Cobertura Reciente en los Medios

Living Donation: How Can I Help?

Nearly 2,000 Colorado and Wyoming residents are waiting on a lifesaving transplant. While Donor Alliance works exclusively with deceased donors and their families, living donation is another way people can help save lives and spare many of the individuals on the transplant list from what can be a lengthy wait.

Local Need:

Of those in Colorado and Wyoming waiting for a transplant, more than 1,400 are in need of a kidney and just over 350 are waiting on a liver, both of which can be donated by living donors.

There are four transplant centers within our region that work with living donors: Porter Adventist Hospital, Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado Hospital.

Three Ways Living Donors Can Help:

1.) The most common type of living donation is called directed donation. In a directed donation, the donor names the specific person to receive the transplant, whom is often a family member, friend, coworker or acquaintance.

2.) Some people wish to be a living donor even though they do not personally know someone in need of a transplant. This is known as a non-directed donation. In a non-directed donation, the match is arranged based on medical compatibility with a patient in need.

3.) A third living donation option is called paired exchange. When blood tests reveal that a donor is not compatible for a directed donation with their intended recipient, both the donor and recipient may choose to exchange or “trade” with another incompatible donor-recipient pair. A living donor advocate can discuss this option with donors and recipients if they are not a match.

[caption id="attachment_15909" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Source: UNOS[/caption]

2018 Living Donation Stats:

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), there were nearly 6,900 living donor transplants in 2018 - the most since 2005, increasing 11 percent over 2017!

[caption id="attachment_21111" align="aligncenter" width="472"] Source: UNOS[/caption]

Learn more about living donation, here or contact your local transplant center.

Remember, while not everyone can be a living donor, everyone CAN be a donor after death. To sign up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor after death, visit your state registry website, DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming,org.

Advocates for Life Recognized at Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast

Every year Donor Alliance celebrates our Advocates for Life and all of their efforts at a Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast. This year, more than 150 advocates and their family members attended the breakfast at the Denver Zoo for a morning filled with food, awards, prizes and catching up… followed by an afternoon of walking through the Zoo!

About our Advocates:

Our Advocates for Life put in over a thousand volunteer hours every year helping us out at hundreds of events throughout Colorado and Wyoming. Advocates for Life help with everything from running an information table at a small event, to speaking at a larger event, to helping out in our office, to even sewing together quilts for donor families. We have a hearty group of talented, committed volunteers that truly help Donor Alliance accomplish their mission of saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.

Our Advocates for Life program is comprised of donor family members, transplant recipients, transplant candidates, living donors and others who are passionate about supporting organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation. Donor Alliance Advocates are the heart and soul of our efforts to inspire the public about the importance of signing up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor in Colorado and Wyoming. So, on Saturday, February 9^th, we celebrated them and all they do for us!

Advocate Awards:

Every year we recognize a handful of volunteers that went above and beyond for that year!

For their outstanding work in 2018, we recognized the following:

• Advocate of the Year: Randy Schrantz
• Most Volunteer Hours: Donor Family Quilt Project: Elaine McFarlane, Cheryl Walters, Marilyn Anderson & D’Anne VanGilder.
• Rookie of the Year: Stephanie Burnett
• Uniting Communities: The Tellez Family

Get Involved!

Have a connection to donation and transplantation? Are you a supporter of the cause? We’d love to have you join our Advocates for Life Program. Click here to get started!

[video width="1800" height="944" mp4="https://www.donoralliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Volunteer-Appreciation-Breakfast.mp4"][/video]

Donación de Órganos y Tejidos: Como Iniciar la Conversación

¿Has hablado con tu familia sobre tu decisión de ser donante de órganos, ojos y tejidos? Iniciar la conversación sobre este tema puede ser un tanto difícil. Es por eso que te presentamos algunos consejos para ayudarte a hablar sobre este tema y compartir tu decisión con tus seres queridos.

