texas organ sharing alliance insert 2011

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Special Advertising Supplement from San Antonio Woman

Dear Central and SouthTexas Communities,The Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA) isdelighted and blessed to be celebrating 35years of serving Central and South Texas com-munities!

Through the years many of us have joined to-gether in our efforts to develop a better dona-tion and transplantation effort. We greatly

appreciate the partnerships that have been created during the years, whichhave brought us to where we are now.

Today, we look forward to a renewed commitment to provide every individualwith the opportunity to learn and commit to becoming an organ, eye and tis-sue donor. Together, we take great pride in our community and value the com-passion our citizens have in contributing to a better quality of life to those lessfortunate.

Over the years, the level of confidence and support toward donating and trans-planting organs, eyes and tissues has increased. We are absolutely confidentthat through our community initiatives and partnerships we will continue to cre-ate a donor-friendly society.

Thank you in advance for your continued commitment – should you have anyquestions, please contact Esmeralda “Mela” Perez, TOSA manager of commu-nications and community development, at 210.618.5052 or by e-mail [email protected].

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Giordano, MHA, FACHEChief Executive Officer

Our MissionTo maximize quality organ donation within the Texas OrganSharing Alliance service area and to provide the regionaltransplant centers and the national Organ Procurement andTransplantation Network with a professional and responsiveorgan recovery program. In so doing, the Texas OrganSharing Alliance will constantly maintain the utmost consid-eration and concern for the donor family, the potential donorand donor hospital staff.

Contact TOSA if you would like to:Enroll in the new Glenda Dawson DonateLife — Texas Registry. Obtain organ, eye and tissue donationinformation. Request speakers forschools, churches, civic organizations orhealth fairs. Become a volunteer andhelp raise awareness of donation!

Glenda Dawson Donate Life —Texas Registrywww.donatelifetexas.orgwww.donevidatexas.org

www.txorgansharing.org

Information Line 1.866.685.0277

Central Region Home Office8122 Datapoint Drive, Suite 200San Antonio, Texas 78229210.614.7030 O210.614.2129 F

Northern Region7000 North MoPac, Suite 325Austin, Texas 78731512.459.4848 O512.459.7794 F

Southern Region1400 N McColl Road, Suite 104AMcAllen, Texas 78501956.630.0884 O956.687.7185 F

www.save8.org


“To the world youmay be just one person, but to oneperson you may be the world.”

— Brandi Snyder

Who is the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance? The Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA)is one of only 58 nonprofit 501(c)(3) inde-pendent, federally designated Organ Pro-curement Organizations (OPOs) in theUnited States dedicated to educating andproviding organ donation and recoveryservices to families wishing to donate andto those waiting for life-saving organ trans-plants. Founded in 1975, TOSA serves56 counties in Central and South Texas.

The National InitiativeIn 2006, Donate Life America launched the Donor Designation Collaborative (DDC) to share best practices andfocus on creating high-functioning registries to dramatically increase the number of designated donors in theUnited States. Each state formed a team of partners committed to making this happen. The initiative played an im-portant role in forging and strengthening partnerships with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) nationwide.

Why the Need?As of June 6, 2011, over 111,107 men, women and children were waiting for life-saving organ transplantsin the United States. Over 10,644 are in need in the state of Texas, with an estimated 3,937 living in Cen-tral and South Texas. Because there is a critical shortage of organs to meet this need, 18 people will dietoday from not having received one in time, amounting to thousands of lives lost each year.

Why Becoming a Registered Donor MattersMany families don’t discuss the idea of donation prior to death. When there is no license/ID donor designa-tion, grieving families sometimes feel conflicted by not knowing what their loved one would have wanted.When a donor designation is available, the donor’s wishes can be honored, removing the burden of the deci-sion from family. Families often draw comfort and reassurance from having this knowledge. Over 97 percentof donor registrations come directly from the DPS. A simple “yes” to the donation question from a DPS exam-iner could be the one that saves lives. Since the DDC launched in 2006, such partnerships have contributed toa 50 percent increase in designated donors nationwide.

Making an Informed Decision…Making the decision to become a registered organ, eye and tissue donor is not easy for some people. Donoreducation is the vehicle to our community’s understanding about the critical shortage and need for donors.

