A Quarterly Newsletter of LifeShare Of The Carolinas

VOLUME 17

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ISSUE 1

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SPRING 2014

IN THIS ISSUE:

1 National Donate Life Month

2 Donate Life Rose Parade Float

3 LifeShare’s Eye Bank Turns 20

4 Observing National DonateLife Month

5 Blue and Green Day

6 LifeShare Partners withFuneral Homes

6 The Fingerprint of Grief

7 Donor Statistics by Hospital

8 Go for the Gold

A Donate Life Organization

Celebrate National DonateLife Month with LifeShareTHIS APRIL MARKS THE 11TH ANNUAL NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH, A CELEBRATION

COMMEMORATING THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THE GIFT OF LIFE THROUGH ORGAN, EYE AND

TISSUE DONATION. FOR THOSE WHOSE LIVES HAVE BEEN SAVED OR HEALED BY A TRANSPLANT,

NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH PROVIDES A CHANCE TO SHARE THEIR STORY.

The story of Bob Cole, a retired high school teacher and football coach in Concord,

NC, proves that people of all ages can benefit from organ donation. In the eleventh

hour of severe heart disease, he received the

greatest news he could hope for. A donated

heart would save his life and would also

allow him just a few short months later

to walk his daughter down the aisle at

her wedding.

Little Brooke’s experience happened

much earlier in life. Brooke received a

life-saving liver transplant when she was

only one year old. Now seven, Brooke

attends first grade and takes horseback

riding lessons. Without her donor, none of

this would have been possible, a fact her

mother, Sommer, a nurse at Novant Health,

is well aware. We’re just so thrilled that we

are able to see her grow up,” she said.

“The transplant waiting list is made up of people of all ages,” added Gary Burris,

LifeShare’s Chief Operating Officer. “Likewise, it’s important to show that people of

any age can make a powerful difference in someone’s life by being a donor. Donation

saves and heals lives every day, but it can easily happen when someone makes the

important decision to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor”

Currently, there are 112 million registered donors in the United States, including

about 4.5 million on the North Carolina Organ Donor Registry. Still, the number of

people needing a transplant continues to outpace the demand. More than 120,000

people are on the national transplant waiting list.

National Donate Life Month only comes once a year but the need for donors

continues year-round. If you don’t already have a heart on your driver’s license, you

can sign-up at the DMV or join the North Carolina Organ Donor Registry at

www.donatelifenc.org/register.

Brooke, Liver Recipient

2 L I F E S H A R E O F T H E C A R O L I N A S

LifeShareOf The Carolinas

1-800-932-GIVE

www.lifesharecarolinas.org

Editor

Debbie Gibbs

Associate Editor

Gary Burris

O U R M I S S I O N

Improving lives through organ,

eye and tissue donation.

OU R V I S I O N

We envision a day when everyone

who needs a transplant will be

able to get one.

Another Great Year of Participationon the Donate Life Rose Parade Float

North Carolina was well-represented on the DonateLife float this year thanks toJulie Allred, an islet cell pancreastransplant recipient. A schoolnurse, Julie was the only floatrider from the Tarheel state onthe float this year.

Julie may have been theonly float-rider from NorthCarolina to represent NorthCarolina but Renee Rhodes

made us proud with herparticipation as well. Renee ispictured with her son, Taylor,Kevin Monroe and Liz Hartwho helped decorate the

floragraph of Renee’shusband, Travis who became

a donor following a tragicboating accident.

S A V E T H E D A T E

October 6, 2014 • Trump National • Charlotte, NCSave a Life Golf Classic

The goal is toincrease the organdonor registry andto honor donors.

3

Number of Candidates on theNational Transplant Waiting List

Kidney 99,585

Liver 15,757

Pancreas 1,182

Kidney-Pancreas 2,026

Heart 3,809

Lung 1,639

Heart-Lung 48

Intestine 260

NATIONAL TOTAL 121,481

North Carolina 3,375

South Carolina 894

Based on OPTN data as of March 7, 2014.