Primero que nada, ¿Qué significa registrarse como donante de órganos, ojos y tejidos?

Registrarse como donante de órganos, ojos y tejidos significa que has tomado la decisión de donar tus órganos y tejidos en el momento de tu muerte. Es muy importante compartir tu decisión de ser un donante con tu familia, ya que tu decisión tendrá prioridad sobre las preferencias de su familia.

Tomar la decisión de registrarse como donante y compartir tu decisión con tu familia los libera de tener que tomar esa decisión cuando tu ya no estes aquí, lo cual puede ayudarlos durante esos momentos tan difíciles. Ademas, hablar sobre la donación con tus seres queridos les ayudará a sentirse seguros y preparados cuando se les presente la información sobre el proceso de donación. ¡Así que #InicialaConversacion hoy y comparte tu decisión heroica de salvar y sanar vidas con tus seres queridos!

Aquí hay algunos consejos para ayudarte a iniciar la conversación:

• UTILIZA TU LICENCIA DE CONDUCIR O ID

¡Tu licencia de conducir o identificación es un excelente inicio de conversación! Verifique si el símbolo de designación de donante (un corazón en escala de grises con una "Y" para Colorado y dos corazones rojos para Wyoming) está en tu licencia o identificación. Puedes hablar con tu familia sobre lo que significa el símbolo en tu licencia y preguntarles si ellos tabien tienen uno. Aprovecha y pideles que compartan contigo cuál es su decisión y por qué.

• COMPARTE UNA HISTORIA SOBRE LA DONACIÓN

¿Conoces a una persona que recibió un trasplante o a una familia de donantes? La donación de órganos, ojos y tejidos toca a miles de personas en nuestra comunidad cada año. Comparte una historia sobre alguien que tomó la decisión heroica de ser donante y, como resultado, su decisión salvó la vida de una persona. Puedes encontrar historias locales de Colorado aquí y de Wyoming aquí.

• INFORMATE Y COMPARTE

Un solo donante puede salvar hasta ocho vidas a través de la donación de órganos y salvar y sanar a más de 75 vidas a través de la donación de tejidos. En nuestra comunidad hay casi 500 hispanos esperando un trasplante de órganos que les salve la vida. Informate sobre la donación de órganos y tejidos y comparte tu conocimiento con tus seres queridos.

Inicia la conversación este Día Nacional del Donante, celebrado el 14 de febrero de cada año. Esta fecha brinda una oportunidad perfecta para compartir el amor al registrarse como donante de órganos, ojos y tejidos y luego compartir tu decisión con tu familia. Comparte tu decisión en las redes sociales con #IniciaLaConversacion y e invita a otros a hacer lo mismo. Recuerda que puedes registarte como donante en cualquier momento en línea en Done Vida Colorado.

How to Start the Conversation on National Donor Day

Have you talked with your family about your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor? It can be difficult to start the conversation. We have a few tips to help you share your decision with your loved ones on National Donor Day.

Signing up as an organ, eye and tissue donor means you have made the decision to donate your organs and tissues at the time of your death. It is important to discuss your decision with your family as it will take priority over your family’s preferences.

Making the decision for yourself in advance makes it easier for your family during a very difficult time. Discussing donation with loved ones will help them feel confident and prepared when they are presented with information about the donation process. So #StartTheConversation today and celebrate your heroic choice to save and heal lives with your family!

Here are a few tips to help you start the conversation:

• USE YOUR LICENSE OR ID

Your driver license or ID is a great conversation starter! Check if the designating symbol (a grey-scale heart with a 'Y' for Colorado and two red hearts for Wyoming) is on your license or ID. Discuss what the symbol means, remind your family that they need to say Yes each time they renew and share with them what your decision is and why.

• SHARE A STORY ABOUT DONATION

Do you know a recipient or a donor family? Organ, eye and tissue donation touch thousands in our region each year. Share a story about someone who made the heroic decision to be a donor and how, as a result, that decision saved another life. Find local stories for Colorado and Wyoming.

