Cobertura Reciente en los Medios

Kicking Off the Show Your Heart Project in Wyoming

Join Donor Alliance and the Natrona County Library for the launch of the Show Your Heart Project in Wyoming! April is National Donate Life Month and now is the time to show your heart in support of the nearly 200 people in Wyoming currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Did you know that anyone, regardless of age or medical condition, can register as a donor?

The Show Your Heart Project spotlights the altruism of organ, eye and tissue donation in communities across Wyoming. Participants will hide (in plain sight) hearts bearing personalized messages of inspiration to show appreciation for those who have already signed up to become donors and inspire others to consider such an act of generosity. Amazingly, 59% of Wyomingites have already signed up to give the gift of life, but there is still more work to be done! You can saves lives too by registering to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at the launch party, or online anytime. Come celebrate with us on March 31^st , 2018 from 2-4pm.

It’s fun and as easy as 1, 2, 3!
1. Find a Heart
2. Share a picture of your heart on social media using the hashtag #ShowYourHeart
3. Hide it in or around the Natrona County Library

Led by several Wyoming transplant recipients and donor families, we are excited to kick off the month long celebration all over Wyoming with lifesaving stories of those who gave the ultimate gift. There will be a prize wheel, several educational interactive opportunities to learn more about donation and transplantation, and giveaways for those who join us to kick-off National Donate Life Month by showing their hearts!

In addition to the Show Your Heart Project, National Donate Life Month will be celebrated at various events across the state throughout the month. A full list of events is available at DonorAlliance.org/events.

Donor Alliance Partners with IndyCar Driver / Donor Brother Stefan Wilson

[caption id="attachment_16330" align="alignright" width="640"] Stefan Wilson - IndyCar Driver, Donor Brother and Colorado Resident[/caption]

Donor Alliance is very excited to announce our partnership with IndyCar Driver, Donor Brother and Colorado resident Stefan Wilson. For Wilson, the driver of the No. 25 Driven2SaveLives Andretti Autosport Honda Indy car, donation and transplantation is a cause that hits close to home. Stefan's older brother Justin died tragically in a racing accident in 2015. Justin was a registered organ, eye and tissue donor who heroically saved 5 lives through organ donation. "Organ Donation is something that is very personal to me and my family,” noted Wilson, who moved to Colorado last year. “As most will already know, my older brother Justin was a donor and saved five lives in 2015. Since losing Justin, it's been really rewarding to work with Indiana Donor Network and meet donor families, recipients and people that are on the National wait list. Partnering with Donor Alliance allows me to continue that work in my new home state of Colorado and I couldn’t be more thankful.”

Stefan will be a very visible advocate for donation and transplantation in Colorado and Wyoming, serving as a celebrity spokesman and the face of our National Donate Life Month campaign this April. “It is hard to put into words how grateful we are to work with incredible advocates like Stefan Wilson,” said Sue Dunn, chief executive officer of Donor Alliance. “We’re so thankful for the people that are willing to share their stories in order to help us educate the public on the importance of donation and transplantation. We are hopeful that by sharing the powerful impact donation has had on Stefan’s life, Coloradans, Wyomingites and others around the country will be inspired to give the gift of life by registering as an organ, eye and tissue donors.”

Stefan will be helping us kick off National Donate Life Month at the Denver Auto Show in April. Stefan will be on hand at the Donate Life Colorado booth (booth 15) on Wednesday, April 3 and Thursday, April 4 from 5pm - 8pm to sign autographs and to meet with fans. To learn more about the Denver Auto Show and our other events coming up this April, you can check out our events page. For more on National Donate Life Month and our Show Your Heart project, you can head over to www.DonorAlliance.org/ShowYourHeart.

Click here to learn more about Stefan and his Driven2SaveLives campaign.

Advocate Spotlight: Dana Rojas

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 Dana Rojas, daughter of a waiting list candidate.

[caption id="attachment_16058" align="alignright" width="380"] Dana Rojas, Wait-list Daughter and her father Al[/caption]

What is your favorite memory volunteering for Donor Alliance? Meeting other families and sharing our stories. We all have different paths that we have been on that have joined us in this volunteer opportunity.

What is your proudest accomplishment? Becoming a mother. It’s better than I ever could have imagined.

What song would you sing at karaoke night? Tom’s Diner

What are some of your favorite hobbies? I love to read, hike, run in the Garden of the Gods and attend community events.

If you could take an all-expenses paid vacation, where would you go? I would love to tour Italy. It is rich in history and romanticism.

