A Quarterly Newsletter of LifeShare Of The Carolinas

VOLUME 18

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ISSUE 1

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SPRING 2015

IN THIS ISSUE:

1 A Time to Honor ThoseTouched by Donation

2 LifeShare Offers NewService for Donor Families

3 2014 DMV Office AwardWinners Announced

4 Swipe to Donate

5 Like Video Games?

6 We’ve Changed

6 Here We Grow Again

7 Donor Statistics byHospital

8 PGA Golfer Tees Off toRaise Donation Awareness

A Donate Life Organization

LIFESHARE CELEBRATES NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH

A Time to Honor Those Touchedby Donation and Transplantation

You know about waiting, don’t you? You have waited in line to see a movie. You have

waited for your number to be called at the DMV. You have drummed your fingers on

the steering wheel in bumper to bumper traffic when there were a hundred of other

things you could have been doing.

Waiting is the time spent in-between, the limbo of not yet. Waiting might mean

hours and hours of being attached to a dialysis machine. Or being out of breath—

always. For a child, waiting can mean not playing. For an adult, it can mean not

working. Waiting can mean isolation, financial chaos, physical and emotional pain,

even death.

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), more than 123,000

people are currently waiting for an organ transplant. Approximately 3,300 of them

live in North Carolina.

During April, LifeShare will celebrate National Donate Life Month to thank and

recognize the thousands of people who made their final act on earth an act of selfless

compassion. They are the organ, eye and tissue donors who came to the rescue of

people who are all too familiar with waiting. Because of them, a child will get his first

real, play-filled summer, a man will be able to take his grandkids fishing and a young

woman will be able to dance again.

Log onto our web site and visit our Facebook page frequently to learn more about

programs and activities LifeShare will sponsor during National Donate Life Month.

Many of them are open to the public. Don’t wait!

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

Assistant Editor

Gary Burris

Associate Editor

Ben Martin

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.

S A V E T H E D A T E

October 12, 2015 • Trump National • Charlotte, NCSave a Life Golf Classic

The goal is toincrease the organdonor registry andto honor donors.

THE CONTINUING CARE CORNER

LifeShare Offers New Servicefor Donor FamiliesOur Continuing Care program is working towards setting the standard in post-donation

care. With that in mind, we will begin offering individual grief counseling services at

our office in Charlotte. The service is free of charge and will be conducted by Jesse

Roberts, LifeShare’s new Continuing Care Coordinator.

The goal of the program is to provide the best possible support to all organ, eye

and tissue donor families who entrust the care of their loved ones to us. The support

we provide begins with the first time our staff speaks with the families of potential

donors and continues long after. With everything from grief literature to individual

and group counseling services, we are here to serve.

To make an appointment or for more information, simply call LifeShare at

(704) 512-3303. If you are unable to come to the office but are in need of support,

phone counseling is available.

ABOUT JESSEJesse holds a Master’s and Education Specialist degree in Clinical Mental Health

Counseling from Gardner-Webb University. He is also a Nationally Certified

Counselor and is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate. He is a member of

the American Counseling Association and of the Association for Death Education

and Counseling.

Jesse is also a grief author and is very active in the grief community. He is no

stranger to grief as he has experienced numerous losses in his own life.

3

Number of Candidates on theNational Transplant Waiting List

Kidney 101,652

Liver 15,307

Pancreas 1,071

Kidney-Pancreas 2,012

Heart 4,060

Lung 1,635

Heart-Lung 39

Intestine 239

NATIONAL TOTAL 123,213

North Carolina 3,155

South Carolina 874

Based on OPTN data as of March 6, 2015.

S P R I N G I S S U E – 2 0 1 5

FOR THE FIFTH YEAR IN A ROW, THE DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES (DMV) OFFICE

LOCATED IN BOONE HAS WON THE TOP PRIZE FOR THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF

INDIVIDUALS REGISTERED WITH A HEART ON THEIR DRIVER’S LICENSE IN NORTH

CAROLINA. THE OFFICE POSTED A 72.1% ACTIONABLE DONOR DESIGNATION (ADD)

RATE. THE STATE AVERAGE WAS 51%.

DMV offices located in the part of the state served by LifeShare fared somewhere in

the middle. Donate Life NC, which administers the DMV program, will present

awards to offices across the state with the highest ADD rates (those individuals

receiving or renewing their licenses who registered as donors in a given period of

time) and also those with the highest percentage increase for 2014.