• KNOW THE FACTS & SHARE

Just one donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and save and heal up to 75 lives through tissue donation. There are nearly 2,000 awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant in our local region. Learn the facts of donation and share with your loved ones.

We encourage you to start the conversation on National Donor Day. Celebrated on February 14th each year, National Donor Day is a perfect opportunity to share the love by signing up as an organ, eye and tissue donor and then sharing your decision with your family. Share your decision on social media with #StartTheConversation to encourage others to do the same. Sign-up anytime online at Donate Life Colorado or Donate Life Wyoming.

Record Donor Designation Rate for Wyoming in 2018

How do we know if residents support organ, eye and tissue donation? We measure the public's support of donation with the donor designation rate. Although small in population, Wyoming stands tall when it comes to saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. The donor designation rate (DDR) is the rate at which individuals join or remain in the state donor registry as a percentage of all driver’s licenses and ID cards issued within a specific period of time. Donate Life America reflects the national DDR average is 48% of Americans nationwide who sign up to be organ, eye and tissue donors when obtaining or renewing their driver license or state ID.

• Residents Support Donation

In Wyoming, 91% of residents who participated in our public perception survey said they support organ donation. Often, they do not sign-up because they want to learn more or believe untruths about donation.

• Outreach to Educate

Through outreach, public education and working with community partners, we continue to share the facts about donation and dispel the myths. Pair this outreach with Wyomingites' pride in taking care of their own and it's a successful combination for lifesaving growth!

• 2018 Record DDR

Over the last three years, we have seen an increasing support of organ eye and tissue donation. In December of 2018, Wyoming hit a record-setting monthly donor designation rate of 63%! Growth was evident throughout the year and Wyoming finished 2018 with a 60% DDR! This DDR is well above the national average and places Wyoming in the top ten of all states for high donor designation rates.

As we set our sights on 2019, we will continue to strive to save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Wyoming. With nearly 150 Wyomingites awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant and thousands more in need of healing cornea and tissue transplants, the increasing DDR gives hope to all.

Remember to check Yes when you obtain and renew your driver license or state ID. Sign up anytime online at DonateLifeWyoming.

Record-Breaking Year for Organ Donation and Another Great Year for Tissue Donation – Colorado & Wyoming

Donor Alliance Breaks Record for Number of Organ Donors

For 2018, Donor Alliance, the federally designated non-profit organization that facilitates organ and tissue donation in Colorado and most of Wyoming, recorded a record-breaking year for organ donation and transplantation, ultimately, saving more lives! Through the generous gifts of donors and their families, Donor Alliance facilitated more transplants than ever by 5.6 percent, exceeding the previous high set in 2013, and a 33 percent increase since 2009.

• Organ Donors - a record 160 organ donors
• Organs Transplanted - donations saved the lives of 489 people
  • Record year for kidney transplants, 268
  • Record year for heart transplants, 59

“We are incredibly proud and grateful to have facilitated a record number of lifesaving organ transplants in 2018,” said Sue Dunn, Donor Alliance president and CEO.

Another Great Year for Tissue Donation

Through procedures such as skin grafting and reconstructive surgeries, these life-saving and healing donations will help thousands of people regain mobility and have active lives after disease or trauma.

• Tissue Donors - an amazing 1,684 tissue donors
• Record year for skin donors, 1,512

“We continue to be inspired by the selfless donors and courageous families who make the powerful decision to give the gift of life."

Annual Snapshot:

"Additionally, with more than two-thirds of Colorado and Wyoming residents signing up to join the organ and tissue donor registry, our community’s incredible generosity is once again on display."

More Coloradans & Wyomingites said Yes to Donation!

Colorado has one of the nation’s highest-performing state donor registries with 69% of driver’s license/ID card applicants registering as organ and tissue donors. Wyoming is also amongst the top 10 nationally at 60%.

