At Donor Network of Arizona’s (DNA) annual

Donation Symposium on Monday, Sept. 21,

attendees from throughout the state and across

a range of professions converged on the Desert Willow

Conference Center in Phoenix to learn about organ and tissue

donation in Arizona.

This year’s theme, “Making the Connection,” focused on

linking the work done by DNA with the efforts of health

care and community partners to save and heal lives through

donation. Breakout sessions throughout the day served as

continuing education classes that allowed diverse partners to

strengthen their knowledge of donation and transplantation.

The morning’s keynote speaker, Kasey Johnson, is a survivor

of the Columbine shootings who received donated tissue to

heal her arm after a shotgun slug nearly led to amputation.

As Johnson shared her experience, images of that horrific day

flashed on the screen behind her, but that was not the end of

her story.

“Every day, I am blessed to hold my children in both arms,”

she says, “and that is because of the gift of donation.”

The highlight of the day’s events was a lunchtime award

ceremony called the Donation Celebration. During the

ceremony, champions for donation were recognized

for their work in a variety of fields. Ryan Harding of the

Office of Public Information for the Arizona Department

of Transportation received the award for Outstanding

Government Agency Employee.

Harding’s efforts in sharing the importance of donation

and showcasing the Arizona Department of Transportation

Motor Vehicle Division’s partnership with DNA reached wide

audiences in the past year through his dedicated work to

promote checking the box for the DonateLifeAZ Registry

with media.

“It’s truly an honor to be recognized by a great organization

like Donor Network of Arizona,” says Harding. “The Motor

Vehicle Division values its partnership with Donor Network

in making it easy for people to register to become organ and

tissue donors.”

More than 3,000 Arizona

college students made the

decision to “make YOLO

mean more” by registering as organ, eye

and tissue donors during Donate Life

Arizona’s 2015 Campus Challenge. The

annual campaign offers college students

the important opportunity to learn about

donation and register as donors early in

the school year.

This year’s Campus Challenge champion

was Arizona State University (ASU),

registering 1,221 students as donors.

“I was amazed at how many students

were interested enough to stop and

check it out and then sign up,” says

Valerie Jipner, a Donate Life Arizona

volunteer and liver recipient who

attended a Campus Challenge event at

ASU’s welcome week.

In August and September, Donate Life

Arizona staffed registration booths at

ASU, Grand Canyon University (GCU),

University of Arizona (UA), Northern

Arizona University (NAU) and Midwestern

University (MWU) during the schools’

Welcome Weeks, which are vendor, club

and activity fairs that offer students the

opportunity to get involved with their

schools and communities.

Placing second in the Campus Challenge

was UA with 583 registrations. GCU

landed in third with 541 registrations.

NAU was close behind in fourth with 506

registrations, and MWU placed fifth with

40 students registering as donors.

The popular slogan, YOLO, which refers

to the phrase, “You Only Live Once,” was

transformed to “Your Organs Live On,”

and printed on tank tops that students

received for registering as donors.

The thousands of students participating

in the 2015 Campus Challenge made

YOLO mean more through their generous

decision to register as organ, eye and

tissue donors.

YOLO Means More

(l to r) Constituent Relations Administrator Cydney

DeModica, Public Information Officer Ryan Harding, East

Central Region Manager Anne Yanofsky and Driver License

Specialist Madelene Carbajal take a group picture at DNA’s

Donation Celebration on Sept. 21.

Three ASU student volunteers proudly display their YOLO tank tops during Campus Challenge on Aug. 19, 2015.

Making the Connection

Registering to be an Organ and Tissue Donor at the Motor Vehicle Division:

3

1

4

2

The client checks the box on their DL/ID application. Their decision is entered into ADOT MVD computer system.

A temporary credential is issued for the client featuring the insignia. The insignia is also printed on the permanent credential sent to the client in the mail several weeks later.

Each week, the ADOT MVD computer system provides Donor Network of Arizona with the information of the clients who registered.

Donor Network of Arizona enters new registrants into the DonateLifeAZ Registry while checking and removing duplicates and updating addresses.

Contact Us:

For more information, please contact: Claudia Flaherty at 602-222-2212

What questions about donation

do customers ask you most often?

