VOLUME 14 ISSUE 1 SPRING 2011 - LifeShare Carolinas · VOLUME 14..... ISSUE 1..... SPRING 2011 IN...
Transcript of VOLUME 14 ISSUE 1 SPRING 2011 - LifeShare Carolinas · VOLUME 14..... ISSUE 1..... SPRING 2011 IN...
A Quarterly Newsletter of LifeShare Of The Carolinas
VOLUME 14
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ISSUE 1
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SPRING 2011
IN THIS ISSUE:
1 LifeShare has Record YearCelebrating Second Chances
2 LifeShare Earns AOPOAccreditation
3 The 5th Quarter, ANational Movie with aCarolina Connection
4 Asheville Mom Pens Letter
5 Collier Lilly Ride 4 Life
5 Volunteers Needed forSummer Convention
6 Spotlight on RebekahNewton, Resident Chaplain
7 Donor Statistics byHospital
8 National Donate Life Month
A Donate Life Organization
LIFESHARE HAS RECORD YEAR
Celebrating Second ChancesWe are proud to report that 2010 was a near-record year for LifeShare. Gary Burris,
LifeShare’s Chief Operating Officer, reported to our Advisory Board that LifeShare
had a 16% increase in the number of organ donors last year over 2009.
LifeShare recovered 88 organ donors last year, compared to 76 in 2009. Behind
those statistics are real people with families and friends, careers and dreams, people
like 13-year old Jacob Keefer of Asheville who received a kidney transplant in 2003
and whose story is featured on page five of the newsletter.
It is because of the unselfish generosity of individuals from throughout southwest
North Carolina that a total of 320 organs from area donors were transplanted to critically
ill people in this region and nationwide. As an organization, we are pleased to be able
to provide second chances to those in need. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, the
gift of organ and tissue donation also requires a collaborative effort on the part of the
healthcare professionals in area hospitals, medical examiners and funeral homes.
Most importantly, donation occurs because people take the time to say
“yes” and to join the North Carolina Donor Registry. Last year, 46 of the
organ donations we coordinated had signed-up online or at the DMV.
In addition to organ donors, LifeShare also recovered corneas from 330 donors and
tissue from 234 donors, restoring the quality of life for patients suffering from all sorts of
medical problems from torn ligaments to defective heart valves. Unfortunately, the
demand for donated organs and tissues continues to far outpace the supply.
At the beginning of March, there were 110,234 people on the national waiting list
for an organ transplant. That’s more people than can fit in the Panther’s stadium or
the Charlotte Motor Speedway on any given Sunday.
As we come together in April to observe yet another National Donate Life Month,
we are reminded that the people awaiting transplants and the wonderful donor families
we have the privilege to serve are the reasons that we exist.
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
To improve the quality of human
life through the provision of organs
and tissues for transplantation and
to serve our hospitals and their
respective communities by providing
educational and support services
which enhance the donation process.
OU R V I S I O N
We envision a day when the regional
supply of transplantable organs
and tissues will satisfy the demand.
LifeShare Earns AOPO AccreditationANNOUNCEMENT
After 18 months of preparation, LifeShare is proud to announce that we recently
received full accreditation by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations
(AOPO). Our entire staff is to be credited with this success. We would also like to
thank our hospital partners who supported us in reaching this important milestone.
The survey, a peer review process, was conducted over two-days. The purpose is
to ensure compliance with AOPO standards which serve as the benchmark for
OPO performance.
LifeShare is one of 58 non-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) operating
in the United States. OPOs are federally-designated non-profit organizations that
are responsible for coordinating organ and tissue donation, bridging the gap
between the generous donation of organs and tissues and the thousands in need
of these gifts.
AOPO is a non-profit, national organization representing and serving all OPOs
through advocacy, support and the development of activities that will maximize
the availability of organs and tissues and enhance the quality, effectiveness and
integrity of the donation process.
Kip Brooks Joins OtherDonor Family Members on 2010 Donate Life RoseParade Float
Kip Brooks said that he and his wife,Shannon, found their experience atthe Rose Bowl Parade surroundedby love and honor. “The entireexperience was completely life-altering. The people we met andstories we heard were so inspiringthat it made the whole thingsurreal," he said. Thanks again toCytonet for sponsoring their trip.
3
The 5th QuarterA National Movie with a CarolinaConnection Coming to a Theater Near You!
Number of Candidates on theNational Transplant Waiting List
Kidney 87,903
Liver 16,135
Pancreas 1,398
Kidney-Pancreas 2,249
Heart 3,201
Lung 1,822
Heart-Lung 70
Intestine 260
NATIONAL TOTAL 110,359
North Carolina 3,437
South Carolina 987
Based on OPTN data as of February 18, 2011.