• More than one million residents signed up to become donors in 2018
• An anticipated 1,058,000 in Colorado and 80,520 names in Wyoming added to the organ and tissue donor registries
• The donor designation rate reached 69.04 percent in Colorado
• The donor designation rate reached a record 60.34 percent in Wyoming

2018 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Winner

This year also marked the culmination of a near decade-long performance excellence journey for Donor Alliance, with the organization being named a 2018 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winner. The award honors exemplary U.S. organizations and businesses that demonstrate an unceasing drive for radical innovation, thoughtful leadership and administrative improvement. Donor Alliance was recognized for its dedication to continuous improvement and achievements in engagement, organizational effectiveness and sustainability, which are instrumental in the organization’s work to maximize all donation opportunities.

"This support coupled with the expanded use of innovative technologies and dedication to the mission helped save more lives than ever in our region last year.”

Innovative Technologies

As a result of a decade-long performance excellence journey; the organization enacted a number of innovative processes last year that supported the increase in lives saved:

• Facilitation of the first donor under the HOPE Act (meeting HIV+ criteria)
• Implementation of a CT scanner to help maximize the gift of life by allowing a single liver to be transplanted into two donors

Record Year for Transplants Locally

Donor Alliance partnered with the area’s 110 acute care hospitals and four transplant centers to set records in a number of additional areas in 2018, including the coordination of 167 additional transplants from donors outside our region. Additionally, 173 transplants from living organ donors at our area's four transplant centers saved even more lives.

How You Can Help

Despite the marked achievements for donation and transplantation across the region in 2018, 2,000 people in the area continue to wait for a lifesaving transplant. With these patients in mind, Donor Alliance continues to tirelessly educate the public on the need for donation and collaborate closely with hospital and other partners throughout the two-state area. For more information about donation, or to sign up as an organ, eye and tissue donor, please visit DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHB7-olMLiQ[/embed]

Know the Facts: Who Can Be a Donor?

Why Don’t People Sign Up To Be a Donor?

Lack of Knowledge: Many of those that have never considered organ donation or have delayed signing up to become a donor, do so because of inaccurate information or assumptions about organ donation and transplantation.

“I’m Not Healthy Enough”: In both Colorado and Wyoming, someone thinking they are not healthy enough to become a donor at the time of their death is the second most common barrier to signing up to become a donor. Twenty percent of Coloradans and 17 percent of Wyomingites that haven’t signed up to become a donor haven’t registered because they assume they’re not healthy enough, according to independent research that we conducted in 2017.

So, Who CAN Be a Donor?

The truth is, ANYONE—regardless of age, lifestyle or medical condition—can sign up to become a donor. Even those with chronic conditions and other health issues can register to give the gift of life. Learn the facts about who can become a donor.

Real, Local Story

[caption id="attachment_18870" align="alignleft" width="300"] Kate with her mom, Gail[/caption]

Kate Gallagher - Monument, CO: Despite her liver disease, Kate was able to save the lives of others through organ donation. Kate was on the waiting list for a liver transplant when she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on March 12, 2012 and passed away before she could receive a new liver. She was 26-years-old. As an organ donor, she saved three lives that day: one of her kidneys went to a grandfather from western Colorado, the other went to a grandmother and her heart went to a 12-year-old girl who had suffered a heart attack on the basketball court.

Just one donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and save or heal more than 75 through eye and tissue donation. Interested in becoming a donor after death? Learn more about the process.

Once you’ve made your decision, signing up is easy! Just say Yes each time you obtain or renew a driver license or state ID, or visit our registry websites, www.DonateLifeColorado.org or www.DonateLifeWyoming.org, and click the ‘Become A Donor’ button!

In 2017, we conducted a study examining Colorado and Wyoming residents’ sentiments surrounding organ, eye and tissue donation. We’re sharing some of the results on Donation Essentials to educate the public on the donation process, barriers to registration and what exactly the little heart on your driver license means.