Send your questions to Claudia.Flaherty@dnaz.org!

Behind the

5 Within four to six weeks, all new registrants receive

a letter from Donor Network of Arizona detailing how their decision can save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation.

During the month of August, Donor

Network of Arizona (DNA) hosted its

third annual celebration of its valued

partnership with the Arizona Department of

Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD).

Beginning in 2013, DNA designated August as ADOT

MVD Saves Lives Month, due to the fact that one

organ donor has the potential to save up to eight

lives and August is the eighth month of the year.

ADOT MVD plays an extremely important role in the

donor registration process. Ninety-five percent of all

registered donors in Arizona made that life-saving

decision by checking the box on their driver license

or ID application at the ADOT MVD.

This year, DNA celebrated ADOT MVD Saves Lives

Month by delivering Fairytale Brownies to all ADOT

MVD departments across the state. ADOT MVD

also collaborated with DNA to share the story of

2011 liver and kidney donor, Michael Choppi, who

registered at the ADOT MVD before passing away,

through a touching video.

The video, which shared interviews with his parents,

Mike and Kim Choppi, was featured on ADOT’s

website and YouTube channel. On Friday, Aug.

21, DNA also hosted a luncheon for ADOT MVD

leadership where DNA presented them with a

framed award in recognition of the important work

ADOT MVD does for donation.

“Organ donation is one of the most moving and impactful gifts you can give someone,” says ADOT MVD Director Eric Jorgensen.

“We are proud to partner with a great organization

like Donor Network of Arizona to spread the word

about the importance of organ and tissue donation

and facilitate public participation.”

ADOT MVD

JOIN USONLINE!

We Make the Most of Life

Winter 2015

A newsletter published by Donate Life Arizona

Connection

YouTube.com/ DonateLifeAZ

@DonateLifeAZ

Pinterest.com/ DonateLifeAZ

@DonateLifeAZ

Facebook.com/ DonateLifeAZ

ADOT MVD Saves Lives Month

Contributors: Tim Brown Robbie Glazner Sara Pace Jones

Writers and Editors: Katie Benton Taylor Bishop Alexa HaynesJacqueline Keidel Kris Patterson Ariana Peery

(l to r) ADOT and ADOT MVD staff members Ryan Harding, Stacy Guillen, Eric Jorgensen and Lisa Moore were presented with a framed award by DNA staff members Claudia Flaherty, Sara Pace Jones and Tim Brown on Aug. 25, 2015.

GreetingsFrom DNA’s President and CEO Tim Brown

As the number of Arizonans registering as organ, eye

and tissue donors continues to grow, I can’t help but

reflect on the important role the Arizona Department

of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD) plays in

the gift of donation and transplantation.

Each ADOT MVD employee is connected to saving and healing

lives by the work they do every day.

In 2015, as of Oct. 31, 41 percent of Arizona’s 140 organ donors

have been registered donors. Those individuals saved 159 lives

through organ donation. By offering customers a fast and

accessible way to sign up as donors, ADOT MVD gives Arizonans

an opportunity they may not otherwise have to register their

decision to share life.

Beyond offering the opportunity to register, ADOT MVD

employees themselves have many connections to donation.

Jimmie Willis, an ADOT MVD customer service representative,

received a life-saving heart transplant in June 2011.

Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) pays tribute to ADOT MVD’s

connection to donation during two dedicated months each year.

In August, DNA celebrates ADOT MVD Saves Lives Month in

recognition of the fact that 95 percent of registered donors sign

Twelve-year-old Diego Terán of Mesa had always been a

bit small for his age. His mother, Lupita Arnet, noticed

Diego wasn’t the same size as the other children. Arnet

didn’t think much of Diego’s height until a routine trip to the

doctor in October 2014 led to an emergency visit to Phoenix

Children’s Hospital. There, a specialist told Arnet her son needed

a kidney transplant.

up through ADOT MVD. In November, DNA observes Give Thanks

to ADOT MVD, in gratitude for the countless lives saved and

healed by ADOT MVD efforts.

The reality is, every single day we are mindful of the work

the ADOT MVD partnership does to impact donation and

transplantation in Arizona.