What is the last book you read or movie you saw? Would you recommend it? The last book I read was The Four Agreements, I revisit this book at least once a year and I learn a new application after each read. I would absolutely recommend this book. The Four Agreements provides you with four guiding principals to live by and helps me to refocus.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? That your entire life will be different every ten years. Enjoy the happy and joyous occasions and learn from the hardships. Nothing is permanent, be thankful for the what is happening now, it will all change before you know it.

Staff Spotlight: Karley Beddoe

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.

[caption id="attachment_16053" align="alignright" width="380"] Karley Beddoe - Tissue Donor Coordinator and Recipient Daughter[/caption]

Name: Karley Beddoe

Position: Tissue Donor Coordinator

Years at Donor Alliance: 1 year in May!

Why you chose to work at DA: I chose to work at Donor Alliance because of my personal connection to transplantation. After my mom received her liver transplant I became very passionate about organ and tissue donation and thought I would be able to make an impact saving lives through this work.

Why do you like working at Donor Alliance: I love working at Donor Alliance because of the staff. Working for such a highly engaged organization means the world to me. It’s great working with such positive, energetic individuals on a daily basis. Plus, the work we do is so meaningful it really makes me feel purposeful.

What does donation and transplantation mean to you: It means EVERYTHING. My mom was saved because someone’s loved one said ‘yes’ to donation. My mom is my best friend, and being able to have extra time with her is incredible. I will continue to honor my moms donor as long as I’m alive and help spread the importance of organ and tissue donation to others.

Connection to donation and transplantation: My mom is a liver recipient. 2 years in July!

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working (hobbies and such): When I am not working I enjoy playing with my new labradoodle puppy, Moose! I also enjoy golfing in the summer months, and hanging out on patios!

American Heart Month: Nearly Four Thousand Americans Waiting for Heart Transplants

February is American Heart Month. It is likely that you know someone who has been affected by heart disease with more than two thousand Americans dying every day of cardiovascular disease. There are currently nearly four thousand Americans waiting for a lifesaving heart transplant, nearly 100 of which are in Colorado and Wyoming. Eva Krynovich of Colorado Springs used to be one of them until her lifesaving transplant in 2014.

After living with heart disease for more than 30 years—functioning fairly well with the help of a surgically implanted pacemaker, defibrillator and a regiment of medication—Eva’s heart began to fail rapidly in 2013. She became very sick and was in an out of the ER for heart failure almost every other week. Her doctor told her nothing more could be done and that she would need a heart transplant.

Eva was on the transplant list for four months, finally receiving her new heart on March 15, 2014. It has been more than three years since her transplant, and her life has changed dramatically.

“Every day is a gift. I am now able to do almost all of the activities that I did before I got sick. I look forward to many more years enjoying my family and watching my grandchildren grow.”

Eva was fortunate to have been given a second chance at life through organ donation, but many others are still waiting for that chance. This month, we urge Colorado and Wyoming residents to consider signing up to become organ, eye and tissue donors at the time of their death. It is quick and easy to say “yes” at the driver license office or Driver Services, or anytime at Donate Life Colorado or Donate Life Wyoming. Deciding to register as a deceased donor could help save the lives of patients waiting for heart transplants.

You can also read more and learn how to help prevent heart disease by visiting the American Heart Association.

Celebrate National Donor Day on February 14, 2018

Observed annually on February 14^th, National Donor Day aims to raise awareness of the lifesaving benefits of organ, eye and tissue donation while reminding us of the importance of discussing the topic with loved ones.

In Colorado and Wyoming, there are nearly 2,500 patients on the waiting list to receive a lifesaving organ transplant, and thousands more could benefit from lifesaving and healing eye and tissue donations.

Set aside some time this National Donor Day to have a heartfelt discussion about organ, eye and tissue donation with your families. Sharing your decision to be a donor is one of the most important conversations you can have with loved ones. When you join the organ, eye and tissue registry your decision to be a donor ultimately takes priority over your family’s preferences. Making the decision for yourself in advance, and then sharing your decision with your family will make it easier for them during a very difficult time.

Start the conversation with your family now. Don’t wait! They'll be glad you did.

You can learn more about the need for donation and how individuals can take action by visiting DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.

Fact or Fiction: Do TV shows accurately portray organ, eye and tissue donation?

Before Grey’s Anatomy and The Good Doctor, there was ER and House M.D. For years, hospital and police dramas have been a prime-time television staple. While most popular TV series consult with real medical professionals to be able to realistically represent health-related storylines, that doesn’t always mean it’s medically accurate.