Donate Life Float Wins Judges Award at 130th Rose Parade

Thousands of flowers and volunteers helped create this year’s beautiful Donate Life Rose Parade Float. The judges took note and awarded the float the coveted Judges Award!

Award – Meaning, History

This year the Donate Life Rose Parade Float was awarded the Judges Award for most outstanding design and dramatic impact. This is the third time, since the float’s inception in 2004, that the float has taken home this specific award. The Donate Life Rose Parade Float crew also took home the Judges award in 2008 and 2012. Over the years, the Donate Life Rose Parade Float has taken home a variety of awards:

Queen's Trophy - 2009
Theme Award - 2010, 2011, 2014
Isabella Coleman Trophy - 2016
Theme Trophy - 2017
Theme Trophy – 2018
Judges Special Trophy - 2008, 2012, 2019

Donate Life Float – Mission, Meaning, Materials

Award-winning float designer Charles Meier created the float’s beautiful design, and Fiesta Parade Floats produced it.

-Mission: This is the 16^th year that the Donate Life Rose Parade Float has participated in the parade with the same mission, to save and heal lives by sharing the gift of life and delivering the message of organ, eye and tissue donation to the world.

-Meaning: Going along with the overall Parade theme of Melody of Life, this year’s float theme was Rhythm of the Heart highlighting the musical diversity and rhythms of Africa.

-Materials: Fresh flowers and other natural materials such as seeds, leaves and bark.

Donate Life Colorado Float Rider: Colleen Reed

The float is accompanied by those that have been impacted by organ, eye and tissue donation. Recipients ride the float, living donors walk alongside and the dozens of memorial “floragraph” portraits are of deceased organ, eye and tissue donors. Every year, Donor Alliance sponsors one person to go represent Donate Life Colorado in the Donate Life Rose Parade Float. This year, Colleen Reed, a liver transplant recipient from Denver, was the sponsored rider! Colleen’s transplant journey began on New Year’s Day, 2016 and came full circle this year at the 130^th Rose Parade in Pasadena, Ca.

[gallery ids="18854,18852,18856"]

Visit the Rose Parade website for more information.

To best support the Donate Life Rose Parade Float mission, sign up to be a donor! You can do that by visiting our state registry websites and clicking the ‘Become a Donor’ button: DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.

2019 Donate Life Rose Parade Float Rider – Colleen Reed

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrpzSRgZCgI[/embed]

This year, we are honored to be represented at the 130^th Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. by Colleen Reed. Colleen is traveling from Denver to ride aboard the 16^th annual Donate Life Rose Parade float on January 1.

Following the 130^th Rose Parade’s theme, “The Melody of Life,” which celebrates music, the 2019 Donate Life float’s theme, “Rhythm of the Heart,” depicts a colorful design featuring musical instruments and cultural artifacts that invite parade audiences to experience the music of Africa.

Colleen will be joined aboard the float by 17 others from across the country whose lives have also been impacted by donation and transplantation. The float has become the world’s most visible campaign to inspire donation.

What a Difference Three Years Makes

On New Year’s Day 2016, exactly three years prior to this year’s parade, Colleen learned from her doctor that her liver was full of tumors. She had a rare, and in her case aggressive, sarcoma that had taken hold of her liver and her life. After realizing that the sarcoma could not be treated with chemotherapy and radiation, and that the only treatment option was a liver transplant, Colleen joined thousands of others across the country waiting for an organ transplant on the waiting list.

More than eight months after being diagnosed, Colleen received a lifesaving liver transplant. In the midst of tragedy and loss, the donor’s family supported the donation process and saved Colleen’s life and the lives of others. Colleen thinks of her donor and their family every day. She is riding aboard the Donate Life float in honor of her donor and hopes to live in ways that bring honor to their life.