As the organization federally designated to serving Central and South Texas, TOSA is committed to conduct-ing donation-related activities. Through these coordinated activities related to public education about the ben-efits of donation, we increase donor awareness and the number of people registered on the Glenda DawsonDonate Life – Texas Registry. Visit www.donatelifetexas.org or www.donevidatexas.org.

Included in this special publication are special stories of lives that have been touched by donation, illustratingthe profound impact that one individual has on the donation process; facts, frequently asked questions, mythsand misconceptions and resource links to assist our community in creating a donation-friendly society.

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www.save8.org


Below are just a few examples of the thousands of lives saved be-cause someone cared enough to give the “Gift of Life.”

Ana Szulta, Pancreas and Kidney RecipientI was diagnosed as a juvenile diabetic at the age of 12. By mylate 20s, I started experiencing several diabetic-related problemsincluding retinopathy and nephropathy. In early 1989, I was toldI was in the early stages of renal failure. I moved to San Antonioto prepare for a life on dialysis while I waited on the transplantlist for both a kidney and a pancreas. I was very fortunate to re-ceive my transplant just one week prior to starting dialysis. Afterreceiving such a wonderful gift, I became a volunteer to help pro-mote organ, eye and tissue donation. This year, I celebrated 20years with my transplanted pancreas and kidney – thanks to mydonor for sharing the “gift of life.”

Marcus Griffin, Kidney RecipientI am 14 years old and in the 9thgrade. It all started in the womb forme. Doctors told my mom and dadthat I would need a kidney transplantafter I was born. I was diagnosedwith Eagle Barrett Syndrome. At 21months of age, I became a kidneytransplant recipient. Thanks to mydonor family for saving my life — theirloved one’s kidney has made me theactive person I am today. They gaveme life — a life I share with all who meet me. May God bless all the donor families who cared enough togive to me and others who were facing death — and now look at life totally different.

Linda Meeker, Donor WifeLoved One: DennisMy husband brought such a sweetness tolife. He loved being a grandfather, dad andespecially a husband.

Shortly before his death, we had moved,and Dennis started a weekly 3½ hour com-mute back and forth to work. One day onhis way home he decided to take a short-cut. While waiting to make a left turn, apickup truck rear-ended Dennis. His truckwent off the road and ended up in a field.

Had Dennis not been there, the impact might have been deadly to the vehicle in front of him carrying a motherand child. I believe a higher power granted the mother and her child the gift of the presence of my husband.

I received the news that my Dennis had been involved in a terrible accident and the next day, a brain scanwould prove he was brain dead. I knew exactly what he would want to do. Dennis gave the “Gift of Life.”

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www.save8.org

A Special Thank You

Visit w

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donor families and recipient testim

onials.Mary Jane Balderamma, Donor MomLoved One: Adrian Adrian was 18 years old when he lost control of his pick-up while returning home from a football game.

Early one morning, I received the call that every parentdreads. My son had been in an accident and had suf-fered severe head trauma. When I arrived at the hospi-tal, I saw him lying in a bed without a single scratch. Itwas hard to believe that the doctors were telling us hewas brain dead. After a brain scan showed no activity,a TOSA representative spoke to us about organ dona-tion. There was no hesitation, but a resounding “yes.”Adrian had indicated on his driver’s license that hewanted to be an organ donor. My Adrian helped fivepeople by donating his heart, kidneys and corneas.Today, I am a TOSA Friends for Life volunteer, and a 2-mile stretch of Highway 35 near Devine has beenadopted in Adrian's memory.

Alice Driskill, Liver RecipientIn May 1990, I received my life-saving transplantafter over a decade of deteriorating health.When I was told I needed a liver transplant, Iwas scared. At one point, I even took my nameoff the waiting list because I thought everyonewas wrong. When my health declined rapidly inearly 1990, I was so sick I could not even getout of bed, and I was placed back on the wait-ing list. Two days prior to receiving the call thatthere was a matching liver, I had welcomed myfirst granddaughter, Danielle. After the transplant,

I was so happy that I could hear the music over the PA in the hospital. It was beautiful. Since my liver trans-plant, I have a greater appreciation of life, health and family. Each new day is an added blessing. I am eter-nally grateful to the Lord, my donor family and the entire transplant team.

