Cobertura Reciente en los Medios
Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness: Wyoming
In 2017, we conducted a study examining Colorado and Wyoming residents’ awareness of organ, eye and tissue donation. Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing some of the results on Donation Essentials. Our goal is to address and educate the public on the donation process, barriers to registration and all of the ways that residents can say yes to giving the gift of life by becoming a donor at the time of their death.
All of the key findings for Wyoming can be found in the infographic below. You can see the findings on Colorado residents’ awareness of donation here. Check back for a more in-depth look at the findings overall.
Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness: Colorado
In 2017, we conducted a study examining Colorado and Wyoming residents' awareness of organ, eye and tissue donation. Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing some of the results on Donation Essentials. Our goal is to address and educate the public on the donation process, barriers to registration and all of the ways residents can say yes to giving the gift of life by becoming a donor at the time of their death.
All of the key findings for Colorado can be found in the infographic below. Check back for the findings on Wyoming residents' perception and awareness of donation as well as a more in-depth take on what the research revealed overall.
Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness
Team Rocky Mountain Excels at Transplant Games of America 2018
The Donate Life Transplant Games of America were held in Salt Lake City, Utah on August 2-7, 2018. Occurring every two years, the games bring together people all around the nation who have been touched by organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation.
Representing Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, Team Rocky Mountain, was comprised of 25 recipient participants and 3 living donors. The team had a blast this year and proudly took home many medals. They competed in a variety of events ranging from running, to track and field, to ballroom dancing and Texas Hold’em. Members of the team finished the games taking home 27 Gold medals, 20 Silver medals, and 12 Bronze medals between them.
Team Rocky Mountain also participated in setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of solid organ transplant recipients in one place with 540 recipients! The cheers were deafening as all the recipients stood together taking in their special moment!
Most Rocky Mountain Team members reside in Colorado, with a new addition this year of a recipient and his living donor from Jackson, Wyoming. Team Rocky Mountain doubled in size since the last Transplant Games in 2016. It was exciting to see the camaraderie develop among the team and their loved ones. Many members of Team Rocky Mountain expressed how touching the experience of the Transplant Games was for them to be with over 3000 people who are connected by their stories and so grateful to be alive. Many made new friends all over the nation and friends they hope tp meet again at the next games.
A complete list of results can be viewed here. If you are interested in attending the Transplant Games of America as a participant, please visit the Transplant Games of America website or email Michael Wells with Team Rocky Mountain at michael1999dec2@yahoo.com.
Learn more about donation and transplantation here. To register as an organ, eye and tissue donor, please visit DonateLife Colorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.
La Necesidad de Trasplantes de Órganos Afecta a todas las Comunidades
En Colorado y Wyoming, cerca de 2,500 personas esperando un trasplante de órganos que les salve la vida. De los que esperan, el 42 por ciento pertenece a comunidades multiculturales. Se ha encontrado que los trasplantes realizados entre los mismos grupos étnicos pueden ser más compatibles. Por eso es tan importante que más personas se registren como donantes de órganos, ojos y tejidos, incluidas las personas en comunidades multiculturales. Cuantas más personas registren su decisión de ser donantes, más vidas podrán ser salvadas y sanadas.
La Semana Nacional de Concientización de la Donación en Grupos Minoritarios (NMDAW), celebrada del 1 al 7 de agosto, fue creada para crear conciencia sobre la necesidad de más donantes de órganos, ojos y tejidos, especialmente entre comunidades multiculturales. Esta celebración especial honra a los donantes multiculturales que han donado el regalo de la vida a través de la donación y los trasplantes, y alienta a todas las comunidades a registrarse como donantes y hablar sobre su decisión con sus amigos y familiares.
Los trasplantes realizados entre personas del mismo grupo étnico pueden ser más compatibles y exitosos. Por eso, es importante que los miembros de grupos multiculturales se registren como donantes. Al incrementar el número de donantes registrados multiculturales, los candidatos para recibir un trasplante tendrán una mayor posibilidad de recibir una segunda oportunidad de vida a través de la donación y los trasplantes.
Durante todo el año, y especialmente durante esta semana, invitamos a la comunidad hispana a hablar sobre la donación de órganos, ojos y tejidos con su familia y a registrarse como donadores. Registrase es muy rápido y sencillo, solo hay que decir “sí” en la oficina de licencias o registrarse en cualquier momento en www.DoneVidaColorado.org. Cualquier persona puede registrarse como donador de órganos, ojos y tejidos sin importar su edad o estado de salud. Un solo donador puede salvar la vida de hasta ocho personas a través de la donación de órganos y sanar o salvar a más de 75 personas a través de la donación de ojos y tejidos.
