Cobertura Reciente en los Medios

Staff Spotlight: Noel Stout

Wyoming Donor Family Tribute: Lives Transformed

On Saturday, August 27^th the Wyoming Donor Family Tribute was held at Camp Wyoba on Casper Mountain. The beautiful and serene surroundings provided the perfect setting for us to gather with our wonderful Wyoming donor families to celebrate the lives of organ, eye and tissue donors in the Cowboy
State.

In all, 16 donor families and a total of 51 people came together to celebrate the lives of their loved ones Guests enjoyed a delicious barbeque lunch and also heard from double lung recipient Caydence and her grandmother Pattei of Cheyenne. The beautiful Wyoming day included flower pot decorating, roasting s’mores around a campfire and walking through a special memorial garden. The day ended with a tree dedication ceremony, in which the name of each donor was read as their families paid tribute to them by hanging special hand-written notes on the tree. "It means so much for us as Donor Alliance staff to be able to come together with Wyoming donor families to remember their incredible loved ones." says Donor Alliance Volunteer and Special Events Coordinator, Mandy Bock, "We're so grateful to them for the precious gift of healing and life that has been given to those in need of a lifesaving and healing transplant."
We received the sweetest note from Cayde that she wanted us to share with all of you. Cayde would like to thank all Wyomingites that have chosen to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. You are heroes to those waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Cayde is a happy and thriving little girl today because her hero said yes!

2016 Ending the Wait Awards Honor Colorado Hospitals for Organ and Tissue Donation Achievements

University of Colorado Hospital, Penrose Hospital, McKee Medical Center and Avista Adventist Hospital were recognized with Ending the Wait awards today for their outstanding achievements in facilitating the gift of life through organ and tissue donation in Colorado. The awards, now in their eighth year, are presented annually by Donor Alliance and the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA).

The organizations created the awards to recognize the commitment of Colorado hospitals, medical centers and healthcare professionals to saving lives through organ and tissue donation. The selections are based on hospital size, trauma center designation, total number of donors and organs transplanted and are awarded annually to hospitals that demonstrate extraordinary efforts in organ and tissue donation.

Last year, organ donors from Penrose Hospital donated more than four organs per donor, which resulted in 30 lives saved through organ transplantation in 2015. University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) has long been a leader in organ and tissue donation and transplantation. UCH led the way in tissue donation for a facility of its size with 96 tissue donors in 2015, a 48 percent increase over the previous year. McKee Medical Center is being honored for its hand in helping 22 tissue donors fulfill their wishes to help others. Avista Adventist Hospital also earned recognition for its dedication to fulfilling family wishes surrounding organ and tissue donation.

Each donor has the potential to save up to eight lives through organ donation and save and heal more than 50 through the gift of tissue donation. There are currently nearly 2,700 people in Colorado waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. To register to be an organ and tissue donor, please visit DonateLifeColorado.org or call 303-329-4747 for more information.

Volunteer Spotlight: Yvette Matthews

[caption id="attachment_9815" align="alignright" width="300"] Yvette with all of her medals from the Transplant Games[/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 Yvette Matthews who recently returned home from competing in the Transplant Games, where she brought home 8 medals:

You recently participated in the Transplant Games and brought home 8 medals! Congratulations! What events did you bring home medals in?

The 5k and 20k cycling, long jump, high jump, discus, shot put, softball throw, and 5k run

What was your favorite event at the Transplant Games?

The 20k cycling event because I hadn’t planned on riding in it, but it was a chilly morning. I decided to race the 20k because I figured it would get me warm and I came in 3^rd place.

What has been your favorite memory in volunteering with Donor Alliance?

Walking in The Parade of Lights parade.

What is the last book you read or movie you saw? Would you recommend it?

I’m reading The Fireman by Joe Hill. The book I just finished is The Eighty Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts. Both books are really good.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Never give up. Be patient. Relax!

If you could travel anywhere, all expenses paid, where would you go and why?