Watch the Rose Parade

The 130^th Rose Parade will start at 8 a.m. PST on January 1, 2019 and be broadcast live in the US by broadcast partners ABC, NBC, HGTV, Hallmark Channel, Univision and more. Check local broadcast listings for more information. For more information about the 2019 Donate Life Rose Parade float, visit http://www.donatelifefloat.org.

How You Can help

Colorado and Wyoming residents can register their decision to be donors by saying Yes each time they obtain or renew a driver license or state ID, or at www.DonateLifeColorado.org or www.DonateLifeWyoming.org, anytime.

[gallery ids="18739,18743,18745,18747,18749,18741"]

El Proceso de Transporte de Órganos y Tejidos

En vista de las noticias recientes y la atención en torno a un vuelo de Southwest Airlines con destino a Dallas que dio la vuelta para devolver un corazón humano a Seattle, queríamos compartir información sobre el proceso de preservación y transporte de órganos y tejidos.

Aunque Donor Alliance no puede hablar sobre ese evento específico, ya que está fuera de nuestra área de servicio, nos han informado que el paquete contenía un corazón destinado a un trasplante de válvula de tejido, que no requiere un cronograma tan estricto como un trasplante de corazón completo ni necesita un acompañante médico. Nuestros amigos en Sierra Donor Services proporcionaron esta información: "Aunque este regalo fue redirigido, fue recibido sin daños por LifeNet Health para preparar las válvulas para futuros trasplantes. No había un destinatario previsto, ya que las válvulas cardíacas no están listas de inmediato para el trasplante, sino que deben ser preparadas por un procesador de tejidos acreditado".

Por lo tanto, es un buen momento para compartir los hechos del proceso y aclarar algunas inexactitudes en torno al Proceso de transporte de órganos y tejidos

[caption id="attachment_18720" align="alignright" width="295"] Organ and Tissue donation Process[/caption]

El Proceso de la Donación de Órganos

Órganos recuperados para trasplante incluyen: corazón, pulmones, riñón, hígado, páncreas e intestino delgado.

-Preservación: Una vez que los órganos han sido recuperados, el tiempo se vuelve esencial para el éxito del trasplante. Cada órgano se preserva cuidadosamente utilizando soluciones especiales y se empaqueta en hielo para su transporte al Centro de Trasplantes donde se realizará el trasplante. Existen procesos específicos para asegurar que cada órgano se empacare y etiquete de manera apropiada.

-Transporte: La mayoría de los órganos viajan al hospital del receptor en espera, escoltados por el cirujano recuperador y luego son entregados al cirujano que realizará el trasplante. Dado que nuestra área de servicio cubre todo Colorado y la mayor parte de Wyoming, a veces se requiere un vuelo para transportar los órganos desde el hospital de donación hasta el centro de trasplantes. En ese caso, trabajamos estrechamente con un servicio de vuelo chárter privado para transportar los órganos a los centros de trasplantes. Si se necesita un vuelo comercial, los órganos siempre son acompañados por un mensajero certificado.

Proceso de la Donación de Tejidos

Los tejidos recuperados para trasplante son: huesos, tendones, válvulas cardíacas, venas, arterias, piel y córneas.

-Preservación: Una vez que se obtienen los tejidos para el trasplante, se colocan cuidadosamente en la solución de preservación adecuada, se empaquetan y etiquetan. Todos los tejidos se conservan en neveras, donde se monitorean las temperaturas.

-Transporte: Los tejidos se envían por mensajero a los procesadores de tejidos, quienes realizan pruebas adicionales para asegurarse de que sean seguros para el trasplante y los preparan para los receptores. Durante el transporte de los tejidos desde la instalación de recuperación hasta el procesador de tejidos, hay una comunicación regular y consistente entre ambas partes para asegurarse de que los tejidos lleguen dentro de los plazos necesarios. Los corazones recuperados para trasplante de válvulas deben llegar a la instalación del procesador en un plazo de 24 horas desde la recuperación. Debido a que los tejidos se procesan, hay plazos de conservación variables, algunos tejidos pueden procesarse y almacenarse durante hasta cinco años. Los procesadores de tejidos utilizan los tejidos recuperados para crear numerosos injertos para trasplante en procedimientos como reemplazo de ligamento cruzado anterior, cirugía de derivación de arterias coronarias, injertos de piel, algunos procedimientos dentales y más.

