The Gifted Life: Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation Podcast

Show Notes: Get ready for a lively conversation to kick off 2020's National Minority Donor Awareness Month! On this episode we welcome a special co-host, Sheron Raymond, a veteran Community Educator with LOPA . Sheron and Lori are joined by three amazing guests: Marion Shuck, the current president of AMAT and the Director of Family Services and Community Outreach of Gift of Hope , Janice Whaley, t...

Show Notes: Transplantation Science is an educational program that delves into the biology and science behind donation and transplantation. We talk with Ken and Anne from Donor Alliance , the organization who created the program. Remarkably, this story begins with Ken telling us how he was NOT a proponent for donation. Hear why he changed his mind and has since educated thousands of students about...

Show Notes: Can donation cure type 1 diabetes? You don't want to miss this story filled with love and resilience! On episode 138, Kristine Neal from We Are Sharing Hope South Carolina joins our hosts to chat about their work in South Carolina. Kristine is joined by volunteer and pancreas recipient, Kim Perkins, who has been cured of type 1 diabetes and is living life to the fullest thanks to the g...

Show Notes: Glenna and Amanda Frey are the mother and daughter power team who founded the non-profit Kidney Donor Conversations . They are using their career backgrounds and personal experiences with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) to help educate the public about living kidney donation and make it easier to understand. Sara explains toxic positivity and we honor hero Timothy Thompson .

Show Notes: Have you ever seen something about donation on TV and thought, no, that’s wrong? Donate Life Hollywood’s founder, Tenaya Wallace, tells us about the Donate Life Hollywood Activate App . Through this app (available in the Apple or Google Play app stores) people can respond immediately to a negative storyline, support a positive storyline, learn about casting opportunities, upload real-l...

Show Notes: Our friend Chuck Stinson from MORA, Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency , guest hosts with Lori to share a special story with us. Mary Margaret Hyer, Miss Mississippi 2019, joins to share her unique connection to organ, tissue and eye donation which became her platform, Advocate, Celebrate, Donate. Then they honor a hero from their state, Danielle “Bay Bay” Bryant , and answer a question...

Show Notes: Our friend Chuck Stinson from MORA , Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency, is our guest host, sharing a special story about an organ donor from Mississippi. Chuck welcomes David Wilbanks , father of Walker Wilbanks, who explains how a brief conversation about his son’s decision to be a donor impacted five different communities. We also honor Walker in the hero segment and answer a questio...

Show Notes: On episode 132 we talk to our friend, colleague, professional athlete and two-time heart recipient, Simon Keith . Simon worked at Nevada Donor Network and now leads the Simon Keith Foundation , aiming to provide financial support primarily to kids who had a life-saving organ transplant and have a desire to return to an active lifestyle. Then, a mental health moment to discuss the diffe...

Show Notes: On this episode, we welcome Lisa Bradshaw to hear about her own connection to transplantation and the inspiration behind her Don’t Wait Project . She calls DON'T WAIT stories, the nouns in life: the people, places, things and ideas despite the obstacles. We share tips for coping during the Coronavirus pandemic, listen to a special voicemail from a familiar voice, and honor hero Kelsey...

Show Notes: On episode 131 we chat with our friends at Gift of Hope in Illinois. CEO, Kevin Cmunt tells us how Gift of Hope is supporting donor families and about his role as Chief Storyteller. Then Kevin introduces us to a dynamic couple, the Grobmeiers, who created the Maddog Strong Foundation after their daughter, Maddie “Maddog” Grobmeier became a donor. The Grobmeier family uses Maddog’s stor...

Show Notes: On episode 130, we welcome our friend, Ramonia Chapman from Gift of Life Michigan to gab about their campaign, Let’s Talk . This program was created to spark conversations and build a culture of trust within African-American, Arab-American and Latinx communities. Then we discuss managing workplace stress, honor Michigan hero, Emilio DeFoe, and answer your question here on The Gifted Li...

Show Notes: On episode 129, we welcome award winning community activist and organizer, Melvin Giles , to hear his story about blowing bubbles and touching hearts in Minnesota. Melvin’s loved one, Mary Salter, became a donor and is our honored hero in this episode. Learn how he’s using her memory to inspire peace and ease people's concerns about becoming an organ, tissue and eye donor with some hel...

