The following post is courtesy of Cindy Thurmes, our special events coordinator:
For those of you that visited the fair on opening day, I’m sure you will agree it had to be the busiest day ever!
The parking lots and the fair itself were packed by late morning. We had so many amazing visitors stop by our booths in the Health Fair 11 and Education Buildings, but one in particular that I have to share the story of. That story belongs to Fay, who explained to me that she will be receiving a kidney from a stranger next Thursday.
Her story started last April when she returned home from her Dr’s office after an annual physical. Her doctor phoned her late in the evening and asked her and her husband to meet him at the hospital. When she arrived she was told that she was in kidney failure and they immediately started dialysis and put her on “the list.”
In July, she and her husband put their second vehicle up for sale to pay for their medical costs. A young woman came to look at the vehicle and asked why they were selling. Fay explained her medical condition to the 39 year old woman and the woman said she would like to donate her kidney to Fay. It was something she always wanted to do for someone. Miraculously, they were a match. Fay and her donor will be having dinner together Saturday evening and will check into the hospital Thursday morning for this life-saving gift. Fay promised to let me know how she is doing when she returns home.
We will be thinking about you and your donor Fay!
The streets were bustling with fairgoers
The Clarks @ the Booth - Richard is a heart recipient
The final count is in – 538 Minnesotans registered to be an organ and tissue donor at the State Fair this year! When you consider that each one of them has the potential to save up to 60 lives through donation, that’s more than 32,000 rays of hope for the men, women and children on the transplant waiting list and/or in need of a tissue transplant.
You may remember that I said more than 1,100 people registered during the twelve days of the Fair last year, and wonder why fewer people registered this year. We are understandably curious about that as well; the emerging theory is that it’s because more and more people each year are telling us that they already have donor on their license or in the online registry when they visit our booths. And that’s fantastic!
One of our goal’s at LifeSource is to make donation the societal norm, creating a community where people say ‘yes’ to donation simply because it feels right to them. In that spirit, the day we are not able to register another person because everyone has already documented a lifetime decision about donation will be a great day.
Although that day may be far in the future, we’re making great progress.
Today I’m going to let Jenny do the talking (or writing, as the case may be).
Jenny is a donor sister and volunteer with LifeSource. Her brother, Charles, was a donor in the fall of 2005 and her family generously agreed to share Charles’ story with the public by allowing KARE-11 to videotape, in real-time, what happens when a person says ‘yes’ to donation.
In working with our transplant centers in the region, KARE-11 was also able to videotape the surgery of Charles’ heart recipient, Kiel, and include information about many of the other lives Charles saved through his donation. The end result was a two-part, in-depth report about Charles, his family, the recipients and the gifts of donation.
I was unbelievably privileged to work on this project with Jenny’s family and KARE-11, and hope to be able to share the video with you soon. It’s incredibly powerful and we regularly use it for both public and professional education. Jenny and her family will always hold a special place in my heart. With that, here is an amazing experience she shared from her shift at the Fair:
A woman came up to our table with her beautiful 13 year-old daughter. I asked her if she had any questions about organ donation. She explained that she was an ICU nurse and has experience with organ donation through her patients.
She told me that she had not yet registered to be a donor and has been struggling with the decision for some time now. She said she knew it was a good thing, but it was obvious that she was conflicted about the choice to be a donor or not.
I turned to her teenage daughter and asked her if she had thought about organ donation yet. She went on to say that she saw a special on Oprah about a family who had a loved one who died and became an organ donor and their story. The daughter said that when she would get her license, she would sign-up to be a donor.
I told her “My best friend loves Oprah and watches her religiously and even though I tell her good things to do or consider, she doesn’t act, but as soon as Oprah says something about what would be a good thing to do, she gets moving right away.”
We all laughed about the influence of Oprah. But, we all agreed that we are grateful for people like Oprah that inspire people to make kind, responsible choices in life. I gave this nurse and her daughter the leaflet about Alexawho died on the waiting list and I could tell that this mother was getting ready to make the choice to be a donor, but didn’t want to be pushed. I showed her how she could sign-up on-line and gave her a sign-up sheet so she could do it by mail in case that were more convenient for her.
Before she left, I let her know that I appreciate all she and her colleagues do for our loved ones at the end of life. When my brother, Charles, died, he was in the ICU for a couple days before his organs were recovered. Although he was already announced dead, the nurses treated him with the utmost respect and talked to him when they were with him in the room.
