Reed Stevens

Reed Stevens was tragically taken from all of us as he rode home from school on February 19, 2008.  He along with 3 of his friends (Jesse Javens, Hunter Javens, & Emilee Olson) were killed on the school bus that day.  Shortly following the crash, we learned of a story of how Reed encouraged a fellow teammate during the running portion of conditioning for football. 

Truth be told, Reed wasn’t a great runner, but he was a tremendous role model of how to encourage others.  From that moment, we knew how we would honor Reed and raise funds for a scholarship in his name. That story became the fuel for our family’s desire to keep Reed’s legacy alive.  Every last Saturday of September (the 25^th this year), Team Stevens will host a 5K run/walk, 1K kids run, and 1K dog walk, with a concert following for post-race festivities.  The monies raised will be placed in the Reed Stevens Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Reed learned of organ donation when he was 10 years old after his great uncle passed away and donated his organs.  That night when being tucked into bed, Reed told me if anything ever happened to him he would like to be an organ donor. I never thought I would have to keep that promise to my young son.  Yet 2 ½ years later, while Reed’s brother was fighting for his life and Reed’s sister was also being treated for injuries from the same bus crash, I kept that promise to Reed.  Much to the surprise of the medical staff at the Trauma Center, I asked about the possibility of donation before being asked.  All throughout his life, Reed loved action heroes: Superman, Batman, Captain America, etc and dreamed of being one.  So in his final moments, Reed’s wishes came true!  Be an Action Hero, just like Reed!

I love the idea of creating teams in memory or in honor of loved ones, and the picture below is definitely worth a thousand words.  Part of the proceeds from the event benefit LifeSource and help us share the message of donation with our community.

We have participated in the Sharing Life Walk/Run the past three years and are registering to participate again this year.  The Sharing Life Foundation supports the following:  Research to find a cure for liver disease; Families who are going through the transplant process; and Education about organ donation.  This year, the 12^th Annual Sharing Life Walk/Run is on Saturday, September 18 at 8:30 AM at the picnic pavilion on the west side of Lake Phalen in St. Paul.  Early registration must be postmarked by September 10 with registration forms and information available on the website. 

We didn’t know what to expect the first year we took part and found it to be a fun time and met some really great people; that’s why we keep going back!  The first two years we participated just to walk and support the cause.  Last year we decided to put together a “Remembering Karlynn Team” in memory of our daughter.  We were so blessed to have a total of 21 on the team, including 6 of ‘Karlynn’s girls’ who had been in small groups she led!  We are hoping to have a good turn out for the team again this year.

2009 Remembering Karlynn Team

There is fun for the whole family plus food, door prizes, and great t-shirts!  We encourage you to consider participating by yourself, forming a team, or you are more than welcome to join the “Remembering Karlynn” team even if you never knew Karlynn.  Hope to see you there!

More people than each of us realizes has a connection to organ and tissue donation.  One of the things about being at the fair is that fairgoers often come to our booth to tell us how they have been impacted by donation and transplantation.  I’m not talking about one or two people – lots of people every day stop by to share their story.

One such interaction stands out in my mind.  I was at the fair last Thursday morning when a woman walked by our booth.  A volunteer from Mayo Clinic that was working with us asked her if she was an organ donor and she replied, “I will be on September 23rd.”  Of course, our response was, “Really?!” 

She went on to tell us that she had just found out the day before that she and her husband had been matched with another pair in an exchange program at the University of Minnesota.  Since the two of them were not a match, she was donating her kidney to a stranger and another stranger was donating his/her kidney to her husband.

Just the day before, while his kids were playing our plinko game, a father shared that he had recently lost his father in June of this year.  He’d had a stroke while in Las Vegas and in his death saved lives through donation. 

Most of us probably don’t think about organ and tissue donation on a regular basis, or feel a sense of urgency in registering to be a donor.  Why would we?  We tend to think we’ll live forever and maintain our health, and spend our energy worrying about things that seem more pressing. 

