-Nick

We heart our readers.

Musician and Donate Life advocate Alex Band is coming to town. Alex is the former lead singer of The Calling and is now solo. He’ll be performing a show at Schuba’s in Chicago on Thursday, July 29. Come show your support!

Click here to purchase tickets for the show.

Alex was affected by organ donation when his wife was placed on the transplant wait list for a new liver. Alex has been an advocate for donor registration and has supported Donate Life in many ways. Just how dedicated is he? Alex shared this video of getting a Donate Life tattoo. Now that’s dedication.

-Nick

Kidney donor found on Internet answers Sullivan man’s prayers

Fate, social networking draw two women together in hope

Start following @BeA_Donor and other donation organizations to stay connected. Check out our Donate Life Social Media Resource Guide for a list of all Donate Life affiliated organizations on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more. If you are a representative from an organization affiliated with Donate Life America and would like us to add your site or profile to our listings, please leave a comment with a link to your site or email us at donatelifeillinois@gmail.com.

-Nick

Baseball fans, it’s your lucky day! DLI is giving away 3 pairs of tickets to the Andre Dawson & Friends Celebrity Softball Game. The event is on Wednesday, July 28th at Alexian Field, home of the Schaumburg Flyers.

Andre is being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and to celebrate, he’s playing softball with his friends. Want to join? Then simply encourage your friends to register as an organ/tissue donor in Illinois. To win the tickets, follow these steps:

1. Use DLI’s Tell-A-Friend tool to encourage your friends and family to sign-up.

2. To be eligible for the ticket give-away, enter donatelifeillinois@gmail.com as the fifth email recipient.

Winners will be notified.

That all it takes, folks! The first three people to do this will win two tickets to the event. Good luck!

-Nick

In November of 2003, our 17-year-old daughter, Samantha, was killed in an automobile accident on her way to school during a heavy rain storm.  We knew that Sam wanted to be a donor because we had discussed the topic immediately after she received her driver’s license.   Due to the severity of the accident, she was not able to donate her major organs, but was able to donate many of her tissues.  Her heart valves saved one life and her other tissues have improved many lives (23 so far).

As anyone who has lost a child knows, your life will change in many significant ways.  You also need to find ways to deal with the immense feeling of loss.  Volunteering for Gift of Hope and Donate Life Illinois has allowed me the opportunity to keep Samantha’s memory alive and “give back” at the same time.

I have been speaking to groups about organ & tissue donation and sharing Sam’s story of donation for over four years now.  In doing so, I discuss both living and deceased donation.  I explain the impact we can all have by donating blood, bone marrow, a kidney, or a piece of our liver while we are still alive.  After having this discussion many times, I started asking myself why I wasn’t doing more and decided to pursue being a living kidney donor.

I contacted a Transplant Coordinator at Loyola in Maywood to begin my donation journey.  After an initial screening to make sure I was an acceptable kidney donor candidate, I began going through a process that would include every medical test known to man (at least it seemed that way) and would take months to complete.  Finally, I passed all the tests and was ready; I just needed a matching recipient.

Unknown to me, there were two other altruistic (or “good Samaritan”) donors going through the process at the same time as me and the kidney transplant surgeons at Loyola were developing a proposal for a national kidney donation chain called “Pay It Forward”.  The program was announced at the end of March via a press conference held at Loyola.

Basically, a chain consists of an altruistic donor and pairs of recipients and non-matching donors (usually friends or relatives of the potential recipient).  The difference between Loyola’s program and the typical chain is that the National Kidney Registry is coordinating the matching process with donors and recipients across the country instead of just looking within a single transplant center.

My donation surgery occurred at 2:00 AM on Tuesday, May 11th.  This time was picked to allow the chain to complete three links on the same day.  My left kidney went to a woman in Harrisburg, PA.  Her willing donor’s kidney went to a recipient in California.  Their willing donor’s kidney went to a recipient somewhere else in Pennsylvania.  Transporting the kidneys is a lot more efficient than transporting the patients allowing three successful transplants in a single day spanning the country twice.

One of the most common questions asked is about the recovery for a kidney donor.  The official recommendation consists of two things:
1.Don’t lift anything weighing more than 15 pounds for six weeks.
2.If it hurts, don’t do it.  (A good rule of thumb for us all.)