S P R I N G I S S U E – 2 0 1 4

Did you know?

It doesn’t matter how old someone is, the color oftheir eyes or even if they have poor eyesight; cornealdonation is still an option.

THE YEAR WAS 1994. THE DALLAS COWBOYS WON THE SUPER BOWL. FORREST GUMP

WAS THE TOP MOVIE OF THE YEAR AND OJ SIMPSON MADE HIS FAMOUS DRIVE DOWN A

LOS ANGELES FREEWAY. IT WAS AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE FOR LIFESHARE AS WELL.

It was the year that LifeShare opened the doors to our eye bank to provide eye tissue

to individuals in need of life-enhancing corneal transplants. Over the past 20 years,

we have partnered with ophthalmologists to restore sight to thousands of patients in

our region and as far away as Egypt.

Turnover in our Eye Facility has been almost non-existent. David Marlowe, the

Manager of our Eye Bank, is LifeShare’s longest employee. Additionally, Dr. Edward

Isbey III and Dr. David Ugland, Medical Directors of our Asheville and Charlotte

Eye Banks respectively, have been with us from the beginning. Melanie Griffith,

also a fixture in eye banking, has worked faithfully with us for the past 16 years.

LifeShare’s Eye Bank is one of 82 in the United States certified by the Eye Bank

Association of America (EBAA). Since the first one was performed in 1905, it is

estimated that over a million corneas have been transplanted.

Corneas are different from organ transplants in that the blood type of the donor

and the recipient don’t have to match. There is also no national waiting list for

people in need of corneal transplants. According to the EBAA, almost anyone can be

a cornea donor. It doesn’t matter how old someone is, the color of their eyes or even

if they have poor eyesight; corneal donation is still an option.

As we celebrate a significant date in our history, we also want to take the time to

recognize the donors and their families who said yes to eye donation over the past

20 years. Without them, there would be no transplants!

LifeShare’s Eye Bank Turns 20

4 L I F E S H A R E O F T H E C A R O L I N A SYou h

ave the power to donate life!

Plan Your Observance ofNational Donate Life Month

National Dona From informational tables at area hospitals to a baseball game with the Asheville

Tourists, there are lots of opportunities to join the celebration. City councils and

county commissions can get in on the act too. We have draft proclamations available

upon request.

Individuals in the Asheville area are invited to join us at the Asheville Tourists

Game on April 17, 2014 to highlight donor awareness. The tickets are $6. To purchase

yours, call (828) 258-0428 x200.

Hospitals need not be left out of the observance. We know that several already

have plans in place. For those still looking for ways to get involved, we suggest:

• Putting up a Donate Life

Month poster in a waiting

room or public area.

• Flying a Donate Life flag.

• Featuring a donor or an

employee with a tie to donation

in your newsletter or website.

• Sending an e-mail from the

CEO encouraging employees

to register as donors.

For additional information

contact your hospital liaison or

the LifeShare office nearest you

at (828) 665-0107 or

(704) 512-3303.

CALENDARof events

April 2014National Donate Life Month

Nationwide

April 7, 2014Asheville Tourists Baseball Game

McCormick Field

Asheville, NC

www.theashevilletourists.com

April 11, 2014Blue and Green Day

Nationwide

June 7, 2014Collier Lilly Ride 4 Life

Davidson College

Davidson, NC

www.CollierLillyRide4Life.com

October 6, 2014Save a Life Golf Tournament

Trump National

Find out how by visiting www.lifesharecarolinas.org.

5S P R I N G I S S U E – 2 0 1 4

ate Life Month

LifeShare will celebrate National Blue and Green Day for the third year on Friday,

April 11th. It is a wonderful opportunity for businesses and individuals to flaunt their

blue and green.

Companies are invited to decorate their windows or offices in Donate Life blue

and green. We are especially hopeful that area bakeries will feature cakes, cookies

and other baked goods in blue and green. Individuals are encouraged to dress up in

blue and green too.

