Category Archives: News

26 Sep

While all of us at Donate Life California are thankful for the work the California Department of Motor Vehicles does each and every day, this week the Donate Life community is celebrating DMV Appreciation Week across the nation.

Each year, the California DMV is registering hundreds of thousands of new organ and tissue donors, making up over 95% of the donors in our registry. Without our decades-long partnership with the DMV, we’d have been unable to grow the largest registry in the country.

Saving Thousands of Lives Each Year

While a pink dot might not seem like it changes lives, the numbers are clear. Since the creation of the registry in 2006, over 43,938 individuals have received lifesaving transplants in California. There is no question that all of our recipients are sharing their DMV appreciation around the state this week.

This year over 2,700 individuals have already had their lives changed by receiving transplants. This work wouldn’t be possible without the efforts that staff around the state at our DMV put in each day.

Supporting Donate Life All Year Long

Our DMV partners are supporting organ, eye and tissue donation all year long. Their passion to share the impact of donation doesn’t go unnoticed by all of us at Donate Life California.

Whether they are supporting Donate Life on Blue & Green Day, helping to decorate the Donate Life Rose Parade Float, or signing up donors each day their passion makes all the difference. So during DMV Appreciation Week, we want to say a huge THANK YOU!

Over 40 Years of Partnership

The California DMV’s passion for supporting organ, eye and tissue donation isn’t anything new. They’ve been helping to increase donation for over four decades. It all started with the pink dot and continues today through the largest registry of organ, eye and tissue donors in the country.

With all the hard work of our DMV partners, the California Organ and Tissue Registry will reach more than 15 million registered donors before the end of 2018. This is an outstanding milestone and we can’t say thank you enough to show our DMV appreciation.

Saying Thank You During DMV Appreciation Week

This week ambassadors and staff around the state from our local OPOs sent thank you notes to their local DMV offices and you can check out a handful of them in the video below.

Check out more videos by Lifesharing here.

We hope you will join us during DMV Appreciation Week to say thank you for the work that all the staff at the California DMV do each day. Their work is saving lives around the state and country.

14 Sep

By
Ruy Laredo

in
News

Let’s Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month!

September 15^th marks the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month! This month, we celebrate the achievements of the Hispanic community throughout the United States, while also underscoring their importance to the organ donor and transplant community.

Because of the generosity of our organ and tissue donors, nearly 5,500 people received a life-saving transplant in the United States last year. People like Alfonso Garcia (pictured below), receive a second chance of life because of your decision to be an organ donor.

Alfonso was the youngest of three brothers who began to grow sick in early 2010. His doctors discovered a previously undiagnosed genetic disorder that was causing his liver to suddenly start failing, leaving him with days to live.

The miracle Alfonso needed came 24 hours later, as he was given a new liver thanks to his organ donor. As of 2016, Alfonso graduated from the University of San Francisco and has given back hundreds of hours to the organ donation community in California.

Hispanic Heritage Month Highlights the Need for Hispanic Donors

While thousands of lives like Alfonso’s were able to be saved last year, there is still a need for more donors, especially minority donors. Recipients have the greatest chance of having a successful organ transplant if their donor is the same ethnicity.

One of the biggest hurdles facing Hispanics who are on the transplant waiting list is gap between Hispanic donors and persons on the transplant waiting list. Almost 20% of persons waiting for transplants are Hispanic, while less than 14% of all donors in 2017 were Hispanic.

Myths surrounding organ and tissue donation tend to disproportionately affect minority communities, Hispanics included. Common myths include that their religion prevents them from donating (almost major religions do not oppose donation) or that being a donor would prevent you from receiving the proper care in a life or death situation.

What Can You Do to Help?

There’s no better way to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month than by signing up to be a donor! Registering as a donor is as simple as visiting our website or signing up at the DMV. Whenever you renew or apply for a new driver’s license or California identification card, remember to check mark “YES” when asked to be an organ donor.

Similarly, if you are connected to the Hispanic community, letting others knows about the gap in donors between ethnicities helps go a long way. With kidney transplants leading the way in most needed organ, Hispanics are three times more likely to suffer from end stage renal failure and diabetes. Propagating this information across social media and in your own communities goes a long way.

Finally, if you are registered to be an organ and tissue donor, we highly recommend that you let your family and loved ones know of your wishes. While it can be uncomfortable to talk about death, it is a very important conversation to have so that your loved ones know you wish to be a donor.

To register as a donor or for more information about how to get involved please visit our website or our Spanish website, www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org

10 Aug

By
Ruy Laredo

in
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!

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!

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!

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!