Let's Talk About Life

Marla Corrado first became aware of Lifebanc when her Father, William passed away and was a registered donor. Since then, she has become a volunteer for Lifebanc and was part of a Gift of Life Walk & Run team to honor her dad’s memory called Planting the Seeds of Love .  When COVID hit, she and her daughters found a way to help others during an uncertain time while raising money for Lifebanc a...

An afternoon game of football with friends changed the life of 12-year-old  Peter "PJ" Williams forever. After being tackled, he noticed that his knee hurt.  The pain and limp did not go away, and PJ's mom, Sophia grew more concerned but neither of them was expecting the diagnoses they received.  Bone cancer. Listen as PJ shares his story and experience since his diagnosis and the reason he is sta...

When someone we love or care about passes-away, especially when it is sudden and unexpected, it can become a very stressful situation.  Arrangement decisions to be made, informing family and friends, and other tasks associated with the end of life.   This is on top of the grief felt by the loss which can lead to despair. When we lose a loved one, we associate grief as the main emotion and we somet...

Like many people of color, Carol and her circle of family and friends were skeptical about organ, eye, and tissue donation, not to mention the health care industry as a whole. Even when it came to her mom's passing, Carol could not move beyond her concerns to allow an autopsy to be performed to see the cause of her mother's death. It wasn't until Carol joined the Lifebanc team that she saw for her...

Lifebanc works closely with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to track statistics of individuals who sign up to be registered organ, eye, and tissue donors. We look at age, gender, location of those who have said "YES" to saving lives. We also track a disturbing trend of folks who said were registered donors at one time, but then opted out of the registry. Learn from Gordon Bowen, Lifebanc CEO why the...

Dear First Responders, will you save my life as a registered organ donor? A traumatic accident has occurred and emergency medical staff are called. Once on the scene, they assess the patients and begin life-saving treatment while preparing for transport to the hospital. Do they assess for anything else? Kelly Cover , Lifebanc Coroner, Medical Examiner, and EMS Liaison discusses her role working wi...

Buddhists believe in a cycle of death and rebirth called samsara. In Islam, death is the termination of worldly life and the beginning of the afterlife.  Christians believe that Jesus' death and resurrection are part of God's divine plan for humankind.  And of course, there are those who believe death is eternal; there is nothing else. Listen as Elissa Berman, Lifebanc Senior Bereavement Services...

We are just a few days away from the 2020 Gift of Life Walk & Run live-stream event and the excitement is building. We are in full swing getting ready to celebrate life by Crossing the Finish Line Together ! Listen as Gordon Bowen, Lifebanc CEO provide insight into the program and what we can expect on Saturday morning - including special guests , family stories , and a walk through the Legacy...

Individuals who are African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian or Pacific Islanders, American Indian or Alaskan Natives make up 60% of the national waiting list for an organ transplant.  Yet, in 2019, only 46% of the people who received a transplant were from these communities. Increasing the gap further is the fact that these communities are less likely to be a registered organ, eye, and tissue...

Join us today for the love story of a young couple who were planning their future until a medical diagnosis changed everything.  Josie Brown  and her boyfriend,  Mike Rogers Jr., had no idea that healing would come from Karey Gengler , Josie's mom, in a time a tragedy.

Families experiencing a loss sometimes feel they are in a hole and they will never be able to face the future.  How do some families manage to move through their grief to the point where they are reaching out to help others? Guest, Deanna Slifka , who lost her middle daughter at birth talks with Elissa Berman, Lifebanc Sr. Bereavement Counselor about how her loss is now helping others.

Since 2013, the Cleveland Clinic Transplant Center has been the sponsor of the Legacy Garden at the Gift of Life Walk & Run. The Legacy Garden is a special area to honor those who have been touched by giving, receiving of waiting for the gift of life. Renee Bennett, Sr. Director of Enterprise Transplant Services for the Cleveland Clinic talks about the impact supporting the Legacy Garden has o...

Lifebanc could not do what we do with out the partnership and support of our local transplant centers. Our mission of saving and healing lives through organ donation is paramount. Also important is celebrating those gifts of life given and received. Today, we talk to Stacey Banning , Administrative Director for the Transplant Institute at University Hospital Medical Center the vital mission of org...

Organ, eye, and tissue recovery is a highly specialized and regulated field of healthcare. Lifebanc has invested in its staff to be at the top of their profession and specialty by providing innovative ways and programs to educate staff. Kristen Deyling , Lifebanc Compliance, and Learning Development Specialist explains the importance of educational efforts for a positive outcome of saving and heal...

Not so very long ago, if a patient in end-stage organ failure was HIV positive, in most cases, they were told to go home and get their things in order.  Brianna Doby Donation Community Consultant at  Johns Hopkins School of Medicine discusses the creation of the HOPE Act which gives a very vulnerable patient population hope for a second chance at life. It also allows the LGBTQ community to be regi...

When we are in despair and grieving for someone we love, is it acceptable to laugh and experience joy too?   Elissa Berman , Lifebanc Senior Bereavement Counselor discusses when humor is useful and the health benefits it provides during times of tension and grief.

At the beginning of the summer of 2012, a tragic car accident took the lives of four local teenagers. One of the teens, Kevin Fox was able to give the gift of life through organ, eye, and tissue donation. Devastated family and friends of Kevin, struggled to find a positive outlet for their grief. Listen as Colleen Fox, shares her brother's decision to be an organ donor and why the Gift of Life Wal...

The 2020 Gift of Life Walk & Run will be going virtual this year. As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, Lifebanc believes that it's in the best interest of all participants, staff, volunteers, and hosts to shift to a virtual event. Gordon Bowen, Lifebanc CEO discusses the event and some of the innovative ways we are offering participants and teams to engage with us and each other to raise fund...

There are approximately 1,000,000 tissue transplants that take place each year. Not everyone understands the impact and importance of tissue donation to save lives. The Gift of Tissue episode explores the many uses of donated tissue and the dedication Lifebanc maintains before, during, and after the recovery of those gifts. Julie Caldro , the Director of Tissue Services for Lifebanc shares her kno...

When she created the Five Stages of Grief, was Elizabeth Kublier-Ross describing grief experienced when someone we care for passes away?  An interesting and enlightening discussion with Eliss Berman, Lifebanc Senior Bereavement Counselor and her colleague, Jennifer Stern, a Licensed Independent Social Worker and an M.A. in Clinical Social Work and explain why Life is Not a Stage . If you are strug...

Saving and healing lives have never meant more than at this moment in time and Nurse's Week has never been so meaningful. While the frontline nurses continue gaining ground on the pandemic, a specialized nursing group has quietly gone above and beyond to save lives through organ, eye, and tissue donation. Michele Martynyszyn, Organ Services Manager at Lifebanc has an inspiring discussion about the...

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration or TSA will require a federally compliant driver license, identification card or another acceptable form of identification (such as a US passport or military ID) to fly within the U.S.  The compliant ID takes the place of a standard driver’s license. When renewing a license at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Ohioans can ask for the Real ID and to save...

Thank you for listening to Let’s Talk About Life – the podcast that is changing lives.  Organ, eye, and tissue donation is truly all about LIFE – life given, life received, and lives saved and healed.  If you have questions about today’s podcast, reach out to us at info@lifebanc.org . If you are already a registered donor, we thank you.  If you are not, take a few minutes to do something heroic an...