TV dramas can only handle so much reality before it removes the tension and suspense. After all, many of us are watching these shows to escape reality for an hour or two. We may know it’s all made-for-TV fiction, but over the years writers have become better at vividly showing stories that mimic real-life situations, and it can have an impact on people’s perceptions—or in the case of organ, eye and tissue donation—their decision to register as a donor.

Among other inaccuracies, TV shows often incorrectly portray or perpetuate myths about organ, eye and tissue donation. Last week, in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy it showed the doctors being involved in making decisions about organ allocation and donor authorization as standard procedure. In reality, the fact is the medical team working to save a patient’s life is completely separate from the team that approaches the family to talk about donation.

Completely accurate or not, watching medical scenarios does start conversation and raise awareness. We are always in favor of mainstream media sharing both fictional and non-fictional stories about organ and tissue donation to raise questions and start discussions. If you see something that makes you curious as to whether or not it is true, do your research and share it with others. It is through educating ourselves and others about the real facts where knowledge can grow.

Staff Spotlight: Valerie Toth

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.

[caption id="attachment_15533" align="alignright" width="379"] Valerie Toth - Quality Assurance Coordinator[/caption]

Name: Valerie Toth

Position: Quality Assurance Coordinator

Years at Donor Alliance: 6 years

Why you chose to work at Donor Alliance: Besides always being a supporter of tissue and organ donation, I wanted to know that the work I do is positively contributing to the community.

Why do you like working at Donor Alliance: Most importantly is the mission of saving lives through organ and tissue donation and having the opportunity to hear about the impact we make. I also love the culture within the organization as well as the team I get to work with on a daily basis.

What does donation and transplantation mean to you: To me, donation means a final act of kindness and generosity, while transplantation means hope and life.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working (hobbies and such): When I’m not at work I’m chasing after a very active toddler and preparing for him to be a big brother this spring! I also consider myself to be an ice cream enthusiast. My husband might say I spend my time thinking of home improvement projects.

Advocate Spotlight: Elissa Flaumenhaft

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 Elissa Flaumenhaft , a Donor Granddaughter.

[caption id="attachment_15516" align="alignright" width="278"] Elissa Flaumenhaft - Donor Daughter[/caption]

Favorite Memory volunteering for Donor Alliance? T-shirt sorting for Donor Dash this year - I met so many interesting people with powerful stories to share.

Last book you read or movie you saw? Would you recommend it? I most recently read "Candy Corn Murder" by Leslie Meier. I am the biggest fan of cozy mysteries, so I definitely would recommend it.

If you could be any animal, what would you choose and why? I'd be a dog. You will not find a more loyal, less judgmental creature. They are so loving and gentle. I have two rescue dogs and despite all they've been through, they are the sweetest animals. Plus, they get to sleep and eat all day - sounds pretty nice to me!

What is the best event you’ve volunteered at with Donor Alliance? Donor Dash is a huge hit with my family members and friends, so I'd have to go with Donor Dash.

If you could have lunch with anyone, who would you choose? My mom. She lives over 1,000 miles away (in Cincinnati) and she's one of my best friends. Even though I talk to her on the phone every day, nothing beats an in-person conversation and one of her hugs.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? From the first day of my very first job, onward, my dad has always reminded me of this: Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.

Donor Alliance: 2017 Year in Review

For Donor Alliance, 2017 was another remarkable year for organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Colorado and Wyoming with an incredible 407 lives saved through organ donation and transplantation. Donor Alliance also worked with a record 1,752 tissue donors and their families to recover the lifesaving and healing tissue that will provide bone and skin grafts to thousands of recipients in need.

We're just as excited to announce that 984,557 names in Colorado and 80,405 names in Wyoming were added to the organ and tissue donor registries in 2017. The donor designation rate, or percentage of individuals joining the state donor registry, reached 67.98 percent in Colorado and 58.58 percent in Wyoming. The two states maintained some of the highest donor designation rates in the country.

“We are inspired by the generosity of the 144 donors and their families in Colorado and Wyoming who helped save the lives of 407 people last year,” said Sue Dunn, Donor Alliance president and CEO. “We are also grateful to all of the residents throughout our region that have made the decision to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. The strong donor designation rates in our region translate to more lives saved and healed through transplantation.”