Roger Moore, Donor FatherLoved One: TheresaMy daughter Theresa was diagnosed with asthma for thefirst time when she was 9 years old. Ten years later, in No-vember 1995, she died from it.

Early one morning in November 1995, a change ofweather and cold front triggered Theresa’s asthma. After aweek in the hospital in a coma with no signs of improve-ment, Theresa was taken off the ventilator for 10 minutes tosee if she could sustain her own breathing. She could not.We spoke to the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance andarranged to have her organs donated. Today, I am a veryactive spokesperson advocating the importance of donationand sharing my daughter’s story about the “gift of life” shegave. We know firsthand about the miracle of saving some-one’s life because, we have met some of the transplant re-cipients and learned how their quality of life has changed.

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The Workplace Partnership for Life (WPPL) is a national initiative, created in 2001, that unites theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with the organ, eye and tissue donation communityand businesses, organizations and associations to encourage the American public to become registereddonors. This nationwide network of more than 11,000 "Partners" includes local, regional and national com-panies, associations, unions and academic, volunteer, philanthropic and community-focused organizations ofall kinds. Their shared goal is promoting a "donation-friendly America" by fostering donation education andcreating opportunities for individuals to sign up to save lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. www.or-gandonor.gov/workplace.asp.

National Donation Campus Challenge: The campaign launched in 2009 brings together organ,eye and tissue donation organizations and universities, colleges and other post-secondary campuses to edu-cate campus communities on the critical need for organ, eye and tissue donors and to increase donor regis-tration. www.organdonor.gov/workplaceChallenge.asp.

Decision Donation: A school program that gives the gift of life: Decision Donation provides a multifac-eted set of materials – print, video, CD-ROM and Web-based — that teachers throughout the country can usein a variety of subject areas to educate students and encourage them to consider organ, eye and tissue dona-tion. www.organdonor.gov/student/materials.asp.

Friends for Life: The value of giving back: Men, women and children on the national waiting list continue tobe inspired by what is being done by individuals, communities and the donation and transplant centers to buildawareness for organ, eye and tissue donation. To date, a lot has been done by the many people who caredenough to give of their time to make a difference in their community. Yet more volunteers are needed to teachothers what more can be done in our home, workplace, place of worship and community to save lives. Formore information about becoming a Friends for Life volunteer, call TOSA Donor Family and Volunteer Services at210.614.7030 or toll free at 1.866.685.0277.

Customer Access to Educational Materials: Posters, brochures and testimonial CDs can be good re-sources to help the public make an educated, informed decision about donation. While there are numerous com-munity outreach initiatives to educate the general public, public knowledge could still be improved.

Multimedia Education: Businesses are encouraged to incorporate messages as a screensaver on picturepreview monitors, scrolling marquee screens or LCD monitors to inform the public about specific activities aswell as education about donation. LCD monitors also offer the opportunity to show short clips of personal tes-timonials and facts about donation.

Volunteer Tabling: Volunteer ta-bles in the community can be a greatresource for the public to receive in-formation and ask specific questionsabout donation. In some cases, thepublic may have the opportunity tomeet a recipient or donor familymember who has directly benefitedfrom donation.

Employee Newsletters: The busi-ness community is encouraged to insertthank you testimonials from recipientsand donor families, a calendar ofcommunity events and stories of em-ployees who have been personally touched by donation into their employee newsletters.

Online Registration: Though most donor registrations occur within DPS field offices, online portals nowplay an essential role because they enable customers to register online in between registration and renewalcycles. TOSA has specific social networking pages on Facebook and Twitter to help reach these audiences.Visit SAVE8.org.

Onsite Dollar Contributions: In addition to “making the ask” about donation, many DPS’s ask cus-tomers if they would like to contribute a dollar to benefit a state organ and tissue donation trust fund. Suchrequests have yielded thousands of dollars annually to fund educational outreach programs to educate thepublic about donation.

How

You C

an H

elp:

Programs and Resources

Cont

act

:Esmeralda “Mela” Perez, M

anager,

Com

munications and Com

munity Development,

Texas Organ Sharing Alliance

mperez@

txorgansharing.org, 1.866.685.0277

www.save8.org


Every day in theUnited States, anaverage of 18 people die waiting for organtransplants.

