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09 Nov

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Events News

November 9th Marks the Beginning of National Donor Sabbath

Beginning today November 9th and thru November 11th, Donate Life California invites you to join us in celebrating National Donor Sabbath! Every year, we celebrate National Donor Sabbath for persons of all faiths to honor donors who have saved lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.

This National Donor Sabbath, be a symbol of hope for those who are waiting.

Along with taking a moment to pause and honor all the donors who have saved lives, National Donor Sabbath also looks to spread the word about the importance and need of organ, eye and tissue donation across all faiths and congregations. With over 114,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, the need for new organ donors remains critically important.

National Donor Sabbath Encourages Education on Organ Donation

When it comes to registering as an organ and tissue donor, many mistakenly believe that their religion prevents them from being an organ and tissue donor. In fact, most religions support and even encourage organ donation.

Over the past five years, key religious figures such as Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama have vocally expressed how organ donation is one of “the greatest service(s) to mankind.” Many religions believe organ donation to be a final act of kindness and generosity. If you are interested in checking out the views of various religions on organ donation, please click here.

"Organ donation is a serious practice of "dharma" and the greatest service to mankind." - The Dalai Lama

National Donor Sabbath encourages all faith leaders and followers to research his or her religious group’s tradition and position on organ and tissue donation and transplantation, as well any other ethical issues that may be of concern. In addition, each faith leader should be mindful of any new resolutions or positions adopted at his or her religious group’s national assembly. The group’s position is also subject to change at any moment.

How You Can Help This National Donor Sabbath

For all those attending religious congregations on this National Donor Sabbath weekend, we encourage you to strike up conversations about organ and tissue donation with your fellow parishioners. Additionally, discussing the matter with your leaders of faith may encourage them to bring up the topic of organ, eye and tissue donation during your service. And as always, we encourage you to share our message of saving lives through your own social media outlets. For additional information on National Sabbath, please click here.

Before we let you go, here are some quick facts on organ donation that you can share with members of your congregation:

  • Almost 35,000 patients began new lives in 2017 thanks to organ transplants (about 92 every day).
  • Nearly 22,000 people in California – over 114,000 people nationally – are currently waiting for an organ transplant.
  • Sadly, over of 20 people die every day while waiting, because the organ they needed is not donated in time.
  • A living donor can save a life by donating a kidney or a portion of their liver, lung, pancreas or intestine. For more information on living kidney donation, go to Living Donation California.
  • On average, there are more than 30,000 tissue donors and more than 1 million tissue transplants are performed each year; the surgical need for tissue has been steadily rising.
  • Approximately 40,000 patients have their sight restored through corneal transplants each year.

"Donating organs is a gesture of love." - Pope Francis

 

14 May

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Press Release Uncategorized

Donate Life California Launches Living Donation California

LDC Logo

Contact: Brianne Mundy, Program Manager
(o) 619.563.5137 (m) 515.988.0476
brianne@livingdonationca.org

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 14, 2013 – Living Donation California launched today as a first-of-its-kind, state-authorized information and referral service to inspire and inform people to be altruistic living kidney donors. Through its website, www.LivingDonationCalifornia.org, the free service provides information about living kidney donation and refers potentially eligible individuals for evaluation at a transplant center.

“There is a national shortage of kidneys available for transplant, and the need is especially acute in the State of California. By encouraging people to be altruistic kidney donors, Living Donation California gives hope to the thousands of transplant-eligible Californians who spend years on dialysis – years they could be spending more time with family, working and living healthy, active lives,” said Lisa Stocks, Board President of Donate Life California, administrators of the state’s organ and tissue donor registry who together with fifteen kidney transplant programs developed the Living Donation California initiative.

In California, kidney transplant candidates wait up to ten years, and for many patients twice as long as the national average, for a kidney transplant from a deceased donor. Circumstances allowing for organ recovery at the time of death are a rare (less than one percent) occurrence, so the state’s transplant community is focused on increasing living donation to help the large and growing number of Californians in need of kidney transplants.

The vast majority of living kidney donors are family or close friends of their recipients. A small but growing percentage are altruistic donors who offer the gift of a kidney without expectation of receiving anything in return. Federal law prohibits buying and selling organs for transplant, although in some cases living organ donors may be reimbursed for travel and other expenses incurred during the donation process. However, altruistic donors commonly feel greatly empowered by their choice to donate a kidney.

On April 2, 2013, Kelly Wright of Newport Beach donated a kidney to a Boston man she met on Facebook in January. She says she has no regrets. “I will never have a bigger accomplishment in my life than having one of my kidneys working inside of another human who may have died without it. Living donation is a blessing for both donor and recipient! I am happy to share my story – there may be others willing to save a life!”

Living kidney donation is possible because most people are born with two kidneys. In the case of a person with two healthy kidneys, one can be transplanted into someone whose kidneys are failing. After the transplant, both the donor’s remaining kidney and the transplanted one will typically grow in size to perform at a higher level of function so both the donor and recipient can still live healthy and active lives.

Tad Suwa, a Sacramento firefighter, is one of the thousands of Californians hoping to be freed from dialysis by receiving a kidney transplant so he can serve his community and enjoy time with his girlfriend and their children. “I just want to get back to my job and my family needs me to work and play with them again.”