The offices in our area that will receive awards this spring and their Ambassadors are:

Highest ADD rates

Brevard (66.3%) Freddie Hart

Lincolnton (54.6%) Toni Whiteside

Mooresville (62.5%) Rich Davis

Largest Increase Huntersville (9.3%) Bobby and Brenda Height

Marshall (4.2%) Andy Bunch

99% of North Carolinians who register as organ and eye donors do so at the DMV.

With 4.6 million individuals signed-up, North Carolina’s Organ Donor Registry

remains the sixth largest in the United States.

We would like to thank all of the DMV Ambassadors, most of whom are

LifeShare volunteers, for making quarterly visits to DMV offices and for their efforts

to recognize the examiners for asking each customer, every time, “Do you want to

register as a donor?”

99% of North Carolinians whoregister as organ and eye donorsdo so at the DMV.In addition to those already mentioned, the DMV Ambassadors who give freely

of their time to serve our area are: Tom Aspenwall, Kathy Buchanan, Steve Granger,

Michelle and Danny Hamby, Nancy Hartley, Daniel Jenkins, John Marsden, Bobbie

Monteith, Gwen Murrah, Ryan Nelms, Zeatta Ruff, Gary Simmons, Bryan Stewart,

Rick Stone and Julie Wallace. Keep up the good work!

2014 DMV Office AwardWinners Announced

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

he power to donate life!

Swipe to DonateSOFTWARE APP AIDS IN REGISTERING NEW DONORS

innovation to inc Innovative new software designed to make the registration process easier for people

who want to sign-up as donors is now available in North Carolina (NC). Swipe to

Donate Life, an app, will not replace online registrations or paper enrollment forms

but it will save time for people attending public events.

The way it works is simple. The app allows people to “swipe” the magnetic strip on

their driver’s license or identification card on a mobile device which then downloads

the person’s information into the NC Organ Donor Registry. It’s secure and a lot

faster than filling out a paper enrollment form. Once the information is transferred

to the registry, it is then erased from the mobile device.

North Carolina is the third state in thecountry to begin using the new technology.

It was first pioneered in Arizona. South Carolina became the fourth state to get it.

With the permission of each registrant, LifeShare staff members will be using

designated iPhones and iPads to swipe driver’s license information. Look for it at

donor drives and other special events during April.

We’d like to thank Bill Trahan, a liver transplant recipient and LifeShare volunteer,

for the contribution that made the purchase of the iPads available. It’s just another

example of how we use funds donated to LifeShare for public education purposes.

CALENDARof events

March 27, 2015Flag Ceremony

CMC NorthEast

April 7, 2015Flag Ceremony

Caramont Health

April 17, 2015Blue and Green Day

Nationwide

April 21, 2015Flag Ceremony

Carolinas Medical Center

September 26, 2015Run the Forest 5K

Asheville, NC

October 12, 2015Save a Life Golf Tournament

Trump National

Charlotte, NC

5S P R I N G I S S U E – 2 0 1 5

crease donationLike Video Games?NEW APP ON ORGAN DONATION NOW AVAILABLE

It’s been a long time coming but a new App designed to promote organ

donation has recently been released. Dr. Transplant is an innovative

opportunity for video game enthusiasts to have fun while learning

more about donation.

The make-believe transplant center is so busy Dr. Transplant and

Dr. Heather Link can't take care of all of the patients in need of a

transplant. Completing a suite of three quick puzzle games saves a

virtual life. There’s no medical degree required!

The numbers are real. Over 123,000 people nationwide are on the

national transplant waiting list. Meanwhile, according to the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, 21 people die each day

while waiting.

To help raise awareness about organ donation, the developers of

the App are hopeful that the public will share their accomplishments

on Facebook, Twitter, etc. In fact, gamers who follow Dr. Transplant

on Twitter (@drtransplant) will receive periodic tweets with new

challenges.

Currently, the game is only available on Apple iOS products

but the developers are working to make it available on Android

devices as well. The good news is the App is free.

Dr. Transplant was developed by Megatherium Labs,

Dr. Howard Degenholtz, a researcher at the University of

Pittsburgh and the Center for Organ Recovery &

Education, a Pittsburgh-based organ procurement

organization. The project was supported by a grant from

the Division of Transplantation, Health Resources and

Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services.

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

We’ve ChangedWith this edition, we are making some subtle but significant changes to our newsletter.

We have made a decision to only print the newsletter three times a year, instead of

four. It will allow us to redirect those marketing dollars to other projects and to

hopefully make the content of each edition even more meaningful.

In addition, Ben Martin has been named Associate Editor. Ben has been helping

with the newsletter for years and we decided it was time to make him “official”. Look

for his name on page two.