ONE DONOR CAN:• Donate kidneys to free two people from dialysis treatments needed to sustain life.• Save the lives of patients awaiting heart, liver, lung or pancreas transplants.• Give sight to two people through the donation of corneas.• Donate bone to repair injured joints or to help save a limb threatened by cancer.• Help burn victims heal more quickly through donation of skin.• Provide healthy heart valves for someone whose life is threatened by malfunctioning or diseased valves.

Of all the deaths in the United States, only 1 to 2 percent has the potentialto result in organ donation. Unfortunately, only about 65 percent of thoseindividuals actually donate. If everyone who could donate said yes, thewaiting list for transplants would be greatly reduced.

Of all the deaths in the United States, .

During the past 10 years,the national transplant wait-ing list has more than dou-bled, with more than111,107 people nowwaiting for organ trans-plants.

person can save or en-hance the lives of over

50 people.

More than 10,644 men, women and children are waiting for transplants in Texas.Tens of thousands of others need corneas to restore sight, bone and other tis-sues to repair injured or diseased bones and joints, skin to heal burns, andthe heart valves to replace diseased ones.

One person isadded to the

waiting list every

12 minutes.

www.save8.org

FAST

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www.save8.org

Frequently Asked Q

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please visit www.dona

telifetexas.org

or ca

ll 1.866.685.0277.

Who can become a donor?All individuals can indicate their consent to donate (persons under 18 years of age must have parent's orguardian's consent). Medical suitability for donation is determined at the time of death.

How do I express my wishes to become an organ, eye and tissue donor? Indicate your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor on your driver’s license/state ID or visitwww.donatelifetexas.org or www.donevidatexas.org. Most importantly, discuss your decision with familymembers and loved ones.

Are there age limits for donors?Everyone, regardless of age or medical history, should consider him/herself a potential donor. Personsyounger than 18 years of age must have a parent or guardian's consent.

If I put the donor designation on my driver’s license, will my wishes be carried out? The majority of states in the U.S. honor “first person consent,” meaning that if you qualified to be a donorupon your passing, your wishes will be honored first and foremost and cannot be revoked by any third party.However, it is always good to let your family know that donation is important to you.

What can be donated? Organs: heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver and intestines. Tissue: cornea, skin, bone marrow, heart valvesand connective tissue.

Are there any costs to my family for donation?The donor’s family does not pay for the cost of organ and tissue donation. All costs related to donation of or-gans, eyes and tissues are paid by the recipient, usually through insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. Funeralexpenses remain the responsibility of the family.

Can I sell my organs?No. The National Organ Transplant Act (Public Law 98-507) makes it illegal to sell human organs, eyes andtissues in the United States. Violators are subject to fines and imprisonment. Among the reasons for this rule isthe concern of Congress that buying and selling of organs might lead to inequitable access to donor organswith the wealthy having an unfair advantage.

How are organs distributed?Patients are matched to organs based on a number of factors, including blood and tissue typing, medical ur-gency, time on the waiting list and geographical location.

How does the process work?By law, hospitals have to notify Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) of death or imminent death. Thedonor registry is checked to see if the person is a potential organ, eye or tissue donor. OPO representativeswill meet with the family at the hospital to discuss their loved one’s wishes, obtain a medical history andarrange for tests determining if the person qualifies to be a donor.

How many people are currently waiting for a transplant? As of June 2011, there were over 111,107 men, women and children waiting for a transplant in the U.S.Approximately 300 new transplant candidates are added to the waiting list each month. For additional data,visit the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Web site: www.optn.org.

Is the DPS registry associated with living donation?No. All DPS registries are for deceased donation only. If you wish to be a living donor to someone in need,you will need to make arrangements at the recipient’s transplant center. You can contact the National KidneyFoundation at www.kidney.org for more information.

Can I be an organ and tissue donor and also donate my body to medical science? Total body donation and organ/tissue donation are different processes handled by separate organizations. Adriver’s license/ID consent is only for organ, eye and tissue donation. If you wish to donate your entire body,you should directly contact the facility of your choice to make arrangements.