Es importante recordar que esto es solo una parte del proceso de donación y trasplante de órganos y tejidos.

Puedes obtener más información sobre el proceso de donación de órganos y el proceso de donación de tejidos en nuestro sitio web.

En Donor Alliance, nuestra misión es salvar y sanar vidas a través de la donación y el trasplante de órganos y tejidos. También estamos aquí para compartir los hechos relacionados con la donación. Si alguna vez tienes alguna pregunta sobre la donación y el trasplante, te animamos a visitar nuestra página de Preguntas Frecuentes sobre la Donación o llamarnos al 303-329-4747. También puedes visitar nuestros sitios web de registro, DonateLifeColorado.org o DonateLifeWyoming.org, para obtener más información y registrarte como donante de órganos, ojos y tejidos.

Join us to celebrate the gift of life at the 9NEWS Parade of Lights this weekend

This weekend, join us and residents from across Colorado and Wyoming that have either had a family member become a donor, or who have received a transplant themselves, to celebrate the gift of life at the annual 9NEWS Parade of Lights. The annual holiday tradition will feature the Donate Life Colorado “Gift of Life” balloon, a jumbo balloon in the shape of a gift box, honoring organ, eye and tissue donors and representing the hope made possible by donation. Families of donors and transplant recipients from across the two-state area will lead the balloon. Among those walking in this year’s parade, include the following advocates with inspiring stories of being touched by donation and transplantation:

• Douglas Carlson, liver recipient, Littleton, CO: Douglas received a lifesaving liver transplant nearly 20 years ago after being diagnosed with a rare liver disease. Last year, Douglas celebrated his 73^th birthday and continues to work hard to honor his donor by staying healthy, playing ice hockey two days a week and working with a local boy scouts troop.
• Maria Avalos, mother of a donor, Thornton, CO: Maria’s daughter, Jasmine, passed away after a tragic accident when she was just 17 years old. Always a kind and generous person, Jasmine’s legacy lives on through the seven lives she saved through organ donation.
• Rob Fettner, two-time heart recipient, Aurora, CO: At the age of 22, Rob was diagnosed with heart failure. He received two lifesaving heart transplants – one at the age of 30 after 9 months on the waiting list and his second at 35 after spending another 13 months in the hospital waiting. There isn’t a day that goes by that Rob doesn’t thank his donors for another chance to spend time with his friends and family and live his best possible life.
• Sydney Rhodes, sister of a donor, Lakewood, CO and Dylan Rasmussen, heart recipient, Cheyenne, WY: Sydney’s sister Kenzie tragically passed away in October 2004, just four days before her 18^th As a registered donor, Kenzie was able to save the lives of five recipients through donation. Since Kenzie’s passing, her family continues to make connections with her recipients and have met her heart recipient, Dylan, and his family. Dylan has had Kenzie’s heart for 14 years, and Sydney and her family can’t imagine anyone more deserving. Dylan and his family will be joining Sydney and other members of Kenzie’s family in escorting the Gift of Life balloon on Dec. 1.

This year marks the 43^rd year for the two-mile long parade, which is free to attend and features marching bands, ornate floats and a special appearance by Santa.

For more information about the 9News Parade of Lights, including the parade route, visit: http://www.downtowndenver.com/9News-parade-of-lights/.

Re-vamped Registry Websites

Our local registry websites DonateLifeColorado.org and DonateLifeWyoming.org, have a new look!

The new and improved website provides streamlined information in efficient infographic style, is easy to navigate and full of essential information.

Check out the new sites, let us know of any suggestions and spread the word!