The Gifted Life: Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation Podcast

Show Notes: We welcome Diane Jackson from The Slone Group for a conversation about the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in organ donation policy as well as in the culture of organ procurement organizations. Nila Schwab, a Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor, offers some advice about the resistance to change and how to recognize when you are being resistant to it. And, we honor...

Show Notes: We welcome back Howl the Owl author Brenda Cortez, we first spoke with her in episode 115 . Brenda has written a new book, Because of Donation , which is a curated collection of inspiring stories about organ donation. She is joined on this episode by Brittany Elliser , mom to liver recipient Briggs. Their family’s story is one of 25 stories featured in the book. Then we learn about exp...

Show Notes: The gift of life can inspire and motivate people to reach for the stars. In this episode, we connect with musician Althea Grace , whose toddler daughter Lennon is not only a liver recipient, but also her songwriting inspiration. We learned about their story on American Idol , where Althea was a contestant and are excited to share their journey. Then we give tips for conquering post-pan...

Show Notes: We welcome a young man who's transplantation journey has become his professional inspiration. Liver recipient, William Porter, tells us about his road to receiving the gift of life and how it influenced his career path and inspired the creation of Operation Impact . Then we offer some tips for coping with despair, answer your question and honor hero Jonathan Catoir .

Show Notes: Organ and tissue donation for medical research is a way for heroes to contribute to innovation and the search for treatments and cures. On this episode, we welcome Caroline Hare from Autism BrainNet who shares how donors and their families are paving the way for greater understanding of the biological causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Then we offer tips for being more self-comp...

Show Notes: We connected with Mark Scotch from Wisconsin, whose chance meeting during a leisure trip to Louisiana, saved another man's life through the living kidney donor voucher program . You don't want to miss this remarkable story and how it led to the creation of The Organ Trail . Then we chat about what true mindfulness is and honor hero Cameron Dice .

Show Notes: Joey Gase is honoring NASCAR Hall of Famer, Davey Allison , on his car in the Talladega races April 24th and 25th. Davey became a donor on April 28th, 28 years ago, and his race car number was 28 . Joey knows the importance of sharing the stories of donors and encouraging families to talk about their wishes, he made the decision for his mom to be a donor when he was just 18. Liz Alliso...

Show Notes: Transplant patients all have to adapt to a new way of life post transplant, but there are unique challenges for pediatric transplant patients and their families. Everything from how to explain to young siblings where the new organ came from, to worrying about their ability to physically grow. Joseph Hillenburg and Melissa McQueen are both parents of recipients and share their stories a...

Show Notes: “Organ donation is like life, it's about the trying. And when someone gives the gift of donation, they are giving another family a chance to try. And sometimes, it's all we get. And somehow, it's enough.” Lisa Bradshaw from the Don’t Wait Project joins us again to share her latest endeavor to promote organ donation - songwriting! The song, This Beautiful Life comes from the deepest pla...

Show Notes: Breast reconstruction is an important aspect of patient recovery following mastectomy. On this episode, we welcome back our friends from Bio-Aesthetics for an update on their important work to aid in the reconstruction process. Nick Pashos and Billy Heim first visited with us on episode 104 , now we are thrilled to learn how their work has progressed. Then we offer tips for coping with...

Show Notes: The Traumatic Loss Support Program is a new program adopted by LOPA to help further support the loved ones of deceased donors. Libbie Harrison, one of LOPA's Family Support staff, joins us to share some of the key aspects of the program like the 4-legged stool, the need to care for ourselves, care for others and talks about the additional resources for survivors of suicide. Then we cha...

Show Notes: Organ and tissue donation affects every race and culture. We are joined by Hedi Aguiar to learn about the inspiration behind the program she developed called, Love Thy Neighbor . She notes the challenges faced by both families and organ procurement professionals when the decision to donate needs to be made. Hear how her program contributes to bridging cultural, ethnic, and racial divid...

Show Notes: Imagine the shock of hearing your doctor say, "you are dying and I need to find out what is wrong!". This is what our guest, Kathleen Gebbia, was told when she first learned her kidneys were no longer functioning. Kathleen was shocked by the news, and humbled by those who stepped up to try to get her the life-saving kidney she needed, including her daughter-in-law, Sage Cronk-Gebbia. S...