Staff Spotlight: Mandy Bock
We’re so proud to work with each and every one of our staff members here at Donor Alliance. In our Staff Spotlight, we like to take a minute to let you learn more about who we are and why we work at Donor Alliance. Mandy Bock, Donor Alliance's Volunteer and Special Events Coordinator is probably a familiar face to many of you. In addition to her duties running our Advocates for Life Program, Mandy is the one responsible for both the Donor Dash and the Donor Family Tribute.
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Mandy Bock - Volunteer and Special Events Coordinator[/caption]
Name: Mandy Bock
Position: Volunteer & Special Events Coordinator
Years at Donor Alliance: About 2 ½
Why I chose to work at Donor Alliance: I wanted to work for a mission-driven organization & loved the culture of this organization from the moment I had my first interview.
Why do I like working at Donor Alliance: While I enjoy so many things about Donor Alliance, I would have to say that people are at the heart of every one of them. I have learned so much in my 2 ½ years at this organization, and am very much looking forward to see where we go in the future!
What does donation & transplantation mean to you? Hope. Hope in the mourning of a loved one’s life that a piece of them is still living on in someone else. Hope for those waiting for a transplant and a second chance for those who have received a transplant.
Any direct connection to donation & transplantation? In high school, my best friend’s mother died waiting for a liver transplant. It's stayed with me to this day and I always think of her.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working? I really enjoy traveling and immersing myself in a new culture. I’ve also recently begun exploring my ancestry and that’s been enlightening.
Advocate Spotlight: Sydney Rhodes
Donor Alliance volunteers and advocates are the heart and soul of our efforts to inspire and inform our community about the importance of registering as organ, eye and tissue donors in Colorado and Wyoming. Each of our volunteers and advocates has their own unique and inspiring story to tell. This month, we are featuring Sydney Rhodes, the sister of a heroic donor.
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Sydney Rhodes - Donor Sister[/caption]
What is your favorite memory volunteering for Donor Alliance? ALL PAST NINE YEARS of the DONOR DASH!! We started a team a few years after my sister was killed. We have had 4 different colors of team shirts, tie dyed oufits, and we were one of the first to wear tutus. This year is our 10th year. Dylan her heart recipient walked with us the past 2 years and he is the most amazing man. We’re so proud that he has her heart.
What is your proudest accomplishment? Just finished my first marathon. It was a more mental than physically challenging and I didn’t expect that. It felt amazing to finish!!
What song would you sing at karaoke night? Bobby Mcgee by Janis Joplin!!
What are some of your favorite hobbies? Yoga, Running, Getting creative with my kids
If you could take an all-expenses paid vacation, where would you go? I’m obsessed with Australia right now…I kinda want to move there ? Honestly I’ll go anywhere!
What is the last book you read or movie you saw? Would you recommend it? I'm sorry I have to cheat and recommend a show- This Is Us and it is sooooooo good!!!!
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? That we live in a world of limitless possibilities if we just keep on showing up.
2017 Annual Report
2017 Annual Report - A year of gratitude, possibilities and hope
2017 was a significant year for organ and tissue donation in Colorado and Wyoming. Thanks to donors in our region, 407 people received lifesaving organ transplants. More than one million people added their names to the state donor registries. A record-breaking 1,752 tissue donors provided lifesaving and healing tissue to provide bone, tissue and skin grafts to thousands of recipients in need. We are grateful to the generous donors and their families who make our mission of saving lives possible.
The Need for Lifesaving Organ Transplants Affects all Communities
Here in Colorado and Wyoming, there are nearly 2,500 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. All communities are in need of life-saving organ transplants. Of those waiting, 42 percent belong to multicultural communities. Although organ transplant candidates are not matched based on race/ethnicity, transplant matches made within ethnic groups can be more compatible. That is why it so important that more people register as organ, eye and tissue donors, including people in multicultural communities. The more people who register their decision to be donors, the more lives can be saved and healed.
National Minority Donor Awareness Week (NMDAW) celebrated August 1-7, was created to increase awareness of the need for more organ, eye, and tissue donors, especially among multicultural communities. This special observance honors multicultural donors who have given the gift of life through donation and transplantation and encourages all communities to register as donors and talk about their decision with their friends and family.
You can help those waiting for a second chance at life by saying “yes” at the DMV, or anytime at Donate Life Colorado, Done Vida Colorado or Donate Life Wyoming. Just one donor can save up to 8 lives through organ donation and save or heal more than 75 lives through tissue donation. Once you have registered, talk to those closest to you about your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor.