Just in time for National Donate Life
Month, a Hollywood movie made in
North Carolina will hit the big screen
the weekend of March 25, 2011.
Starring Aidan Quinn, Andie McDowell
and Ryan Merriman, the 5th Quarter is
the touching true story of the Abbate
family of Marietta, Georgia.
When 15-year-old Luke Abbate is
killed in a tragic car accident, the loss
leaves his family reeling with grief.
Fueled by faith and a deep family bond,
after donating his organs to save the
lives of five other people, the Abbates
try to rebuild their lives without Luke.
Despite the support of loving friends
and family, his death leaves a void in
their lives that threatens to tear the
family apart. Luke’s older brother Jon, a
gifted football player at Wake Forest
University, decides to honor his brother’s
memory by dedicating the 2006 season
to him.
“Playing for two,” he changes his jersey
number to Luke’s beloved No. 5 and
inspires his teammates to play the best
football of their lives. Predicted to finish
last in their division, the Wake Forest
football team surpassed all expectations
S P R I N G I S S U E – 2 0 1 1
Did you know?
Essence Magazine is running a profile on Carolyn HenryGlaspy, the mother of NFL player Chris Henry. Theirstory was profiled on CBS Sports last Thanksgiving.Look for it in the April edition of the magazine onnewsstands now.
by winning the ACC championship that
season and a bid to the Orange Bowl.
The movie was written and directed
by Rick Bieber and filmed in North
Carolina. It will open in select movie
theaters in Charlotte, Concord,
Huntersville, Mooresville, Monroe and
Rock Hill, SC. We hope you’ll go out to
see it when it opens.
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 the power to donate life!
Making a Difference... Asheville Mother Pens Letter to DMV Examiners
CALENDARof events
March 25, 2011The 5th Quarter Opens
Selected Theaters
Charlotte, Winston-Salem and
Rock Hill
April, 2011National Donate Life Month
Nationwide
April 14–16, 2011NCDETSA Meeting
Khoury Center
Greensboro, NC
June 4, 2011Collier Lilly Ride 4 Life
Davidson College
Davidson, NC
June 13–15, 2011AAMVA Convention
Westin Hotel
Charlotte, NC
For the last two years, Donate Life North Carolina has been reaching out to the
Department of Motor Vehicles. Many of the people who have been involved in
making quarterly visits to DMV offices around the state are LifeShare volunteers.
Our volunteers have also been featured in thank you cards that are sent on a
quarterly basis to DMV examiners. The first person to be profiled from southwestern
North Carolina was Destiny Mitchell. Her card was followed by the parents of Jason
Ray and most recently, the Thomas Widenhouse family.
We are pleased to report that the next card will feature a young boy from Asheville,
Jacob Keffer. Jacob and his mother, Julie, first volunteered to help LifeShare at a city
council meeting in Brevard. With her permission, here’s the note that his mother
wrote for the thank you card:
5S P R I N G I S S U E – 2 0 1 1
Mark Your Calendars forthe Collier Lilly Ride 4 Life!If it’s June in Charlotte, it’s time for our annual bike ride, the Collier Lilly Ride 4
Life. The date has been set for Saturday, June 4, 2011. As always, the 15K, 50K and
100K ride will kick off and end on the beautiful campus of Davidson College.
This will be the eighth year that the bike ride has been sponsored to honor the
life and memory honor of Collier Cobb Lilly, a former Davidson student. It is
LifeShare’s only fundraiser.
Please help us to spread the word. We need people to ride in the event, sponsors
and volunteers too. The organizing committee is continuing to focus on excellent
customer service. If you can provide it, please join the faithful volunteers who are
crucial to the success of this event each year.
If you know of any companies that would like to support a good cause, we
would love to have their participation. Sponsorship levels run from $250 to
$10,000. Funds from the bike ride are used for public educational purposes such as
the redesign of our web site.
Information on the ride is available at www.collierlillyride4life.com and on the
ride’s Facebook page. The Collier Lilly Ride 4 Life is a great way to “recycle” yourself
and to support organ and tissue donation too!
Volunteers Needed for Summer ConventionThe American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), a professional
association of DMV administrators, will hold its Region II Meeting at the Westin
Hotel in Charlotte June 11-16th. We could use your help.
Donate Life North Carolina will have a booth at the meeting where we can
meet and talk with attendees, provide them with donation information and answer
questions.We know that transplant recipients, donor family members and other
people with a personal story to share can have a powerful effect on DMV personnel,
so we encourage you to consider helping us with this event.