We will continue to make the online version of the newsletter available four

times a year. If you haven’t already subscribed and would like to, you may do so by

visiting our website at lifesharecarolinas.org or by e-mailing Ben Martin at

ben.martin@lifesharecarolinas.org. You may also contact Ben to have your name

removed from the mailing list.

We are always interested in feedback from readers. If you have suggestions for

future issues, please contact Debbie Gibbs at dgibbs@carolinas.org or via phone at

(704) 512-3303. In the meantime, happy reading!

Here We Grow AgainLifeShare is pleased to announce several recent additions to our staff. Over the last

six months, we have hired four new employees for our Asheville and Charlotte

offices. They are as follows:

Vahisha Steadman, Family Support Specialist (Asheville)

Katherine Correll, Organ Recovery Coordinator (Charlotte)

Rodney Singleton, Organ Recovery Coordinator (Charlotte)

If you should see any of these individuals in your hospital or in your community,

please say hello and make them feel welcome.

S P R I N G I S S U E – 2 0 1 5 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 S TAT I S T I C S BY HOSP I TA L

October–December 2014 2014 Totals

Hospital Eye Organ Tissue Eye Organ Tissue

Angel 1 0 2 4 0 3

Anson 3 0 3 4 0 5

Asheville Specialty 0 0 0 1 0 1

Carolinas Medical Center 27 10 27 121 51 97

CMC - Huntersville 0 0 0 0 0 0

CMC - Lincoln 3 0 6 13 0 10

CMC - Mercy 1 0 1 3 1 1

CMC - NorthEast 8 0 5 39 2 30

CMC - Pineville 4 0 2 14 1 12

CMC - Union 4 0 4 23 0 21

CMC - University 0 0 0 5 0 5

CMC - Valdese 0 0 0 2 0 1

Caromont 15 1 14 51 4 44

Cherokee 0 0 0 1 0 1

Cleveland 4 0 6 11 0 14

Harris 2 0 2 5 0 5

Haywood 4 0 4 9 0 9

Highlands-Cashiers 2 0 1 2 0 1

Kings Mountain 0 0 0 1 0 2

Lake Norman 2 0 2 5 0 4

Mission 14 3 13 52 12 40

Morganton 2 0 1 10 0 8

Murphy 1 0 1 5 0 3

Novant Health - Huntersville 1 0 0 6 0 4

Novant Health - Matthews 6 0 5 13 0 9

Novant Health - Presbyterian 11 1 7 32 9 17

Pardee 5 0 4 14 0 10

Park Ridge 1 0 1 5 0 4

Rehab 0 0 0 0 0 0

Rutherford 6 0 4 21 0 12

St. Luke’s 0 0 0 1 0 1

Stanly 1 0 1 2 0 5

Swain 0 0 0 2 0 0

Transylvania 3 0 3 7 0 5

VA 0 0 0 2 0 1

LifeShareOf The Carolinas

5000-D Airport Center ParkwayCharlotte, NC 28208

PGA TOUR golfer and two-time heart transplant recipient Erik

Compton will be making his second visit to Charlotte in May

to compete in the Wells Fargo Championship. An inspiration

both on and off the golf course, Erik is passionate about sharing

his story of beating the odds to become one of the top golfers

in the country.

Erik received his first heart transplant when he was just

nine-years old, his second at age 28. As a way of giving back,

he led a youth exhibition at Quail Hollow for kids who had

been transplanted at Carolinas Medical Center. He also threw

out the ceremonial first pitch at a Charlotte Knights Game.

This is Erik’s fourth year on the PGA TOUR. Last year he

astounded fans as he nearly won the U.S. Open at Pinehurst.

As a result of his second-place finish, he has been invited to

play in the Masters later this spring.

Erik’s visit to Charlotte is one of several tour stops he is

making this year as part of “Play Through with Erik Compton”,

a program sponsored by Donate Life America. We are pleased

to work with him and his official sponsor, Genetech, in taking

aim at raising donor awareness in Charlotte and surrounding

areas. Follow Erik on Twitter at @erikcompton3.

PGA TOUR Golfer, Two-Time Heart Transplant Recipient ErikCompton Tees Off to Raise Donation Awareness as He Heads toCharlotte for the Wells Fargo Golf Championship

Erik Compton, center, led a golf exhibition for organ transplantrecipients at the Quail Hollow Golf Course during the week ofthe championship in 2013. We look forward to welcoming himback to Charlotte.

Photo courtesy of Sam Greenwood with Getty Images.