The challenge is, organ and tissue donation is a pressing issue that impacts thousands of people in our communities.  In the past 21 years, LifeSource has supported more than 5,000 donors and their families. More than 2,800 people in the Upper Midwest are currently waiting for the transplant that will save their life.  The stories we hear from fairgoers puts a face to these numbers.

And the stories we share via our volunteers and staff are intended to help encourage others to take action and register their decision to save lives.  The final count isn’t in yet, but 12 days after we began we know that more Minnesotans are registered as organ and tissue donors.  Often, it’s because of these stories. 

I’ll leave you tonight with this short clip of two girls who registered to be donors at our booth.  When Amber mentions “that nice man over there,” she’s talking about heart recipient and LifeSource volunteer Bill Carlson.

Jesse Frank

Cliff and Sandy Romberg visit the Minnesota State Fair for one very special reason – to tell people about their son, Jesse. 

This is their third year volunteering at our booth at the Fair, registering people as organ and tissue donors.  Their daughter, Alyssa, is joining them this year too.  “We like to promote donation and share Jesse’s story,” says Sandy.  “It’s so wonderful to get out there and promote this so that other people can receive the gift of life.”

Jesse Frank was just 24 years old when he was killed as the result of a work accident in 2006.  He made the decision to be an organ and tissue donor when he renewed his driver’s license shortly before he died, and save the lives of four people through the gifts of his kidneys, liver, pancreas and heart. 

“We are very proud of Jesse for being an organ donor,” shares Sandy.  In this video – the second half of which feature’s Jesse’s story – Sandy shares how she knew for sure that being a donor was Jesse’s wish.  The Romberg’s also talked about Jesse’s decision to be a donor in this WCCO story.

“The fact that Jesse was a donor put a little sense into a situation that otherwise would make no sense to me,” says Sandy.  “It helps to know that a part of him lives on and that another family did not have to deal with the death of their loved one.”

One of those people who lives on because of Jesse is a man named Todd from South Dakota, who received the gift of Jesse’s heart.  Todd and the Romberg’s have been in touch, giving them a chance to get to know one another.  And just last month they met Todd’s sister Tracy at our donor family and recipient picnic in the Twin Cities.  Tracy is hoping to join them at the Fair next year to share their story and talk about how Todd’s transplant has changed his life.  We hope so, too!

Vern and Kathleen

Vern Jackson received a lung transplant in June of 2007.  Two months after his transplant he was at the Minnesota State Fair, sharing his story.  He and his wife, Kathleen Hallinan, continue to volunteer at the Fair each year, often taking several shifts at our booth to talk with fairgoers.

“It’s really fun interacting with people,” says Kathleen.  “I love dispelling the myths.  It’s incredible some of the goofy ideas people have about doantion.  The greatest reward is having a conversation with someone and then seeing them register as a donor because they had all the information.”

Earlier this summer, Vern and Kathleen attended the US Transplant Games in Madison, Wisconsin.  Held every other year in the United States, the Games are an Olympic-style competition for solid organ and bone marrow recipients and living donors.  This was Vern and Kathleen’s first time attending the Games and they went for a very special reason – to meet the mother of Vern’s donor.  “It was such a fitting atmosphere to get together,” shares Kathleen.

I encourage you to watch this video and read the accompanying story to learn more about Vern and his donor’s family.  Cameras were there when he and his donor’s mom met for the first time, and it shows the emotional connection two families have when they are connected through donation and transplantation.

Wendy, at her 30th birthday party

Wendy Sullivan loved butterflies.  She raised them each summer, keeping a milkweed garden from which to pluck and feed her caterpillars.  When she would find the caterpillar eggs she would gently place them in a cage until they hatched and then nourish them each day with fresh milkweed leaves.  After the caterpillars emerged from their chrysalis having transformed into a butterfly, Wendy would release them back into the garden.

