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Advocate Spotlight: Julie Gibson

[caption id="attachment_16870" align="alignright" width="352"] Julie Gibson - Donor Mother[/caption]

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 Julie Gibson, a Donor Mother.

What is your favorite memory volunteering for Donor Alliance? I'm pretty new at volunteering so don't have many experiences to choose from. But I love walking in the parades and watching the kids, seeing their bright shining smiles always makes me happy.

What is your proudest accomplishment? Wow, that's s tough one. I've been working with wood (re-using old pallets) and I made a entry table from just using a picture that I saw. My grandfather worked with wood all the time and I think he would have been proud of me for that accomplishment.

What song would you sing at karaoke night? I'd choose an oldie. Chantilly Lace, I used to sing that one to my kids all the time when they were toddlers and we would dance around while I sang.

What are some of your favorite hobbies? I have too many hobbies and too little time! I love to read, work with wood and lately I've been teaching myself to quilt.

If you could take an all-expenses paid vacation, where would you go? I would love to go to England, Ireland and Scotland. It's on my bucket list of places to see. But it has to be when it's warm I am not a fan of damp and cold.

What is the last book you read or movie you saw? Would you recommend it? The last book I finished was called The Lock Artist. It was our Book Club book for last month. It was an interesting read. I liked it but it wasn't my favorite book. My favorite book of all time is Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate. That book I would definitely recommend.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Another hard one! Probably the best was right after my son became a hero and I received a letter from LCNW (Life Center North West) and it stated that it's "okay to have bad days", just don't let those days become your lifetime. I needed to hear that. I needed to know that bad days were supposed to be the norm for a while. I started telling myself, okay, have a bad day then tomorrow be better. Then I moved on to, okay have a bad hour but in the next hour be better. It sounds silly but I needed to know that I wasn't failing in my grief. I needed to know that I was moving through the process and not stuck.

5 Tough Questions We Get Asked

Through the lifesaving work that Donor Alliance does, our team sees a lot of tragedy and hears a lot of heartbreaking stories. But, we also get to witness the incredible hope and healing that donation and transplantation provides. That hope and healing is what drives our team members and volunteers to continue our mission to save lives by educating and inspiring the public to sign up as organ, eye and tissue donors through community programs, public outreach and education campaigns across Colorado and Wyoming.

Through our outreach and education programs, we speak to a lot of people that want to help but have questions about everything from the state registries themselves, to how the process works and who can be a donor or get a transplant. We’ve asked our team members to answer five of the toughest questions they have been asked and compiled their responses below.

1. I plan to donate my body to science. Can I still be an organ and tissue donor?

Yes, however, Donor Alliance only recovers organs and tissues for transplant. Whole-body donation for research or education purposes must be contracted through a separate organization. If you are a registered donor in your state’s registry, organ and tissue recovery for transplant will happen before whole-body donation. This prioritizes the immediate need of saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

If you wish to participate in whole-body donation, we encourage you to thoroughly research the organization you are considering, make sure those arrangements are in place prior to your passing and document your desire to be a donor for transplantation purposes first. Some organizations may not accept a whole-body donation after organ and tissue recovery.

2. Can undocumented immigrants get transplants? I heard somebody couldn’t get a transplant because of their status.

Yes, undocumented immigrants can receive organ transplants. A transplant center’s criteria for all prospective candidates is the same regardless of U.S. citizenship or immigration status. Documentation of U.S. citizenship is not required at the four Colorado transplant centers. All prospective candidates are evaluated against a rigorous set of standards including various medical and psychosocial considerations, and a patient’s ability to maintain post-transplant medical care, which is essential to the success of organ transplants. Having meticulous transplant listing criteria helps ensure each precious gift of life will be maximized in its new home.

3. I’ve heard that if I’m in an accident or dying that paramedics or doctors won’t try to save my life because I have a heart on my license. Is that true?

Your status as a registered organ, eye and tissue donor has ZERO impact on the medical treatment you receive. Medical professionals have all taken an oath to save the lives of their patients. If you are ever involved in an emergency medical situation, saving your life is the only focus of your medical team. The driver license symbol is an indication of an individual’s registry status, but that status may have changed since the ID was issued, therefore the official, confidential registry database must be checked to verify registry status. Doctors, nurses and hospital staff do not have access to the organ and tissue donor registry. Only designated recovery agency staff have the ability to view anyone's donor designation decision (or registry status).