If I have a previous medical condition, can I still donate?Determination of suitability to donate organs or tissue is based on a combination of factors that take into ac-count the donor's general health. This determination is done by the medical staff that recovers the organs orby the transplant team that reviews all of the data about the organ(s), eyes or tissues that have been recov-ered from the donor. Transplant professionals will evaluate potential donors and determine suitability for dona-tion of particular organs, eyes or tissues when the time for donation arises. NOTE: Everyone is considered apotential donor, please don’t rule yourself out due to a medical condition.


Myth: If doctors know you're a donor, they won't work as hard tosave you.

This is a very common fear. However, this isn't possible because of the checks and balancesbuilt into the system. If you are sick or injured and admitted to the hospital, the doctors' onlyjob is to save your life. Emergency Room doctors and nurses are not involved in the trans-

plant process and are not affiliated with the team of surgeons who perform organ transplants. Organ trans-plants can only occur after blood and tissue testing is done in order to match donors and recipients; this is notdone by doctors when you enter the hospital. Donation is only considered after death is declared by a physi-cian. Decisions about who receives organs are overseen by the United Network for Organ Sharing, whichensures that the system is fair and equitable.

Myth: When you're waiting for a transplant, your financial orcelebrity status is as important as your medical status.

The UNOS computerized matching system does not select recipients based on fame orwealth. Organs are matched by blood and tissue typing, organ size, medical urgency,waiting time and geographic location.

Myth: Your history of medical illness means your organs, eyes or tis-sues are unfit for donation.

At the time of death, the appropriate medical professionals will review your medical and so-cial histories to determine whether or not you can be a donor. Even if you have had a seri-ous health problem like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, certain types of

cancer or even hepatitis, you may still be able to donate at the time of death.

Myth: Organ donation disfigures the body and changes the way itlooks in a casket.

Donated organs are removed surgically in a routine operation similar to gallbladder or ap-pendix removal. Donation does not change the appearance of the body for the funeral serv-ice. An open-casket funeral is possible after donation.

Myth: Your religion does not support organ, eye and tissue donation.All major organized religions approve of organ, eye and tissue donation and consider it anact of charity or leave it up to the decision of the individual.

Myth: Minorities should refuse to donate because organ distributiondiscriminates by race.

Organs are matched by many factors, including blood and tissue typing, medical urgencyand time on the waiting list. A person’s race or ethnic origin does not affect who receivesavailable organs and tissue.

Myth: If I donate, I would worry that the recipient and/or the recip-ient’s family would discover my identity and cause more grief for myfamily.

Information about donors and recipients is kept strictly confidential. For circumstances inwhich the donor and recipient families would like to know more about each other, arrange-ments can be made if permission is obtained from both parties.

Myth: I heard a story that you can be heavily drugged, then waketo find you have had one kidney (or both) removed for a black mar-ket transplant.

This is a famous urban legend. While black market transplantation has occurred outside theU.S., it is only a small minority of transplants performed worldwide. The U.S. has a highlyregulated system, and if there is even a slight suspicion of illegal activity, the hospital will re-

fuse to perform the transplant. There is no documented evidence of the above scenario ever occurring in theU.S., and it would require removal of the organ by a skilled physician as well as adequate compatibility witha recipient, so the chances of this scenario occurring are highly unlikely.www.save8.org

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Contact TOSA if you would like to:

Enroll in the new Glenda Dawson Donate Life – Texas Registry.Obtain organ, eye and tissue donation information.

Request speakers for schools, churches, civic organizations or health fairs.Become a volunteer and help raise awareness of donation!

CENTRAL REGION HOME OFFICE8122 Datapoint Drive, Suite 200

San Antonio, Texas 78229

Phone: 210.614.7030Fax: 210.614.2129

NORTHERN REGION SOUTHERN REGION 7000 North Mopac, Suite 325 1400 N. McColl Road, Suite 104A Austin, Texas 78731 McAllen, Texas 78501

Phone: 512.459.4848 Phone: 956.630.0884 Fax: 512.459.7794 Fax: 956.687.7185

TEXAS ORGAN SHARING ALLIANCEwww.txorgansharing.org

Donor Information Line: 866.685.0277

GLENDA DAWSON DONATE LIFE – TEXAS REGISTRYwww.donatelifetexas.orgwww.donevidatexas.org


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