Ladies may paint the town blue in a special nail polish created in honor of Taylor

Stortch who became a donor following a tragic ski accident. “Taylor’s Gift” is not

available in local nail salons but it can be ordered at taylorsgift.org/store/.

However you celebrate, we’d love to see all your creative photos. Send them to

eboni.lewis@lifesharecarolinas. For more information, contact Debbie Gibbs,

704-512-3303, or dgibbs@carolinas.org.

April 11, 2014

6

PLANNING A PROGRAM?

As your organization plans its meeting

calendar for the year, please think of

LifeShare. Speakers from your community

whose lives have been touched by

organ or tissue donation are available

to talk to local groups.

If you would like to schedule a

free, informative presentation tailored

to the needs of your organization,

call the LifeShare office nearest you

at (704) 512-3303 or (828) 255-8699.

If you are interested in joining our

Speaker’s Bureau, we’d also like to

hear from you.

Lots of opportunities are available

to help in the office, to staff a booth

at a health fair or to make presentations

to community groups. Call us.

PLEASE CONSIDERMAKING A FINANCIALCONTRIBUTION

By making a donation to LifeShare,

you can help to save lives by raising

organ and tissue donation awareness.

You may contribute in several ways.

In lieu of flowers, LifeShare may

be designated as the organization to

receive memorials for funerals.

Contributions may also be made in

the name of a transplant recipient,

donor or other loved one. Each person

who makes a contribution to LifeShare

receives a thank you letter. A separate

letter is sent to the family or person in

whose honor the donation was made.

Please mail your check, payable to

LifeShare, to the address on the back

of the newsletter. All contributions are

tax-deductible and are used for public

education purposes.

L I F E S H A R E O F T H E C A R O L I N A S

LifeShare Partners with FuneralHomes to Care for Grieving Families

As long as there have been transplants, organ procurement organizations and funeral

homes have worked hand in hand to care for donor families. Throughout southwestern

North Carolina, LifeShare has partnered with hundreds of funeral homes and morticians

to make sure all donors are treated with dignity and respect.

Recently, we have taken steps to formalize the process and designated two

LifeShare employees to serve as funeral home liaisons. They are Mitzy Parker-Sanders

and Alisha Wallace-Smith.

By making periodic visits to area funeral homes and mortuaries, Alisha and Mitzy

will work to improve communications, provide education on clinical issues and to

serve as a direct resource for our funeral home partners. In January, Joe Kreeb, our

Manager of Tissue Recovery Services, joined Alisha and Mitzy for a presentation to

the Western District Funeral Directors and Morticians Association.

Based on the feedback, we have added additional information on our web site

www.lifesharecarolinas.org/professional-partners/funeral-arrangements/.

We hope the January meeting was the first of many opportunities we will have to

collaborate for the benefit of donor families. In the meantime, funeral homes that

would like to have an in-service can call Alisha or Mitzy at (704) 512-3303. For

questions about a case in progress, contact us toll-free at (800) 932-4483.

The Fingerprint of GriefBY JESSE ROBERTS, LIFESHARE FAMILY SUPPORT SPECIALIST

When we lose someone we love, everything changes. There is a void left in our lives

that cannot be filled or ignored. The phone doesn’t ring at the same time every day,

as it did for so many years. The garage door doesn’t open at exactly 5:20 every afternoon

after work. The house just doesn’t feel the same…and neither does life. These are all

painful reminders that our loved ones are no longer with us.

It is so important to focus on the good memories that we have with our loved

ones, while still acknowledging and feeling the pain that reminds us that they are

gone. When you run across a funny picture, or remember that time that dad embarrassed

himself in public, don’t be afraid to laugh. Take in the goodness of that moment.