4. I would sign up to become an organ, eye and tissue donor, but I’m too old and too sick to register.

You’re never too old or unhealthy to sign up to be a donor. Each person’s medical condition is evaluated at the time of death to determine what organs and tissues are viable for donation. Even people living with chronic diseases, like hepatitis or diabetes, can join the donor registry. Organs and tissues are generally not considered for donation if a person has died from an active cancer or an infectious disease; however, certain cancer patients can donate corneas. Everyone is encouraged to register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor and allow the medical professionals to determine your suitability to donate in the event of death.

5. Dozens of countries have presumed consent laws. Why doesn’t the U.S. move to a presumed consent policy to help shrink the transplant waiting list?

Presumed consent is a donation system by which individuals are automatically considered willing donors of organs, eyes and tissue after death unless they have taken the necessary legal steps to “opt out.” Research has shown that moving to presumed consent system would not be likely to increase lifesaving organ transplants in our area. Recent surveys demonstrate a lack of public support with 62% of Wyoming and 56% of Colorado respondents opposed to an “opt-out” or presumed consent system. Opt out would also eliminate the opportunity to request authorization from the family of a potential donor.

All states in the U.S. operate under an opt in system where the donor designation serves as a first-person consent advanced directive, unable to be overruled by the family. In other countries operating under a system of presumed consent, families are able to override the presumption of consent, nullifying the donation.

If you have more questions, or want to learn more about how to join the 68 percent of Coloradans and 59 percent of Wyoming residents who have signed up to be a donor, check out our Understanding Donation page, or visit DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.

Show Your Heart Project In Wyoming Has A Big Impact!

During April, Donor Alliance joined with Wyomingites and others around the nation to celebrate National Donate Life Month. The theme was “Show Your Heart” which encouraged individuals to share their support of organ, eye and tissue donation.

The Show Your Heart Project spotlighted the altruism of organ, eye and tissue donation in communities across Wyoming. Participants hid special cork hearts bearing personalized messages of inspiration to show appreciation for those who already signed up to be a donor and to 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!

The Show Your Heart special cork hearts began their journey in Wyoming, and some traveled near and far, even reaching other countries! Fueled by the passion of our Advocates for Life and many supportive community members, hearts were carried from location to location and shared between friends and strangers.

Some gave hearts to family and loved ones as a way to initiate the conversation and share their decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor. Others exchanged hearts between recipients and donor families. All spread their support with social media posts and the #ShowYourHeart. Hearts from Wyoming traveled far and had a big impact:

• Advocates for Life, Cayde, a Pediatric double lung recipient, and her grandmother, Patricia, shared many hearts on their travels from Wyoming to Colorado to Houston. The special cork hearts were taken on vacations, shared with Southwest Airlines pilots and even traveled as far as Panama City Beach, Florida, Bora Bora and Pammakkule, Turkey!
• At the Wyoming Donor Dash, a nurse from Gillette shared her excitement to spread the message of donation with the cork hearts in her community. Several members of Team Rocky Mountain for the Transplant Games of America joined the Wyoming Donor Dash and personalized cork hearts to share at the games in Salt Lake City later this year.
• Cary, Advocate for Life and a donor family member, shared her brother’s heroic choice to be a donor throughout April at several community events. She decorated a heart in her brother’s honor and hid it at the Natrona County Library, hoping to inspire the stranger who found it to register to be a donor too.

Ryea’ O’Neill, Community Relations Coordinator for Donor Alliance, shared, “Consider that nationwide, every 10 minutes, someone is placed on the waiting list and it takes less than 10 minutes to decorate and share one of our cork hearts. This project showed how important grassroots community projects are for Wyoming and how big an impact one person can have!”

With nearly 200 Wyomingites on the waiting list for a lifesaving transplant, the Show Your Heart project helped shine a light on the need for organ, eye and tissue donation. You can help save and heal lives too by registering to be an organ, eye and tissue donor anytime online or at your local Driver Services office.

Driver License Offices celebrate National Donate Life Month

As National Donate Life Month draws to a close, it is important to showcase our Driver License and Driver Services state partners and the support they give Donor Alliance in saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. In Colorado, 68% of residents say YES to donation through their local Driver License office. In Wyoming, 59% say YES to donation at their local Driver Services office.