In my case, I was taking 3-mile walks after 2 weeks, 20-mile bicycle rides after 4 weeks, and back to riding my Harley after 5 weeks.

It is a very rewarding feeling knowing that I’ve helped someone in need and gotten them off of kidney dialysis.  I also feel like I’m following in Samantha’s footsteps and that she would be proud of me.

If you’re in excellent health and would like to share that feeling, contact a transplant center near you.

-Tim

Let the countdown begin…just 17 days until the Games! It is hard to believe that they are almost here. For those of you that are attending the games for the first time, be ready for an incredible experience, one that you will never forget!

The opening ceremonies is where you will truly see just how amazing the decision of donating life can be. While you are walking in with your team, take a look around in the room. It will be filled with other recipients, donor families and friends from all over the US! As the week progresses, you will develop relationships and friendships with several people, which will continue even outside of the games. I met some of my closest friends, Rosie Rodriguez and Stephanie Wetzel, by traveling with team Illinois to the U.S. Games that were held in Pittsburgh, PA in 2008.

Not only have I met great people through my own team from Illinois, but I have also met some wonderful people from all over the United States. Being originally from Michigan, I have become close with several people from Team MI, including Holly Werlein and the Coleman brothers, Trev, Lon and Brandon, a donor family that travels around the U.S. promoting organ donation through competing in triathlons in honor of their brother Chase, who passed away in a car accident, but was an organ donor. I have met so many others that have become a significant part of my life because we share in some similar experiences of receiving the precious gift of life. Not only have I met some incredible people that play an important role in my life, but I have also learned so much from them and their experiences. I think we would all agree on the fact that after you receive the gift of life, you learn that life is all about LIVING and being thankful for every single breath you are given. As someone once told me, living doesn’t necessarily mean breathing…it means LIVING!!

Not only are transplant recipients given the opportunity to compete in the U.S. Games, but they can also compete in the world transplant games. I had the pleasure of traveling to Australia last summer with team USA to compete. There, I also was able to meet so many incredible people from all over the world and even from my own team, team USA. I have kept in touch with several teammates and am looking forward to seeing them travel with their own state to the U.S. Games in Madison.

I encourage you to follow the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois on Facebook for updates and news regarding the upcoming games!!!

Keep on training and working hard!!!

Jen

Making new friends at the 2008 Transplant Games

I haven’t attended before but from what I hear from past participants, the Games are inspiring, encouraging and incredible moving. Team IL athlete Jen is documenting her journey to the Games and will be sharing her experience in Madison here on the I am. Are you? blog.

You can also check out Steve Baum’s blog, another athlete sharing his journey to the Games.

The Northwest Herald recently profiled heart recipient and Team IL athlete Carissa Panek.

For all you need to know about Team IL and to follow the countdown clock, check out the Team’s website.

Best of luck to all participants! Go Team IL!

Photos from previous Games:

I want to be able to give life at the end when my time comes because I know just as easily that I could be the one needing a transplant someday. I want to be the hope for somebody who needs a transplant someday. I know it might sound silly that a television show inspired me to do this but really I just want to help others.

Don’t wait until the next Three Rivers episode to register, join the Illinois Organ/Tissue Donor Registry today!

-Audriana
Crystal Lake, Illinois

-Joslyn

I had the great opportunity to meet a North Carolina couple riding recumbent tricycles across the country to raise awareness for organ, tissue and eye donation.  They stopped in Southern Illinois the week of May 24th.

I had the chance to have breakfast with Ken & Jen and talk with them at the Little Grassy Lake campground in Makanda, IL.  I gave them Donate Life Illinois t-shirts and supplies to take with them on their trip.  We helped to set up interviews with local newspapers.  Click here to read the article that ran in the Southern Illinoisan Newspaper during their stay in Illinois.  I am in awe of Ken & Jen and their passion for organ, tissue and eye donation.  They are great advocates and are a great inspiration riding in memory of Alex.  Follow Ken & Jen via their blog as they travel across the country.

-Brian

To learn more about the Donate Life Float and last year’s Illinois rider’s experience, check out Donate Life’s Rose Parade site and our coverage of last year’s parade:

Illinois Float Rider – Rose Parade Slideshow Recap

Recap on Award-Winning Donate Life Rose Parade Float

Donate Life America’s Rose Parade Photos

Seize everyday!

-Nick