As I write this, I am getting tears in my eyes, just as I did when I was thanking this nurse for all she does everyday. She accepted my gratitude graciously and she and her daughter moved on.
I don’t know whether this woman will decide to become a donor or not, but what I do know is that she and I connected and she understood that what she does in this world makes a difference, and that is a powerful thing. It is amazing all of the nurses that touch so many lives and do so much for us and our loved ones.
Today’s post is from Mary, a volunteer who has a great story to share about her experience at the Fair last week. Mary’s father, Robert, received a heart transplant in November of 1987 and lived “15 years, 3 months and 10 days” with his new heart. Mary, her father and her mother, Joan, have all volunteered with LifeSource and the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank. Here’s a picture of Mary’s parents:
Robert and Joan LaMotte
In addition to being a recipient family member, Mary is a nurse at a local hospital and has worked with LifeSource to make donation a reality for grieving families when working in the Intensive Care Unit. Here’s what she had to say about the Fair:
While manning the wheel game on Tuesday, a family came up to me. They told me that 2 weeks ago they had 6 of their daughter’s organs donated. I thanked them and then they told me their story.
Just two weeks ago their 12 year old daughter suffered a brain aneurism. They said it was sudden and there was no hope. I thanked them again and I stood up from my chair as Mom tried to hold back her tears. I put my arms out and Mom hugged me for about a minute!!! She thanked us for being there so her daughter could help others live. Dad said that us “getting the word out” helped them make the decision when they had to decide so suddenly. They hoped to hear from at least one of the recipient’s families so they would know that they helped someone continue to live. The family consisted of Mom, Dad, their daughter who was about 10, and her cousin about the same age.
In addition to engaging fairgoers about making a donation decision, it’s so nice when we are able to meet donor families and recipients who stop by our booth to share their story. It is truly a small world and we are all connected. Thank you, Mary, for helping us share the message of donation and for providing a shoulder for this family to lean on.
Last night I worked at the Fair with Vern and Kathleen – Vern received a lung transplant last year; Kathleen is his wife. I love their enthusiasm! They volunteered last year as well…only two months after Vern’s transplant! Simply amazing.
The shift we replaced was BUSY. Sue, who works in our Communication Center, was there with her husband Dave. They had a blast! Here’s Sue recounting a great experience from her shift:
She sums it up well – people at the Fair this year are proud that they’re donors! More than any other year, fairgoers are saying ‘yes’ when we ask them if they are a donor. It’s a fantastic thing to see, and I’m told from volunteers who have been carrying the message far longer than I have that it’s a far cry from where we were even five or ten years ago. So much has changed, and so much of that change is due to people like Vern and Kathleen and Sue and the other 132 people who have volunteered at the Fair this year.
All in all we signed up 54 people yesterday, bringing our total close to 500 registered donors so far. Tomorrow is Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer and the last day of the Great Minnesota Get Together. I’ll have final numbers next week and at least one other great story to share on behalf of a volunteer. Rumor is that more will be coming my way, and I can’t wait to share them with you.
At our booths at the Minnesota State Fair we have a wheel, which fairgoers can spin for the opportunity to answer a question for a prize – either a lifesaver, pencil or wristband. The wheel has always been a big hit, and we often have a line of children and adults waiting for a spin.
We ask age-appropriate questions like “where is your heart?” for the little ones (to which the cutest answer we’ve received so far is “at home,” coming from a two year old boy). Adults get multiple choice questions quizzing them on things like the size of one’s liver (about the size of a football) and how many people are waiting for an organ transplant in the US (more than 99,000).
Our volunteers seem to really enjoy working the wheel and interacting with the kids, as you can see from the following comments, submitted by Cindy Thurmes, our special events coordinator. She, along with our volunteer coordinator, Jeff, manages and organizes the booths for the Fair.
“The Bergquist family was amazing. Rob had a liver transplant thirteen years ago and his wife said he keeps getting healthier and healthier each year. He was so happy to be a part of our booth. Everytime someone would spin the wheel he would throw his arms up in the air and scream, “You are a winner!” and then he would say “And so am I because I got a second chance that has given me 13 years of life!” The enthusiasm in his voice drew people to our booth.
