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
[email protected]. 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 [email protected] 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.