Exhibit hours will be Monday, June 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, June 14
from 9 a.m. to noon and Wednesday, June 15 from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Please let us
know if you are available to help during any of these days/times and we will provide
you with more details as they become available. If approved, we also plan to ask a
local donor family and/or recipient family to share their story at the meeting as
part of a presentation on organ and tissue donation.
About 350-400 participants from 15 states throughout the south (NC, SC, VA, TN,
KY, GA, WV, TX, OK, AR, LA, MS, AL, FL & PR) are expected to attend the conference.
To volunteer, please contact Jane Corrado via e-mail at
One Volunteer at a Time!
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.
Rebekah Newton began working for CMC as a Resident
Chaplain in September of 2009 but the life of a Hospital
Chaplain was not new to her. Growing up, she watched her
father minister to patients at CMC-NorthEast as Director of
Pastoral Care. Rebekah wasn’t always sure however she’d follow in his footsteps.
After high school she left home for Western Carolina University where she majored
in Vocal Performance and Music Industry. After graduating, it didn’t take Rebekah
long to realize God had a different plan for her. She earned a Master of Divinity from
Hood Theological Seminary in 2007 and the rest as they say, is history.
The next two years, Rebekah worked as a Resident Chaplain in Greenville, NC and
as a Hospice Chaplain in Pinehurst. After landing a
job at CMC, it didn’t take her long to become a
familiar face to the LifeShare staff. She became a
strong advocate for donation after witnessing the
benefits of donation on the families she supported.
As donor families grieved their losses, Rebekah
saw that a part of their grief shifted to hope. It is
living proof to her that people are inherently good.
She also feels blessed that her position allows her to
visit with and support recipients and their families post-transplant.
Rebekah stays busy with her family (parents and four siblings) and her many
interests and hobbies. She loves singing and calligraphy and is devoted to her
church, Providence Baptist in Charlotte. She recently started participating in sprint
triathalons and is training to compete in an Olympic-distance triathalon later this
year. A second degree black belt, she has practiced martial arts since age 12 and has
earned two world titles. Rebekah is also working towards her certification as an
Associate Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor.
On April 30th, Rebekah will marry Robbie Ramsey, a paramedic with MEDIC in
Mecklenburg County. In ten years she sees herself as a wife and mother and would
like to be doing more volunteer work in her community.
We at LifeShare appreciate all the hard work Rebekah does on behalf of our
donor families. We believe she truly embodies her favorite quote by Ralph Waldo
Emerson, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path
and leave a trail.”
SUBMITTED BY LORI JOHNSON COLUMBUS, ORGAN RECOVERY COORDINATOR
L I F E S H A R E O F T H E C A R O L I N A S
SPOTLIGHT ON
Rebekah NewtonResident ChaplainCarolinas Medical Center
“Do not go wherethe path may lead,go instead wherethere is no pathand leave a trail.”
Rebekah Newton
S P R I N G I S S U E – 2 0 1 1 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 2010 2010 Totals
Hospital Eye Organ Tissue Eye Organ Tissue
Angel 2 0 1 3 0 1
Anson 0 0 0 3 0 1
Asheville Specialty 0 0 0 0 0 0
Carolinas Medical Center 24 12 28 92 56 105
CMC - Lincoln 1 0 1 9 0 4
CMC - Mercy 0 0 0 3 0 3
CMC - NorthEast 6 2 4 30 6 23
CMC - Pineville 4 0 4 11 0 7
CMC - Steele Creek 0 0 0 2 0 2
CMC - Union 5 0 5 12 0 14
CMC - University 1 0 0 6 0 3
Carolinas Specialty 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cherokee 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cleveland 5 0 3 9 0 6
District Memorial 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gaston 13 0 5 40 1 24
Grace 2 0 3 6 0 9
Harris 1 0 1 6 0 5
Haywood 0 0 0 11 0 6
Highlands-Cashiers 1 0 0 2 0 1
Kings Mountain 0 0 0 1 0 0
Lake Norman 3 0 2 17 1 11
Mission- St. Joseph’s 13 4 11 48 17 39
Murphy 1 0 1 3 0 3
Pardee 1 0 1 9 0 3
Park Ridge 0 0 0 2 0 1
Presbyterian 13 3 11 31 7 19
Presbyterian - Huntersville 2 0 0 7 0 0
Presbyterian - Matthews 4 0 3 6 0 5
Rutherford 6 0 3 13 0 9
St. Luke’s 0 0 0 0 0 0
Stanly 3 0 0 21 0 10
Swain 0 0 0 0 0 0
Transylvania 0 0 0 2 0 2
Valdese 1 0 0 2 0 0
VA Medical 0 0 0 0 0 0