With the number of registered donors in Arizona surpassing

2.6 million, DNA sends its deepest thanks to all ADOT MVD

employees for their work that saves and heals lives through

transplantation and gives peace to donor families who take

comfort in the legacy of selfless giving and generosity their

loved ones have left behind.

Tim Brown met with DNA’s Donation Celebration keynote speakers, the Parker and Thompson families, on Sept. 21. The families share a special bond through Addison Parker’s life-saving organ donation to 4-year-old Grant Thompson (second from right).

A New Kidney, a Special Gift“I felt like the earth was swallowing me,” she says.

By November, Diego spent 10 hours per day on dialysis to do the

work his failing kidneys were unable to perform. His catheters

prevented him from playing his favorite sport, football, and his

nights were spent hooked up to the machine that kept him alive.

In June 2015, Diego was added to the national organ transplant

waiting list, and on Aug. 10, 2015, just two months after being

listed, Diego received a life-saving kidney transplant.

Healthy and gaining strength each day, Diego says that his new

kidney likes him, but even at his young age, he wonders about

the person who gave him his gift.

“Thank you to the family who gave me my new kidney,” says

Diego. “I hope they want to meet me some day.”

Arnet also holds a special place in her heart for her son’s donor

family, who she one day hopes to meet.

“We understand the tragedy that must have happened for Diego

to receive this gift,” says Arnet. “We know the family is grieving,

but we are thankful, and we hope they find comfort.”

Diego Terán shows his Donate Life support at the Desayuno Done Vida on July 31, 2015.

(as of Oct. 31, 2015)

DonateLifeAZ Registry

As of Oct. 31, 2015,

41 percent of Arizona’s

organ donors have been

registered donors.

These registered

donors have saved

159 lives.

54%of adult Arizonans

are registered as organ, eye and tissue donors.

2,981students registered as organ, eye and tissue donors

during the 2015 Campus Challenge.

1,221Registrations

583Registrations

541Registrations

506Registrations

40Registrations

(as of Oct. 31, 2015)

across5. ADOT MVD Saves Lives Month is celebrated in August because one organ donor can potentially save _____ lives.

6. Kasey Johnson, a survivor of the _________ shootings, was the keynote speaker for this year’s Donation Symposium.

10. The number of registered donors in _______ is more than 2.6 million.

11. Arizona State University won this year’s Campus Challenge with over 1,221 _____________.

15. Donor Network of Arizona celebrated ADOT MVD Saves Lives Month by delivering Fairytale ________ to all ADOT MVD departments across the state.

16. For the 2015 Campus Challenge, Donor Network of Arizona visited ____ different Arizona colleges.

down1. Donor Network of Arizona celebrated its _____ annual ADOT MVD Saves Lives Month in August.

2. This year, ADOT MVD shared the story of 2011 liver and kidney donor Michael ______ in celebration of ADOT MVD Saves Lives Month.

3. Donor Network of Arizona celebrates Give Thanks to ADOT MVD during the month of ________.

4. Champions for donation at the Donation Symposium were recognized at a lunchtime award ceremony called the Donation ___________.

7. Donor Network of Arizona transformed the popular slogan ____ for the annual Campus Challenge.

8. “Making the _________” was the theme for this year’s Donation Symposium.

9. Ryan _______ of the Office of Public Information for the ADOT MVD received the award for Outstanding Government Agency Employee at the Donation Celebration.

12. Diego Terán received his life-saving kidney transplant on ______ 10, 2015.

13. Kidney recipient Diego Terán is ______ years old.

14. More than 3,000 Arizona _______ students registered as organ, eye and tissue donors at the 2015 Campus Challenge.

Mail original to:Donor Network of ArizonaAttn: Claudia Flaherty201 W. Coolidge St.Phoenix, AZ 85013-2710

__________________________________________ Name

__________________________________________ Address

__________________________________________ City State Zip

__________________________________________ Email

Mail in your completed crossword puzzle to receive free Donate Life sunglasses!

*Answers to this puzzle can be found throughout the newsletter.

DID YOU KNOW?

More than 122,000 people in the U.S. are waiting to receive a life-saving

transplant.

1 2

3 4 5

6 7

8 9

10

11 12

13

14

15

16