Here’s an article I want to share with you from today’s Brainerd Dispatch - it’s titled “As a donor, Fred keeps on living.”  It’s a great story about a young man named Fred Powers who had too short a life and had made the generous decision to be an organ and tissue donor.  I encourage you to read the story in it’s entirety.

What I want to point out, however, is a short excerpt from the middle of the article:

A LifeSource representative approached Bonnie and Randy, asking if they’d be willing to donate Fred’s organs. Randy remembered several years earlier that Fred had asked his dad if he was an organ donor. Randy told his son that he was, and Fred seemed interested in doing the same. But nothing else was spoken between them on the issue and his parents weren’t sure if Fred had gone through and had “donor” listed on his driver’s license.

Randy sent one of Fred’s friends to the parking lot to retrieve Fred’s wallet from Randy’s truck. They were relieved when they turned Fred’s license over and it read “donor.”

“It took a huge pressure off of us,” said Randy.

It’s worth repeating Randy’s words – “It took a huge pressure off of us.”  This is the power of making a lifetime decision about donation. 

Please take a moment to get the facts about donation and make a decision, then let your family know.  Encourage them to do the same.  Nothing in the world can make the tragedy of losing a loved one easier, nor can donation take the sting away from the grief-filled months and years ahead.  Randy’s words reflect the relief, the comfort and the knowledge that they were supporting what Fred wanted.

As with life sometimes a detail or two slips through the care taken to get everything correct. This one is fairly important there is a discrepancy between the dates listed on the rvsp and invitation for the Fall Donor Family Gathering. The correct day for the event is Saturday, Nov 21st. Below is the information from the invitation sent out.

LifeSource invites your family to join us in remembering those who have given the Gift of Life. Special guest speaker, Ted Bowman, Grief Educator, will be talking about the stories we have to tell stories of loss and stories of hope. We invite you to remember your loved one during our candle-lighting ceremony, commemorative photo presentation and sharing session.

A tribute table will be provided for families to display pictures or special keepsake items during the event. The LifeSource Donor Family Quilt will also be present. For information on making a quilt square, please visit www.life-source.org.

We hope this day offers your family the opportunity to reflect on your loved one’s life, celebrate the gifts they gave, and gather with others who have traveled a similar path.

Dates & Locations

Saturday, November 21st • Chaska, MN

AM Program • Registration 9:00 a.m. • Program begins 9:30 a.m.

PM Program • Registration 1:00 p.m. • Program begins 1:30 p.m.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum • 3675 Arboretum Drive • 952-443-1411

(Please inform parking attendant that you are

attending the LifeSource program)

Light refreshments will be served.

contact

Jill Halimi or John LeMay • LifeSource Family Services Coordinators

651-603-7800 or 1-888-536-6283 • familyservices@life-source.org

Funny woman Wanda Sykes shared with the audience during her HBO special last weekend that she thinks everyone should be an organ donor.  We agree, Wanda! 

Take a look at this video posted by our friends at Donate Life California and get ready to laugh.

TJ Hedeen was a 36 year old man who lived in Farmington, MN with his wife and two children.  After years waiting for a liver transplant, TJ got the call in April of 2008 that he thought would save his life.  But the wait for his transplant had decimated his health.  He died during transplant surgery on April 15, 2008.

This past Sunday, TJ’s family and friends ran the Twin Cities Marathon and 10 Mile Race to remember him and to encourage others to register to donate. In the words of TJ’s Cousin, John Hagebock, who organized the team:

TJ’s runners reached the finish line with great times and lots of positive energy. This event had a purpose – our primary goal was to help people become organ donors and help share the gift of life. Through our actions we can bring this cause to the surface and create a positive environment full of hope. This year our 5 runners carried TJ’s name with DonateLifeMN.org on their race day jersey. These small efforts generate the energy and momentum that will lead to greater things.

Thank you TJ’s runners for your life-affirming run!

Many of us at LifeSource just got back from a conference in Dallas, Texas focused on learning and sharing ideas to increase the number of people who give the gift of life through donation and transplantation.  We were thrilled to be joined by more than a dozen hospital and transplant center partners who are on this journey with us.

And then there was a surprise.

A donor mom from Minnesota was there to share her story, along with the woman who receive the gift of her son’s heart just two months ago.  They told their story in front of nearly 1,000 people yesterday morning, concluding to a well-deserved standing ovation not just for their stories but for having the courage to share them with all of us.