Show Notes: February 14th is National Donor Day and what better way to celebrate than to welcome our friend Andrew Mullins, COO at Lifeline of Ohio to talk about how one registered donor left his legacy of life while sparking two landmark milestones in the US: the first adult to donate his heart after circulatory death and also the first to give six organs after circulatory death (also known as DC...

Show Notes: Two sisters used their grief to spark a chain of events impacting numerous lives when they started a living donor chain. Listen to Hannah and Bethany Goralski’s story of hope and giving to learn how it all started. We offer tips for navigating tough times using effective coping mechanisms, and then we honor hero Scott Fornea on this powerful episode of The Gifted Life Podcast.

Show Notes: Over the course of his life, Steven Taibbi, has endured multiple heart surgeries including two heart transplants. Like so many organ recipients, he’s struggled with survivor’s guilt, and penned a book, Grateful Guilt: Living in the Shadow of My Heart . Steven’s story of determination will inspire you to overcome your own struggles. Sara offers tips for cementing connections while being...

Show Notes: 25 years later, we connect with Reg Green, father of Nicholas Green , to hear in his own words how his son’s story had a global impact, and continues to inspire others to register to be organ, tissue and eye donors . Sara shares tips for transforming how to deal with stressors. Then, in our honoring a hero segment, Reg Green rejoins us to share more about his son Nicholas Green and we...

Show Notes: Santa is here ! Need we say more? Listen to this very special and festive edition of the podcast thanks to our Alabama friends with North Pole connections at Legacy of Hope . Then we hear tips about maintaining boundaries and honor Alabama hero, Savannah Sides . A very Happy Holidays from The Gifted Life Podcast team.

Show Notes: On episode 123, learn how The Decision Project at the Living Legacy Foundation takes a grassroots approach to saving more lives by empowering people to make an educated and inspired decision about organ, eye, and tissue donation while sharing their decision with family. Sara ‘triggers’ us during her vocabulary lesson on the proper use of psychiatric terminology. Then we honor hero, Jor...

Show Notes: How do you defy the odds when you are hit with life’s roadblocks? Rich “Trigger” Bontrager is a speaker and life coach sharing his story, which includes working his way back to a full life after receiving a liver transplant, to inspire others who are facing their own trials. Sit back, listen and enjoy his remarkable story. Then we give tips for battling insecurity and honor hero, Jerem...

Show Notes: 120 episodes ago, back in 2015, we kicked off The Gifted Life Podcast. On this episode we decided to get back to basics of organ, tissue and eye donation . A few things have changed since our first episode, and more lives are being saved and healed with each medical advancement. Our registry has grown and each yes provides hope to so many waiting. Yet, myths about the process remain. W...

Show Notes: How do you build a culture championing the gift of donation? We welcome Jennifer Milton with University Transplant in San Antonio , along with lung recipient and volunteer extraordinaire, Dot Delrosa. They work together sharing powerful stories and infusing a passion to support donor families, staff and recipients. We learn tips for balancing self esteem and social media usage. Then in...

Show Notes: A sister’s passion for organ donation sparks a movement that is building momentum to register organ, tissue and eye donors throughout the country. We talk with Sara Miller of SODA: Student Organ Donation Advocates . Hear how her sister, Laura, inspired her to educate and register donors in colleges and high schools. For more on Laura’s story, also listen to episode 107 when we spoke wi...

Show Notes: Planning for a funeral is often the last thing on anyone’s mind until it is a have-to situation. Brian and Ryan from, Undertaking the Podcast , join us for an important discussion about the need for funeral planning prior to a death occurring. Hear tips for how to spark a family discussion about funeral wishes and what’s needed to plan a funeral service. Our friends from Indiana Donor...

Show Notes: We welcome guests, Tyler Brignac from North Oaks Health System & Lana Stevens from LOPA into our studio for episode 117. Hear how partnering with like minded organizations and getting grassroots in communities can serve a collective goal, saving more lives. Learn all about Operation Life 5K and Play It Safe . We take a mental health break to get tips for finding our purpose, honor hero...

Show Notes: What kind of funeral services can a family plan following their loved one’s donation? Can our family schedule a viewing and open casket funeral? Questions we often hear. We welcome Brian Water and Ryan Ballard, the hosts of Undertaking: The Podcast , for an open discussion about the funeral director’s role and what memorial services can be possible following donation. We take a mental...