When you are at home late at night and your wife’s favorite show comes on television,

or a smell reminds you of her, don’t be afraid to cry. These are all parts of the grieving

process. We have our ups, and we have our downs. All we can do is put one foot in

front of the other, and take one day at a time—with the good memories, and the

painful reminders—trusting that one day we will feel “ok” again.

Allow yourself to grieve. Give yourself permission to hurt, to laugh, to cry, and to

feel. Many people ask, “what is normal grief?” “Normal” is a relative term. We are all

different—our loved ones meant different things to us, our experiences with loss are

different, we all cope in different ways, and we all grieve as the unique individuals

that we are. No two people will grieve in the same way. Grief is a like a fingerprint—

it is unique, it is tailored to who we are, and it is ours.

May you find solace in the fingerprint of your grief.

S P R I N G I S S U E – 2 0 1 4 7

LifeShare gratefully acknowledges the commitment of all nurses and other medical personnel who help to further the ideals of organ andtissue donation. It is through their efforts and the generosity of donor family members that donation occurs. When comparing statistics,please note that not all hospitals have the same donor potential.

DONOR STATISTIC S BY HOSPITAL

October–December 2013 2013 Totals

Hospital Eye Organ Tissue Eye Organ Tissue

Angel 1 0 1 5 0 3

Anson 1 0 1 4 0 2

Asheville Specialty 0 0 0 0 0 0

Carolinas Medical Center 30 17 18 95 61 64

CMC - Blue Ridge Grace 2 0 4 7 0 6

CMC - Lincoln 3 0 0 14 0 8

CMC - Mercy 1 0 0 1 0 0

CMC - NorthEast 10 3 9 38 4 32

CMC - Pineville 3 0 1 17 0 13

CMC - Union 3 0 2 16 1 13

CMC - University 1 0 0 3 1 1

CMC - Valdese 2 0 2 5 0 5

CMC - Waxhaw 0 0 0 2 0 2

Caromont 14 0 14 49 6 39

Cherokee 0 0 0 3 0 2

Cleveland 3 1 4 16 1 12

Crawley 0 0 0 0 0 0

Harris 1 0 1 4 0 3

Haywood 2 0 2 14 0 15

Highlands-Cashiers 3 0 1 3 0 1

Kings Mountain 1 0 1 3 0 2

Lake Norman 2 0 0 8 0 2

Mission 16 2 12 60 8 39

Murphy 1 0 1 6 0 6

Novant Health - Ortho 0 0 0 0 0 0

Novant Health - Huntersville 1 0 1 3 0 4

Novant Health - Matthews 6 1 1 13 1 8

Novant Health - Presbyterian 8 1 7 27 1 19

Pardee 2 0 4 13 0 8

Park Ridge 2 0 1 4 0 1

Rehab 0 0 0 0 0 0

Rutherford 4 0 1 16 0 13

St. Luke’s 1 0 1 3 0 3

Stanly 4 0 4 11 0 13

Swain 0 0 0 2 0 2

Transylvania 2 0 1 4 0 2

VA 1 0 1 9 0 5

LifeShareOf The Carolinas

5000-D Airport Center ParkwayCharlotte, NC 28208

Whether you can run a mile, do a mean tango or throw a dart, Team North Carolina

has a spot for you. The team is actively recruiting organ, tissue and eye transplant

recipients to represent the state at the Transplant Games of America this summer.

Held bi-ennually, the Transplant Games are designed to show the world that

transplants work. This year the event will be held in Houston, Texas from July 11–15th.

In addition to organ and tissue recipients, donor family members are also invited to

participate and to attend workshops developed with them in mind.

Traditional track and field events will be offered but to make the event appealing

to those recipients who are “more athletically challenged”, competitions in ballroom

dancing, Texas Hold’em Poker and even a Trivia challenge will be offered.

To make the trip affordable, organizers of Team North Carolina are working on

fundraising opportunities. Interested? Additional information is available online at

www.transplantteamnc.org or by contacting Al Milek, the team captain at (919) 762-9656.

Go for the GoldWINNING WITH TRANSPLANTS