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Yearly Archives: 2018

10 Aug

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Events News

California Teams Bring Home Big Wins From the 2018 Transplant Games of America

Game on! This past week, Salt Lake City hosted the 2018 Transplant Games of America! This biennial competition boasted a gathering of over 40 teams with hundreds of transplant recipients and living donors. We were incredibly proud to have two teams representing the beautiful Golden State: Team NorCal and Team SoCal!

Team SoCal wins the gold medal in the Volleyball competition.

Pictured: Team SoCal wins the gold medal in the Volleyball competition.

All the athletes were given an opportunity to participate in a variety of events: 5K Run/Walk, Badminton, Basketball, Bowling, Cornhole, Cycling, Darts, Golf, Racquetball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Texas Hold ‘em Poker, Trivia Challenge, Virtual Triathlon, Volleyball, Ballroom Dancing, Pickle Ball, Youth Olympiad, Track and Field, and Lyrics for Life.

Nearly 90 Californian athletes participated in over 20 competitions for the chance to win bronze, silver and gold medals. Together, Team NorCal and Team SoCal brought back home a whopping 208 medals, 93 of which were gold!

Pictured: Lloyd Tucker of Team SoCal in action during the 4x100m Team Relay.

“The Transplant Games are an amazing experience for the transplant community, and I am honored to help lead our team in Salt Lake City,” said Debbie Morgan, Team SoCal’s president and former Transplant Games athlete. “The emotion we share as we trade stories is unforgettable. From watching a 10-year-old stop short of the finish line during his race so that a younger boy on a walker could take home the bronze medal, to experiencing the whole stadium cheering on a woman as she slowly finished her race in last place, the Transplant Games of America provide memorable experiences that go beyond competing.”

For additional coverage on California’s presence at the Transplant Games, visit Donor Network West and OneLegacy’s Facebook pages.

And the Winner of the Transplant Games Team Cup Award is…

One of the many awards given out during the Transplant Games of America is the Team Cup Award.  The Cup is awarded on the last day of the Games to the team of 15 or more organ recipients that won the most medals per person during the Games.

We are absolutely ecstatic to announce that Team NorCal won the Team Cup Award at the Transplant Games of America! Team NorCal went in with 37 athletes and walked away with 120 medals, a stunning feat! Congrats Team NorCal!

Team NorCal receiving the Team Cup Award.

Pictured: Team NorCal receiving the Team Cup Award.

A New Guinness World Record Set!

As if all the medals weren’t enough, both teams also helped break a Guinness World Record: “Largest Amount of Solid Organ Recipients in a Single Place.” 540 people were in attendance to help set this new record, breaking the previous one organized in Turkey earlier this year. Kudos to all of those who participated and helped shine a spotlight on donation!

Participants in the Guinness World Record-breaking attempt of largest gathering of transplant recipients.

Pictured: Participants in the Guinness World Record-breaking attempt of the largest gathering of transplant recipients.

We want to thank all the organizers of the 2018 Transplant Games for running such a smooth operation in Salt Lake City and a thank you to Yes Utah! for being such welcoming hosts! We look forward to the next set of Games in 2020.

Congratulations to all the transplant recipients and living donors coming home with medals, you’ve made all of California proud! Join in the effort in supporting organ and tissue donation by signing up as a donor today!

Team NorCal Delegation at the 2018 Transplant Games.

Pictured: Team NorCal Delegation at the 2018 Transplant Games.

31 Jul

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News

Californians hit it out of the park supporting Donate Life this summer

Summer just wouldn’t be the same without baseball. It’s true in California and for all of those supporting Donate Life. Major League Baseball teams all over the state are partnering to support organ, eye, and tissue donation with Donate Life Nights & Days this summer.

Sharing the message about donation is our top priority and California’s OPOs are hitting it out of the park by sharing the message of donation and registering new donors at California’s ballparks.

Folks have been signing up as donors at ballparks across the state. If you have signed up yet, take a few minutes and register as an organ, eye and tissue donor here.

Supporting Donate Life at AT&T Park

On July 3rd,  the San Francisco Giants partnered with Donor Network West for a Donate Life Day at AT&T Park. Balldude, Matt De Fina, a double-lung recipient, and Balldudette, Pati Hughes-Fudge, a liver recipient, are happy to protect the crowd from screaming foul balls.

And Austin Salinas of Fresno, CA, who has been waiting for a kidney for over two years was able to shoot “Play Ball” with Lou Seal. Check out some of the photos here.

Donate Life Night at Petco Park

Down South, at Petco Park, the Padres and Lifesharing celebrated a Donate Life Night on July 30th. David Abbott, who’s younger brother saved the lives of three children and one adult after becoming a donor three years ago, threw the honorary first pitch for the game.

David’s pitch in honor of his brother kicked off Donate Life Night at the San Diego Pardes and was even featured on the local NBC station. You can watch the pitch here!

Even More, Events to Come

Before baseball season is over we’ll have at least two more around the state, giving you a chance to play ball with the Donate Life community.

In Northern California, on August 18th join the Oakland A’s and Donor Network West for a day game. Find out more about attending here.

And on August 25th, you’ll find OneLegacy back at Dodgers Stadium. Get your tickets to join the game here.

No matter who you’re rooting for on the field we’re all rooting for saving lives through donation. We’re sending a big thank you to all of California’s Major League Baseball teams for joining us in this fight!

And if you’re looking for even more events keep an eye on our event calendar or sign up for our newsletter to find even more.

30 Jul

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Legislative Updates News

Summer Recess Edition – Donate Life California Legislative Update

For the past few weeks, the California State Legislature has been on summer recess. This is a four week period where legislators head back to their districts to focus on local work and things in the Capitol slow down for a bit.

It is also the mark that there is only one month left for legislation to be sent to the Governor’s desk before the August 31st deadline.

Next week, the legislature will return for these final four weeks of legislative work and we wanted to provide you with a status update on where the Donate Life California legislation is at this point in the process.

All three of Donate Life California’s sponsored bills are in their second house and moving through the process smoothly without any no votes.

DLC’s 2018 Legislation

Senate Bill 987 (Galgiani), which addresses improving the question asking Californians to register as donors on the driver’s license form, passed out of the Assembly Transportation Committee in June with unanimous support. It is now sitting in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and will have a hearing in August before heading to the Assembly Floor.

Assembly Bill 2096 (Frazier), which creates a voluntary contribution fund on the state income tax form in support of Donate Life California, is currently on the Senate Floor awaiting a vote after passing out of both the Senate Governance and Finance Committee and Senate Appropriations Committees with all aye votes.

Assembly Bill 3211 (Kalra), which improves how Californians can designate themselves as organ, eye and tissues donors on the Advanced Health Care Directive form, is also on the Senate Floor awaiting a vote after passing out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Donate Life California is thankful for our three authors this year and all their efforts to improve Californians’ ability to designate themselves as organ, eye and tissue donor.  This continues the legislature’s decades of support for the donation community.

Keeping Up After Summer Recess

To stay up to date with Donate Life California’s sponsored legislation as it moves through the process and other DLC activities sign up for our newsletter here.