I would go to The World Transplant Games in Malaga, Spain. I would like to compete internationally and I would love to meet people from other countries who are part of the transplant community. I also would also love to travel to Costa Rica so I can see the rain forest. It’s supposed to be beautiful.

If you could have any superpower, which would you choose?

That’s a hard question because I kind of like the way I am. I guess I’d like to be able to fly because I could save money on airfare.

Who is your favorite superhero?

Wonder Woman

What is your favorite vacation memory?

Driving from Colorado through Wyoming, to Glacier Lake, to Canada, to Alaska, and then back to Colorado through the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and back through Wyoming. I drove for 4 weeks in the fall with no real agenda. I was lucky enough to find a hotel to stay in every night. After this vacation I can now say that I’ve been to all 50 states.

Donor Alliance Reports on 2015 Successes

Last month we published our annual report reflecting on key activities and successes of 2015.

One of our noteworthy accomplishments last year was receiving the Peak Performance Award from Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence (RMPEx), a nonprofit helping organizations improve performance and achieve results. This is the highest level of excellence, as recognized by RMPEx, and we are only the second organ procurement organization to achieve this state-level recognition. This striving for operational and organizational success is crucial to the lifesaving work that we do.

In line with this achievement, our annual report is themed “Improving Performance, Achieving Results.” In it, we detail how our performance excellence journey impacted every area of the organization last year, and each of our core value areas: Integrity, Leadership, Excellence, Accountability and People First.

Check out the full report here.

Eric Studesville, a coach for the Denver Broncos, offers much more than running back advice

Eric Studesville running back coach for the Denver Broncos, and Jackie Prybella, the fiancé of a donor who passed away in April 2015, shared their powerful stories with 9News and spoke about how they are working with Donor Alliance to raise awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation. You can watch the full interview click here to watch it on 9news.com.

The Need for More Minority Donors

It’s important that people of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds register as organ, eye and tissue donors. However, there is a far greater need for more minority donors. Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans and other minority communities account for more than half of the more than 120,000 people on the national waiting list. This is partially due to the fact that some diseases that may lead to organ failure, such as diabetes and high blood pressure are more prevalent in minority populations.

For example, African Americans, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders are three times more likely than Caucasians to suffer from end-stage renal disease, often as the result of high blood pressure and other conditions. Nationally, 30% of the people waiting for a transplant are African Americans, 19% are Hispanic and 8% are Asian. Here in our community, 41% of the more than 2,500 people waiting for a transplant belong to minority groups. 

Although organ transplant candidates are not matched based on race/ethnicity and people of different races can match one another, organ transplants matches made within ethnic groups can have higher level of compatibility than those made outside ethnic groups. By increasing the number of registered minority donors, transplant candidates will have a better chance to receive a second chance at life through transplantation. For more information and to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor please visit www.DonateLifeColorado.org or www.DonateLifeWyoming.org. 

The Organ and Tissue Donation Process: How It Works

Deceased vs. Living Donation: What Are You Committing to When You Say Yes at the Driver License Office?

In 2015, we conducted a study examining Colorado and Wyoming residents’ sentiments about organ, eye and tissue donation. Throughout 2016, we will be sharing some of the results on Donation Essentials to educate on the donation process, barriers to registration and what exactly the little heart on the driver license means.

Let's talk deceased vs. living donation and discuss what you are committing to when you say yes at the drive license office.

Deceased vs. Living Donation:

There are two ways to be a donor: deceased donation and living donation:

• Deceased donation is choosing to donate your organs, eyes and tissues to patients in need at the time of your death. This is what you commit to doing when you say ‘yes’ to being a donor at the driver license office.
• Living donation is choosing to donate an organ or part of an organ to another individual while you are alive. Only certain organs can be donated while living, eyes and tissues cannot.

Both living and deceased donation can be lifesaving. However, some confusion exists about the difference between the two. Independent research we conducted in 2015 revealed that there is some confusion among Colorado and Wyoming residents when it comes to which type of donation is covered by donor registration, and in turn represented with a heart on the state driver license.