Show Notes: Kidneys are the most needed organ in the United States, and can be transplanted through both deceased donation and living donation. On episode 152, we welcome National Kidney Foundation's Jennifer Martin to learn about the program called The Big Ask, The Big Give . Whether a person needs a kidney or they are considering donation, hear how NKF's program helps start the conversation abou...

Show Notes: On this special episode of The Gifted Life Podcast we begin 2021 with a New Year's tradition, honoring heroes through the Tournament of Roses Event and the Donate Life Floral Sculpture . This year's Louisiana Floragraph honoree, Shawn Elizabeth Guillot was 15 years old when she became a hero nearly 30 years ago. We connect with both of her parents to learn more about Shawn, and reconne...

Show Notes: We talk to kidney and pancreas recipient Nic Whitacre who talks about his harrowing journey to the gift of life and a cure to his Type 1 diabetes. His hero is Chris Gregory, whose story was documented by his father in a book and on our podcast . His story has been translated to the silver screen through the movie 2 Hearts . We give tips for living with different, varying opinions and p...

Show Notes: Join us for an educational and engaging conversation about the Islamic perspective on organ, tissue and eye donation. We are joined by Karim Ali and Samuel Shareef, members of the Muslim Life Planning Network , which is an organization created to assist in educating American Muslims on donation and other end of life issues. Imam Johari Malik explains Islamic teaching and laws, includin...

Show Notes: On episode 148, we welcome Jessica Fisher from LAORA in Florida to talk about their program to engage faith leaders called The Pray Project. Learn how The Pray Project is supporting donor families in LAORA's service area. Then we chat about the differences between affirmation and validation. We honor LAORA hero, Trevin Reddick, and answer one of your questions.

Show Notes: Eye Donation Month is an annual event held each November to raise awareness about cornea donation and transplantation. Eye Bank Association of America President and CEO, Kevin Corcoran, joins us to talk about the observance's theme, “ A Community of Compassion ”. Kevin introduces us to Nia, whose daughter Zoe is a cornea recipient. Nia shares her daughter's story to inspire others to b...

Show Notes: On this episode we introduce you to father and engineer, Nick Jones. His son Matty had a rare kidney condition, resulting in the need for a transplant. Learn how his son's journey through his illness inspired Nick to focus on innovation to increase the number of lives saved through transplantation. He brings ideas and technology to OmniLife , helping to build their mobile application w...

Show Notes: October is National Liver Awareness Month and our hosts talk with a two time liver recipient, John Hoffman . His first transplant was performed by Dr. Thomas Starzl , one of the pioneers of transplantation. John is currently writing his memoir and hopes to inspire others who may be on the same road he’s traveled. Then, we chat about tips for praising children effectively, answer one of...

Show Notes: On episode 144, learn about the pivotal role coroners play within the donation process. Chuck Credo, who serves as chair of LOPA's coroner subcommittee, explains how coroners and medical examiners work to honor a person's wish to be a donor while preserving evidence which may be needed to determine the cause of death. Portions of the discussion may be sensitive for some people. Listene...

Show Notes: On episode 143, we welcome Mary and Bob Evans, the driving force behind the Jeffrey Campbell Evans Foundation . They watched their son wait for a heart transplant, saw the challenges he encountered while waiting and even faced their own challenges as Jeffrey's caregivers. This inspired Mary and Bob to help other families on their own transplant journeys and focus on one of the most bas...

Show Notes: On episode 142, we welcome Francesca Ferrante from CORE , who introduces us to one of their extraordinary volunteers, Craig Smith. Craig is a heart recipient and started his own nonprofit, Second Chance Fundraising , as a way to get people talking about the need for more registered donors. He helped CORE kick off their College Challenge program, which helped add hundreds to the donor r...

Show Notes: Woody Overton, host of the award-winning Real Life Real Crime podcast , joins Lori as co-host of this special episode. Lori and Woody were brought together by a dynamic teacher, Kelly Jennings , of Livingston Parish Literacy & Technology Center. Learn how they are working together to educate and inspire more people to register as donors, and how the tragic story of one of Kelly’s forme...