• There are 29 Driver Services offices in Wyoming and 53 Driver License offices in Colorado. Both work with and support Donor Alliance’s mission by asking residents if they would like to register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor when they obtain or renew a driver license, permit or state ID.
• All 82 offices make it a priority to have materials available for residents in order to educate them about what registering means and how to do so. Learn more about donation here.
• During the month of April, all 82 offices participated by posting National Donate Life Month materials in their offices.
• In Colorado: the Boulder, Grand County, Pueblo and Westgate offices participated in the #ShowYourHeart project by setting up a messaging station and inviting residents to customize a cork heart. The Arapahoe County offices also participated by inviting staff members to customize hearts and place them in their local communities. The Colorado Springs office celebrated National Blue & Green Day as well.
• In Wyoming: the Casper, Cheyenne, Cody, Gillette (pictured below) and Riverton Driver Services offices joined in the #ShowYourHeart project by decorating their offices in blue and green and setting up messaging stations to encourage residents to participate in the project.

All Driver License and Driver Services employees in both Colorado and Wyoming go through donation educational training with a Donor Alliance staff member. We appreciate and value the incredible amount of engagement from all our Driver License and Driver Services locations. They assist us in achieving our mission each and every day!

Celebrating Our Advocates for Life During National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week (April 15-21) is a time to celebrate our amazing Advocates for Life.

National Volunteer Week:

National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to promote volunteerism, recognize and appreciate volunteers who lend their time, talent, voice and support to causes they care about.

Celebrating Our Advocates for Life:

Here at Donor Alliance we’d like to celebrate our more than 200 active Advocates for Life this National Volunteer Week who give their time and energy to share the message of the gift of life in our community. Made up of donor family members, transplant recipients, transplant candidates and others who are passionate about supporting organ and tissue donation and transplantation, Donor Alliance Advocates are the heart and soul of our efforts to inspire the public about the importance of registering as organ and tissue donors in Colorado and Wyoming. You can read some of our Advocates’ stories here.

Advocates for Life hail from all over Colorado and Wyoming and dedicated more than 1,500 hours to the cause last year, educating the public at health fairs in parades with media, through speeches and more. During National Donate Life Month alone our volunteers participate in nearly 100 events in hospitals and throughout our community.

At Donor Alliance, our mission is the save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation and we truly couldn’t accomplish that mission without the efforts of our Advocates for Life – thanks to each and every one of you!

Become an Advocate for Life:

Do you have a connection to organ, eye and tissue donation or transplantation? Simply looking to give back and encourage folks to sign up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor? We'd love for you to join our Advocates for Life program!

Visit our Volunteer page for more information on our Advocates for Life Volunteer Program.

Colorado Gears Up For National Donate Life Month

This April, Donate Life Colorado is excited to celebrate National Donate Life Month! This year we're inviting everyone across the state to Show Your Heart for organ, eye and tissue donation as part of our invites residents to take part in the Show Your Heart Project with activities throughout the month.

The Show Your Heart Project spotlights the altruism of organ, eye and tissue donation in communities across our wonderful state. We've hidden (in plain sight) hearts all over Colorado bearing personalized messages of inspiration to show appreciation for those who have signed up to become organ, eye and tissue donors and inspire others to consider such an act of generosity. If you find a heart, share a photo of it on social media using #ShowYourHeart and tell your followers why you support organ, eye and tissue donation. After that you can add your personal note and leave as an inspirational surprise for another to find. You can also take the heart or show the heart on your license at one of our partner businesses for special discounts! Learn more about the Show Your Heart project here.

In addition to the Show Your Heart Project, there are many other ways that you can show your support for National Donate Life Month this April

• Show Your Heart and Save: Show Your Heart for National Donate Life Month! Show the heart on your driver license or one of the hidden hearts you find at participating partner locations like Alamo Drafthouse, Elvis Cinemas and Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill in Grand Junction, April 9th through April 22nd for freebies like free movie tickets and meal discounts! Learn more about the Show Your Heart promotions here.

• Blue and Green Day on April 13: On Friday, April 13th, supporters of organ, eye and tissue donation around the United States will celebrate National Blue & Green Day as part of National Donate Life Month! Use this opportunity to dress in your best blue and green to raise awareness for the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation, and encourage your family, friends, coworkers and schoolmates to do the same. Don’t forget to share your photos on social media using #ShowYourHeart and be sure to tag us on social media (Facebook: Donate Life Colorado. Twitter and Instagram: @DonateLifeCO)

• Come to one of our events in April: During the month of April we’ll be at events all around Colorado! You can catch us at the Denver Auto Show, the Wyoming Donor Dash and at special Show Your Heart events just to name a few. Stop by and see us for lots of fun and free Donate Life prizes! Click here to see our events page.

• Share the love with our Toolkit: We’ve created a toolkit to help you promote organ, eye and tissue donation in your area! We have social media graphics, downloadable posters and more! Use these resources to help us bring awareness to the nearly 2,500 people in our area who are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant! Click here to see the toolkit.

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.