, Toronto. 7-11pm. Alex Performs with guitarist Nathan Hiltz, and group.

The following is from an article in The World of The Whole Note

It’s nothing short of remarkable that Pangman is one of Canada's most breathtaking jazz singers, given that she was born with cystic fibrosis. This incurable genetic disease debilitates the lungs, causes persistent shortness of breath, frequent pulmonary inflammation and in many cases ultimately requires lung transplantation.

And that’s exactly what it came down to by late 2008. By that autumn, Pangman was in a devastatingly fragile state, requiring an oxygen tank for simple tasks like getting dressed and walking her dog. Down to 27 percent of her lung capacity, a double lung transplant became her only hope, and she was on a waiting list for six agonizing months. Thankfully and very luckily, a donor came through just in time. On November 4, 2008, Pangman was given a second chance at life. This is how she recollects that life-changing day:

“It was 9:07 am precisely when my cell phone rang at my bedside. I had just slipped into a nice dream about washing my hair when the phone woke me with a startle. ‘Hello, this is Toronto General Hospital calling. We may have a set of lungs for you today. We need you to come to admitting right away.’”

She continues: “At the hospital I got admitted, x-rayed, ECG’d, blood-sucked, swabbed, looked over, and autographed by the surgeon so quickly! As we were all sitting around feeling anxious, the door to my room swung open and the nurse announced triumphantly, ‘1 pm – Operating Room time!’

“Now, saying goodbye to the ones who raised me wasn’t easy, but it all happened so quickly, I just did it. I handed over my glasses for safekeeping. A hug from Mom over the side of the gurney cannot possibly encapsulate the love or gratitude one feels for the lifetime of unconditional love, or can it? Another hug from Dad who said he loved me (something Dad finds easier to express through car washes and greeting cards) with the added, ‘Kick some butt!’

“And then I turned to Tom, my sweet handsome groom, whose eyes were filled with tears of joy and fear and gladness and everything. I looked at him wondering if it’d be the last time, or just the last time with these lungs. But taking my eyes off him was very hard to do. This could be the start of something big! Then the stretcher started to roll away and I think I remember mother nervously joking, ‘I suppose I should be offended that she’s exchanging something I gave her!’ (the lungs).

“I pulled a smile, sort of excited and shy to roll into the O.R. and found it much smaller than I’d imagined. ‘Is this where it’s going to happen?’ I remember asking. Despite my lack of glasses (I’m not that short sighted!) I saw a group of focused people all at work. Someone numbed my arm, started a line here and there, movement all around. I spoke up and said something nervous and silly along the lines of, ‘Okay team, I’m a singer. So lets hope the intubation goes well and I’m back singing someday, huh?’”

Since the successful double lung transplant, Pangman has been back in business and singing more sweetly than ever before. She doesn’t need oxygen for simple everyday tasks. She is feeling “so grateful for each and every day.” How does it feel to be public about her disease and her transplant?

“Well, to tell the truth, it felt at first a little bit like leaving your house without your clothes on,” she laughs. “In the past I kept my health hidden because I always wanted to be thought of as a singer, rather than a singer with a disability. But I must say it feels good because I know that in raising awareness I have the chance to really change people’s lives. I’m in a unique position in that my lungs are also my art – I’m an artist who depends on her lungs. It is a bit weird I guess, to hear of a singer who got a lung transplant, and if that gets people’s attention, then that’s what I’m here to do.”

A three time National Jazz Award nominee, Alex is a favorite of jazz fans and dancers alike and has become one of Canada's leading classic jazz and traditional-swing vocalists.

"In Alex Pangman's musical world, hot tunes flow like bathtub gin in a back-alley speakeasy. She roars through a repertoire of vintage swing and blues, possessed by the coltish spirit of a young Mildred Bailey or Ella Fitzgerald. There are champagne bubbles in Pangman's voice as she growls, sighs and wears her heart on her sleeve. There's a lot of nudging and winking with today's neo-trad jazz stylists. Not Pangman. She plays it straight and she plays for keeps."
- The Montreal Gazette, Mary Lamey

"It's time-travel magic whenever Alex Pangman breathes into a microphone and evokes the great jazz femmes of the 1920s, 30s and 40s."
- Lenny Stoute, The Toronto Star

Read her Biography.
More Biography.

Alex Pangman has had both lungs replaced. She continues to advocate for organ donation and awareness. "If I need to be the poster child for that, to catch their attention, then so be it," she says.

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario at Trillium Gift of Life Network NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You