According to independent research that we conducted in 2015, about 25 percent of respondents in Colorado and Wyoming mistakenly believe that the heart or hearts on a state driver license represents a person’s willingness to donate while living, with most of those residents believing that the heart represents willingness to donate via both deceased and living donation. In fact, the heart on a state driver license means the owner of the license has registered to donate their organs, eyes and tissues at the time of their death, only. Living donation is separate and unrelated to the state donor registry.

Living donation offers another option for transplant candidates waiting for a life-saving donation. However, living donation must be considered personally and discussed directly with a transplant center. To help someone through living donation, or to learn more about the process, visit our resource page.

To learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation and the reasons to say Yes to deceased donation, visit our “Why Donate?” page, and to sign up to become a donor, visit Donate Life Colorado or Donate Life Wyoming.

In Celebration of National Minority Donor Awareness Week

By: Jaime Tellez, Cornea transplant recipient

In 2008, at six years old, I developed aggressive cataracts on both eyes that grew so quickly that I was nearly blind within four weeks of being diagnosed. Soon after having surgery on both of my eyes, surgeons determined that I had cornea damage on my right eye from the surgery and needed a transplant.

I received a successful partial cornea transplant and was able to go from near blindness to needing only one eye drop per day and my glasses to enjoy all of the activities that I had been restricted from doing prior to my transplant. I was given a new opportunity to be able to see all that life has to offer, thanks to my donor.

As a member of the Latino community, it is important that I share my story this week because August 1-7 marks the 18^th annual National Minority Donor Awareness Week. National Minority Awareness Week honors minorities who have been donors and encourages others to register as donors. To help increase awareness of the need for more organ, eye and tissue donors, especially among minorities, and to honor my donor, my family and I will be planting a tree on Friday, August 5 at 10 a.m. at Del Mar Park in Aurora, Colorado.

In sharing my story, I am hopeful that I can help to inspire others to say “yes” to organ, eye and tissue donation. DonateLifeColorado.org is a great resource with the facts you need to make an informed decision about donation and register as a donor online. You can also register by saying “yes” when you are obtaining a driver license or state ID. Anyone can register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor, regardless of age, race, medical history, religion or income. Even those with chronic conditions, such as hepatitis and diabetes, can register to give the gift of life at any age.

Advocate Spotlight: Janet Rost

[caption id="attachment_9615" align="alignright" width="300"] Janet regularly volunteers her time as an Adocate for Life with Donor Alliance at events such as the Denver Auto Show.[/caption]

In the fall of 2011, Janet Rost fell into end stage liver disease. Her doctor at the time encouraged her to complete her bucket list without delay, but thanks to the ultimate gift from someone she'll never know, she is living life to the fullest with a new liver.

Janet's problems began when she unknowingly contracted Hepatitis C from a blood transfusion after a near fatal car accident over 30 years earlier. In the 13 years she knew of her disease, she underwent interferon treatment and actively tried to heal herself through healthy, clean living. It wasn't enough and she went onto the waiting list for a transplant while rapidly slipping into liver failure.

The day she learned about her new liver was the happiest of her life, rivaled only by her wedding day and the birth of her son.

Seven weeks after the transplant, Janet walked the Donor Dash 5K in honor of her donor. These days, she spends as much time as possible with her son, volunteers with Donor Alliance, and rides with Team Transplant's cycling team.

"My husband and I take time to appreciate life with each other and I take care of this liver as if I'm sharing it with my donor. She lives on inside me and I never take life for granted," she said.

Thousands Celebrate the Gift of Life at the record-breaking 2016 Donor Dash

On July 17, Donor Alliance hosted the 17^th annual Donor Dash at Washington Park in Denver. Nearly 6,000 registered participants broke attendance records while gathering 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 17^th annual Donor Dash a huge success! Click to watch some of the local news coverage of the 2016 Donor Dash on 9News and 7News in Denver.

Watch our wrap up video of the 2016 Donor Dash!