Donor Alliance Employees Recognized by AOPO for Leading Efforts in Donation and Transplantation
At the 2018 Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) conference, two Donor Alliance employees received recognitions for their leading efforts in donation and transplantation.
Jennifer Prinz, COO of Donor Alliance, was honored by receiving the AOPO/Cryolife Achievement Award. The award signifies an individual who has made significant personal or professional contributions to AOPO.
Jennifer has been an active participant in AOPO for over 15 years, serving on eight different committees, helping to maximize work with stakeholders and implement recommendations that advance the field of donation and transplantation, ultimately saving more lives. Through several leadership roles at AOPO, Jennifer continues to strive to help better meet the needs of the industry as a whole.
Steve Selby, Donor Alliance Director of Information Systems, was also honored, winning the highest recognition in the Poster Abstracts competition. Selby’s winning project depicted the concept of using artificial intelligence through machine learning to potentially assess the likelihood of referrals becoming organ donors and utilize staff skillset and numbers to maximize organ donation.
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Done Vida ECO Busca Crear Conciencia sobre la Donación en Comunidades Multiculturales
Las comunidades multiculturales tienen una necesidad desproporcionada de trasplantes de órganos. Actualmente, el 58 por ciento de la lista de espera de trasplantes en los EE. UU. está compuesta por pacientes étnicamente diversos. Aquí en nuestra comunidad, la necesidad local refleja esta tendencia. De las casi 2,500 personas que están esperando un trasplante de órganos en Colorado y Wyoming, el 44 por ciento de ellas son étnicamente diversas y el 48 por ciento están esperando un trasplante de riñón.
En un esfuerzo por mitigar la necesidad tan alta de trasplantes en grupos minoritarios, Donate Life America (DLA) y la Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT) crearon la campaña Done Vida ECO, que significa Cada Comunidad Tiene Oportunidad. Celebrado anualmente en julio, Done Vida ECO, es una campaña nacional de dos semanas que busca crear conciencia en la comunidad a través de las redes sociales y alienta al público a hablar sobre la donación y los trasplantes.
Uno de los objetivos de esta campaña es crear conciencia sobre la necesidad de más donantes multiculturales registrados. Además, la campaña destaca la importancia de la donación y los trasplante en comunidades multiculturales y, así mismo, celebra lo que los trasplantes ha hecho posible en dichas comunidades.
Done Vida Colorado y Done Vida Wyoming invitan a la comunidad a celebrar Done Vida ECO del 8 al 22 de julio de 2018 registrando su decisión de ser donantes de órganos, ojos y tejidos en www.DoneVidaColorado.org o www.DoneVidaWyoming.org. Un solo donante puede salvar hasta 8 vidas a través de la donación de órganos y salvar o sanar más de 75 personas a través de la donación de tejidos. Una vez que te registres, habla con tu familia sobre tu decisión de ser un donador de órganos, ojos y tejidos.
Colorado DMV Opens New Driver License Office in Westminster
On Wednesday, July 18, the newest Colorado Driver License office opened in Westminster at 8464 Federal Boulevard. The Westminster office will be open from 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m., Monday through Friday. It is conveniently located next to an established Adams County Motor Vehicle Office, which processes title and registrations for vehicles.
This office is expected to relieve some of the volume at the Northglenn and Lakewood offices. Northglenn and Lakewood together process more than 165,000 driver permit, license and ID card applications annually. Donor Alliance is excited to support our partners at the DMV by providing newly updated My Hero Said Yes! signs and other educational materials that will be displayed and available to the public in the Westminster office. We are grateful to all of our offices who help us achieve our mission of saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation every day. For more information about organ, eye and tissue donation, please visit www.DonateLifeColorado.org.
***Special Note: All Colorado title and registration offices will be closed August 1-5 and all driver license offices will be closed August 2-5 for an upgrade to the computer systems. Learn more about the closures at www.colorado.gov/pacific/dmv.
2018 Donor Dash Breaks Records
On July 15th, Donor Alliance hosted the 19th annual Donor Dash at Washington Park in Denver. A record breaking 6,419 registered participantsgathered to support and spread awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation. The Donor Dash is a 5K run/walk that honors the lives of organ, eye and tissue donors; celebrates the lives of organ, eye and tissue recipients; and recognizes those who continue to wait for a lifesaving transplant. A big thank you to all of the participants, speakers, volunteers and organizations who helped make the 19th annual Donor Dash a huge success!
Watch our wrap up video of the 2018 Donor Dash!