Robert working the wheel game!
The Berquist Family
Cindy also shared the following comments about Tom and Sharon, volunteers who worked the same shift as the Berquist family. As you can see in the picture below Cindy’s comments, Tom and Sharon are wearing two buttons; the first is a picture of Tom’s donor, and the second marks his transplant number (he was the University of Minnesota’s 468th heart transplant!).
“Tom and Sharon were equally as happy to be there. When I asked to take their picture, Sharon said, “Hurry up, we don’t want to miss people that are walking by!”
Tom and Sharon at the Fair
As of the end of the day yesterday, 323 people have registered at the Fair to be organ and tissue donors! All of those people are winners, as are the people to whom they provide hope for a second chance at life. Way to go Minnesota!
Yesterday morning I had the great opportunity to work at the Minnesota State Fair on behalf of the American Liver Foundation (I’m on the board of the local chapter). Since transplant is an important treatment for many people with liver disease our two organizations often come together to encourage more people to register to donate. I worked with Doug Milbrath who is President of the local chapter of the Liver Foundation and the father of Parker who received a life-saving transplant at the age of two. Here’s a clip of Doug working at the Fair:
One of the best things about working at the Fair is the opportunity to connect with so many people. Sometimes we run into those who have been personally touched by donation. I was privileged to meet 13-year-old Josh who received a kidney transplant at the age of 11 months. Below is a clip of Josh talking about his kidney transplant. When you watch the video note that Josh was wearing a shirt with Kirby Puckett on it. Kirby Puckett is a former World-Series winning Minnesota Twin. Sadly he died a few years ago, but upon his death his wish to help others through organ donation was honored and he was able to save lives.
Ellen Pasch, our receptionist at LifeSource had a chance to work at the State Fair alongside her husband, Ray. If you don’t know Ellen you have probably been greeted by her welcoming voice when you called LifeSource or her friendly smile when you came to our offices. Ellen shared with me today that Ray used all the skills he has as a retired teacher to educate fairgoers about donation. Ellen said she observed Ray speaking at length to two young men who then walked over to the table and registered as organ and tissue donors. Upon leaving these men said to Ray “Thank you for talking to us about donation. This was not something we had thought about before and I am glad we were able to register.” That is why we are at the Fair – to encourage more people to register as donors. Thank you, Ray for standing alongside your wife and supporting this great mission of donation. I hope Ellen treated you to some great Fair food before you went home.
In the first four days of the Fair 229 people registered to save lives through organ and tissue donation!
Forty-one people registered to be an organ and tissue donor on day one at the Fair! If you figure that each one of them has the potential to save up to 60 lives through organ and tissue donation, that’s more than 2,400 people whose lives could be renewed. Not bad for a day’s work! Our volunteers and staff are doing a fantastic job.
I visited the Fair twice today, and both times I was met by volunteers who were so excited to be there. We purchased a button maker this year so that our volunteers could wear pictures of their loved one or their donor at the Fair. If you are visiting our booth and see someone wearing a button, please ask them who they are remembering. You’ll be glad you did!
The above quote comes courtesty of Jeffrey, photojournalist at KARE-11 who stopped by our booth in the education building this morning. He was looking for another booth, but admitted that he’d been getting distracted with all of the fantastic things to see at the Fair. When I told him we were sharing information about donation and registering people, he replied with that comment. Couldn’t have said it better myself, Jeffrey!
Day one got off to a busy start this morning, with people lined up to enter the education building promptly at 9:00am. I heard that the hot item is a photo calendar that’s being given away in the building. We can’t compete with that; we are offering Donate Life wristbands, pencils, lifesavers (because you are one – clever, huh?) and warm fuzzies…incredibly warm fuzzies, as the temperature in the booth feels at least 10 degrees hotter than the August outdoors.
I had the pleasure of meeting Connie, a kidney recipient who is celebrating her 35th year post-transplant. She was fantastic! Very bubbly, immensely grateful for the gift she was given and interested in volunteering with LifeSource. Her transplant took place in Texas and she later found out that her donor was a 19 year old male who was in a motorcycle accident. All I can say is “wow!”
Connie, 35-year kidney recipient
I’ll leave you with Connie today, and a question to consider: What would you do with an extra 35 years of LIFE?
More tomorrow, including how many people we registered today!