Just 15 hours earlier they had met in person for the first time.  The CBS station from Dallas was there to get it on tape, and shared it with WCCO in the Twin Cities.  Here is there incredible story:

Click to watch “Woman Receives Heart from Soldier Killed in War“

Did you know that less than half the men ages 45-65 in Minnesota are registered to be donors?

What’s with men?!

That’s the question we’re talking about during the next two months with an initiative to use social media to increase the number of Minnesota men between the ages of 45- 65 who are registered to be donors. Only 47% of men in this age group are registered to be donors, compared with 52% of the total population.

Our goal is to increase the number of men who are registered to 50%, or Half The Men, in Minnesota. That might not seem like a lot, but it amounts to more than 13,000 new donor registrations in the next two months if we reach our goal.

Visit our Half The Men website to learn more about what we’re doing – you can watch cool videos, read about our awesome ambassadors and visit our blog there.  And, of course, there’s a link to register to be an organ and tissue donor.

Do you use Facebook or Twitter? Do you have a blog? Then you can help! The more people who know about this campaign, the more successful it will be. Our Half the Men initiative is going to be a fun, light-hearted way to shine a light on the very serious organ shortage facing our communities.

Here’s what you can do to help spread the word:

1. If you have a Facebook or Twitter Account, follow Donate Life Minnesota and re-tweet or share our information – you can become a fan of Donate Life Minnesota  and you can follow us on Twitter.

2. If you have a Facebook account, please help us spread the word. Change your status to let your friends know that they should become a fan of Donate Life Minnesota – not only will they be helping us share the life-saving message of donation, but they’ll be entered into a drawing for a fun giveaway next Wednesday, September 9th.  They’ll also be alerted to other cool giveaways, like our State Fair giveaway this weekend for Twins tickets.

3.  If you are inspired to do so, please let us know why you think men don’t register to be donors at the same rate as the general population.  Leave a comment here or on our Half The Men blog, or create a video and post it to You Tube.

Thanks for your support – talk to the men in your life and ask them if they are registered!

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

 I arrived last evening to relieve my co-worker John of his duties in the booth at the Sturgis Bike Rally. It was my assumption that I would fine John tired and ready to ride out of town. In reality he was energized and eager to keep going. After arriving on the strip and experiencing the views of thousands of bikes and people (ask me about some of those later), John’s energy was passed along to me. I have to admit at first I was a little nervous about this adventure but was pleasantly surprised with the kindness of everyone here. One example of that was the generosity of over half of our booth visitors today. As we handed our green wrist bands out and were in the process of asking if they were donors, they would reach for their wallets to give us a cash donation. I have not experienced that anywhere I have gone before. These bikers have big hearts. Speaking of big hearts – I met Matt from St. Louis Missouri. Matt was approximately 13 years old. He came running to our booth with a big smile on his face and said; “I know exactly what this is about”. Matt’s mother told me he did a very large project on the lifesaving gifts of organ donation and takes every opportunity he gets to talk about it with family and friends. As he talked to me in excitement, other adults stood by to listen to what he had to say. Matt was an example of how important our high school education is.

Matt a great advocate for donation

 Lastly, John told me last night that Lorenzo Lamas was in a booth right outside of our door. For those of you that do not know him he was the star of the shows Falcon Crest and Renegade. My trip would not be complete without meeting him so I went on a search. I found him and was told he was selling t-shirts for the Make a Wish Foundation. After adding another t-shirt to my collection and having him sign a picture for me I went back to the booth. I decided to go back for more visit with the intention of talking with him about donation. I asked him if he was a supporter and his response was “absolutely, I cannot use my organs after death”. He proudly put the wrist band on and took a picture with our volunteer Kim. Yes, that made my day.

Lorenzo Lamas and Kim Morsching

Until tomorrow – good night and thank you to all of our volunteers for making this outreach possible. Cindy

I think that is my favorite response I get. A couple will walk up and I will ask “Do you have donor on your license?” and most likely the man says “No, I’m keeping my parts.” The significant other at the same time says “Yes, I am” and follow up quickly with “What do you mean you are not a donor?”

It is obvious that both of them had taken their decision for granted and could not understand the other. This is why we ask the question hundreds of times a day, to start the conversation so people know what each other believes so the situation arises. We can also answer the questions that might open the door to a longer conversation.

As that particular couple walked away the woman looked at me and said “Don’t worry, I will fix that.”

I am pretty confident she will.

Ride Safe,

John