The region saw another record-setting year for tissue donation and transplantation, including bone, joint restoration, skin and heart valves. Working with the families of 1,752 generous tissue donors in 2017, enough tissue was recovered to save and heal the lives of tens of thousands in need, through procedures such as coronary bypass, knee reconstruction and spinal fusion. As medical technology advances and eligibility criteria expand, it has become possible to utilize more types of tissue, which has allowed more people to give the gift of life through tissue donation. Additionally, Colorado and Wyoming’s increasing number of registered donors has translated into more tissue available for transplant.

In addition to the increase in tissue donors, Donor Alliance, which manages the complex medical process of recovering organs and tissue for transplant, facilitated organ recoveries from 144 donors in 2017, the highest number ever, helping make 407 lifesaving transplants possible.

According to the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank, the nonprofit organization that facilitates the donation and transplantation of donated eye tissues in Colorado and Wyoming, there were 2,687 eye donors in the two-state area. The donations resulted in 2,692 sight-restoring corneal transplants. The numbers represent a 32 percent increase in eye tissue donations and a 31 percent increase in corneal transplants from just five years ago in 2012 and are an all-time high in the eye bank’s 35 year history.

Despite the generosity of donor family members and the efforts of Donor Alliance staff and partner organizations, just over 2,500 people in the area continue to wait for a lifesaving transplant. For more information about donation, or to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor, please visit DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.

About Donor Alliance

Donor Alliance is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. As the organ procurement organization and accredited tissue bank for Colorado and most of Wyoming, Donor Alliance serves more than 5.8 million residents and more than 100 hospitals. The organization adheres to medical, regulatory and ethical standards: respectfully working with the families of organ and tissue donors, maintaining partnerships with hospitals, educating residents on the life-saving benefits of donation and inspiring them to sign up on the state’s donor registry. Colorado and Wyoming boast some of the highest rates of donor registration in the country, which directly translates to more lives saved and healed through organ and tissue transplantation.

Donor Alliance is one of 58 federally designated organizations of its kind in the United States, and is also an American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) accredited tissue bank.

Donate Life Rose Parade Float Wins Theme Award

Celebrating its 15th anniversary delivering the message of the power of organ, eye and tissue donation, the Donate Life Rose Parade Float took home a prestigious Tournament of Roses Parade Theme Award for exhibiting the most outstanding presentation of the Rose Parade theme of "Making a Difference". Featuring over 14,000 roses and flowers from all around the world, as well as leaves, spices and other organic materials, the Donate Life Float themed "Gift of Time" raised awareness for the nearly 120,000 Americans waiting for a life-saving transplant. We were proud to have kidney recipient and Transplantation Science educator Jeff Leone representing us in this year's parade!

[gallery ids="15254,15256,15253,15258,15251,15252,15255,15257,15259"]

2017 Rose Parade Float Rider – Jeff Leone

[caption id="attachment_15193" align="alignleft" width="440"] Some current and former Transplantation Science students gave Jeff a special sendoff following one of his classes at Denver Center for International Studies[/caption]

This year, we are honored to have Jeff Leone represent us at the 129^th Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA. Jeff is traveling from Denver to escort the 15^th annual Donate Life Rose Parade float on January 1. Jeff will be joined by 24 other individuals from around the country whose lives have also been impacted by donation and transplantation. The 2018 Donate Life float will inspire viewers worldwide to save and heal lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.

A bruised kidney in 1984 led Jeff to the doctor where he eventually learned he had kidney disease. Twelve years later, he entered end-stage kidney failure and began dialysis. In 1999 Jeff received his first transplant. Jeff’s donor was Christopher Mendoza. His mother, Lena, had respected her son’s wishes to donate his organs after he was tragically killed in a car accident. Christopher’s gift allowed Jeff to fulfill his dream of becoming a high school science teacher – a career he enjoyed in the Denver public school system for 13 years until he again approached end-stage kidney failure.

Even though she had not previously met the requirements, Jeff’s wife Robyn was a suitable match for his second transplant thanks to advances in medical technology. She gave him a kidney in 2013. Since his second transplant, Jeff fulfills his passion for science and teaching as a Transplantation Science Educator – he teaches the science behind and importance of donation and transplantation to thousands of young people across Colorado and Wyoming each year.

The 129th Rose Parade will start at 8 a.m. PST on January 1, 2018 and be broadcast live in the U.S. by broadcast partners ABC, NBC, HGTV, Hallmark Channel, Univision and more. Check local broadcast listings for more information. For more information about the 2017 Teammates in Life Donate Life Rose Parade Float, visit http://www.donatelifefloat.org.

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.