“Living Donation California will be a valuable resource to invite people to explore living kidney donation,” said Dr. Jeffrey L. Veale, kidney transplant surgeon and Director of the Kidney Transplant Exchange Program at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. “Many people do not know that as a living kidney donor they can help not only one person, but spark a chain of transplants that could help 30 people or more receive lifesaving kidney transplants.” The story of one such series of transplants is illustrated in a mini web documentary “The Chain,” which features a series of transplants initiated by an altruistic donor whose kidney was transplanted by Dr. Veale. “The Chain” will premiere on May 14 on Participant Media’s TakePart YouTube channel.

The Living Donation California website comprehensively explains the short-term and long-term risks associated with living kidney donation, which are considered to be low overall and comparable to other common surgeries. In fact, 95 percent of living kidney donors report minor to no complications. Living Donation California urges anyone considering living kidney donation to weigh the benefits and the risks and thoroughly discuss the donation process with the medical personnel at the transplant center to which they are referred.

By the numbers:

  • More than 17,000 Californians are on the kidney transplant waiting list.
  • 2,073 Californians received kidney transplants in 2012.
    • 1,441 were from deceased donors
    • 631 were from living donors
    • 756 people died in California in 2012 waiting for a kidney transplant.

(Source: Organ Procurement and Transplant Network, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)

History

In 2009, during his battle with pancreatic cancer, Apple founder Steve Jobs received a liver transplant. But, during that process he grew frustrated over the shortage of organs in the U.S. In cooperation with then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Donate Life California, The Altruistic Living Donor Registry Act of 2010 (SB 1395) was signed into law, authorizing the state’s organ procurement organizations to establish a service designed to “promote and assist live kidney donations.” Living Donation California is that service.

Living Donation California is a free information and referral service that encourages California residents to be altruistic kidney donors, provides accurate information about living donation, and refers potentially eligible individuals for evaluation at a transplant center.

Living Donation California is administered by Donate Life California, which manages the state-authorized organ and tissue deceased donor registry. Donate Life California’s Board of Directors is composed of eight representatives of the state’s four non-profit, federally designated organ procurement organizations (OPOs): OneLegacy, Lifesharing, Donor Network West and Sierra Donor Services. In addition, Living Donation California is supported by a Board of Advisors including participating California kidney transplant programs.

High concentration of Azithromycin in infected tissues is also caused by the fact that phagocytes and macrophages transport it to the site of infection and release in the area of inflammation. Azithromycin is prescribed in case of illness or injury at the time.

02 May

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News

Firefighter’s Family Celebrates Life for International Firefighters’ Day on May 4th

Ray Brooks

Ray Brooks

Letter submitted to Donate Life America by Janet Brooks, wife of liver transplant recipient Ray Brooks:

Ray Brooks has been a volunteer firefighter for over 14 years. Our family knows all about countless hours of volunteer work, risk, and sacrifice. Ray’s passion for protecting others’ lives and property shines through to everyone who knows him. However, last June, it was Ray who needed to be saved. Ray was born three months premature and required blood transfusions. When donating blood in his 20s, Ray learned that he had Hepatitis C.  In May 2006 he underwent a liver transplant at Duke University Medical Center. That liver gave him a second chance and more time: with me, with his son Jackson, with his newly born daughter Riley, and with his community as a volunteer firefighter. But in the spring of 2012, Ray and I begin to see an all too familiar path ahead of us – the need for a new liver.

During a monthly meeting in June 2012, Ray and the Red Oak volunteer firehouse crew were preparing for a 50 year anniversary celebration and a fundraising event for Ray and our family. Ray received a call and looked down at his caller ID: a 919 area code. He knew this could be “the call.” The coordinator on the other end said the words Ray and our family had been praying for: “Ray, we have a liver. It is a perfect match.”  Ray went back into the meeting room with tears in his eyes and announced the news to his brothers before rushing home to tell our family.  Before this particular call we had four “false alarms” between April and June of 2012. By this point we knew this “drill” and had become pretty good at responding!  What we thought would be a few hours turned into all night of waiting!  (Waiting is certainly something you become good at if you are on the transplant list!) Surgery wouldn’t however take place until the following morning. It was a tedious, grueling surgery. The amount of scar tissue the surgeons found astounded them, and it took 16 hours start to finish chiseling away the scar tissue around the old liver and finally being able to transplant the new one. 10 days after surgery Ray was released from the hospital. I created a blog to keep our friends and family updated but also to share Ray’s story with others and the importance of being a donor (www.rcb2ndchance.blogspot.com).

Brooks_kids with shirts

Ray & Janet’s kids

As May begins and we remember and pay tribute to firefighters everywhere, our family also reflects on our lives at this time last year. Ray and I will celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary on June 9.. Four days later we will celebrate his one year anniversary post-transplant!  Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and show up in unexpected places. While Ray may be a “hero” to others we know that our family’s true hero gave Ray the gift of life last June and shines down on him daily!

-Janet Brooks

High concentration of Azithromycin in infected tissues is also caused by the fact that phagocytes and macrophages transport it to the site of infection and release in the area of inflammation. Azithromycin is prescribed in case of illness or injury at the time.