“Our whole family is into it now,” shares Gayle Winder, Wendy’s sister.  “My parents are really passionate about it.  We use Wendy’s supplies and look forward to releasing the butterflies throughout the summer.”

Gayle has gone through her own transformation as part of her grief journey. She falls into a special group of people who have more than one person in their family who have given the gift of life.  The precious gift of life is rare, and to have two people in the same family who have been donors in such a short period of time is even rarer.

Steve, fishing at the cabin

In February of 2006, Gayle’s brother Steve died from heart failure.  He was only 40 years old.  He made the decision to be an organ and tissue donor on his driver’s license and the family supported his decision.  Gayle says that being a donor was consistent with who Steve was – always putting people first, laughing, upbeat and positive.  “He was the family prankster,” shares Gayle.  “And he was also a very generous person, both in life and in death.”

If Steve was the prankster, then Wendy was the comedian.  “The party never started until Wendy got there!  She was the entertainer,” says Gayle.  Just after Steve died, Wendy’s driver’s license was up for renewal.  The youngest sibling at just 33 years of age, Wendy hadn’t been registered as a donor before.  Her brother’s gifts of donation inspired her to sign up.

Less than a year later, Wendy became ill and spent several weeks in the hospital.  In September 2006 she died from complications from pancreatitis, and she followed in her brother’s footsteps by saving and healing lives through tissue donation.  “It’s been really comforting to know that they’ve been able to help others, even though I don’t know who the recipients are.”

For the fourth year, Gayle is sharing her story with fairgoers at the Minnesota State Fair.  “There’s such a huge need and it’s important to get that message out there,” she says.  “And it helps me keep my brother’s and sister’s memories alive.”

Part of Kevin’s job involves being on-call to notify patients when an organ has been matched with them.  “Clearly, this is the best part of what I get to do,” he shares.  “The range of responses is just incredible.  Some people start to cry, some get almost giddy and don’t believe me, and some get short of breath and will tell me that they have to sit down.”

Being told your life is about to be saved by a generous stranger is clearly a life-changing moment.  “It’s one of those things where people will never forget the moment they got that call.  Patients always remember where they were and what they were doing,” says Kevin.

He also helps support transplant recipients by facilitating communication with their donor family, allowing them the opportunity to say thank you and share how their transplant has impacted their life. 

“Everyone has an interesting story – transplantation changes the patient’s life.  I see some really remarkable things, people with a desire to do so much more.  And it doesn’t just benefit them, it benefits their family too.”  He quickly goes on to share a story about a patient who received his transplant several years ago and was recently at a clinic visit with his two year-old son and pregnant wife – more lives created and impacted by the generosity of his donor.

Kevin, sharing information with fairgoers

Kevin and 19 of his colleagues from Mayo Clinic spent today volunteering at the Minnesota State Fair, educating people about organ and tissue donation and transplantation and encouraging fairgoers to register as donors.  Kevin describes his work with his colleagues as a team effort, supporting patients along their transplant journey.  “We’re like a family.”

Kevin relayed one interaction he had with a fairgoer.  Upon asking a woman if she was interested in registering as an organ and tissue donor she replied, “I’m already signed up.  Isn’t everybody?”  He tells me, “What a great way to look at things – that donation is just something everyone should do.” 

You can see more pictures of the staff from Mayo Clinic at our booth at the Fair today on our Facebook page.

Kevin is sharing his story with fairgoers this evening.  He’s been a regular at the Fair for several years, usually working three or more shifts and volunteering to be on-call for additional shifts. 

It is so much fun to see him interact with the kids, especially.  Kevin has worked in the Minneapolis Public Schools for many years and takes his passion for teaching from the classroom to the Education Building.  He not only talks about the gift of donation, he also talks about the importance of making healthy choices.

Thank you, Kevin, for everything you do to share the facts about donation so that the people in our community can make an informed decision!  We appreciate your passion and your dedication to sharing the gift of life.