April, National Donate Life Month, is almost over.  Throughout the month, I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of incredible people and attend some very touching events. 

Two of the people I had the pleasure of meeting were Mike Parke, Funeral Director at the Parke’s Magic Valley Funeral Home, and his wife Catherine.  Mike had a liver transplant in 2008 and says he feels better than he has in 20 years!  He expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support he received from people in his community prior to and following his transplant.  He is now a strong advocate for donation and is looking for ways to make a difference in his community and throughout Idaho. 

I attended a community event at Ogden Regional Hospital where Dr. Wahlstrom and his son Andy spoke about the impact organ donation has played in their lives.  Andy received a kidney from his younger sister, Mallory, several months ago.  Dr. Wahlstrom shared what is was like as a father to watch as two of his children were wheeled in to surgery.  Both Andy and Mallory, who is the current Miss Kaysville-Fruit Heights, are doing well. 

The Wahlstroms were followed by Paul Cardall, concert pianist and heart recipient.  Paul told a little about his heart condition and the disappointments and tragedies his family has faced in the last year.  He has gained a new perspective that has increased his great gratitude toward his donor and their family.  He then played a song he wrote for a baby he met at Primary Children’s Hospital, “Gracie’s Song.”  This beautiful song set the mood for the raising of the Donate Life flag which took place immediately following the speakers.

I also continued to see the need.  I interviewed a teenager on dialysis, met a toddler who needs an intestinal transplant, and spent some time with a woman who needs a new heart.  I hope next April finds these people doing well and ready to celebrate with us.  If you haven’t registered as an organ, eye, and tissue donor, it’s as easy as logging onto http://www.yesutah.org/ and clicking on the big, yellow “Register Now” button.

Written by Alec Rampton – Liver Transplant Patient April 28, 2009

Alec and Megan a few weeks before his transplant

One year to the date after being admitted to the Intermountain Medical Center for a potential Liver Transplant, I was able to compete in and finish the Salt Lake City Marathon.  Despite being severely ill on April 17, 2009, the liver went to another person who was also in desperate need.  I cried with my wife Megan following the news that I wouldn’t receive the liver, but our tears were not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy because we knew that another’s life would be saved through the beautiful process of organ donation.  We also knew that my chance to receive a transplant would come, and come soon.  And it did as the call from my transplant coordinator came in the early hours of April 28, 2009, and after 9 and a half hours of surgery, I received a second chance at life. 

We have always been physically active, so being hindered from sports and the outdoors with a liver disease was extremely difficult and frustrating.  Getting back into physical activity has been such a blessing and a gift for me.  Following the transplant, Megan and I started attacking life together by cycling, golfing, skiing, hiking, and walking our overly energetic dog Bode.  I felt better every day following surgery, and thoughts of pursuing a long-time goal of mine to run a marathon were brewing.  I made the decision to run the Salt Lake Marathon around Thanksgiving of 2009.  I began training right after Christmas.  As I ran almost every day, I felt so empowered by all of the people that had supported me during my illness through recovery stages, especially by my donor who remains anonymous to me.  I have never felt so happy as when I have been running with a goal and a purpose in mind. 

On the day of the marathon, I ran the first five miles with Megan as she was running the Half Marathon.  We kept looking at each other with big smiles, amazed at all of the people around us – all of whom were also running for one good reason or another.  We couldn’t help but get emotional as we realized where we had been just one year previously.  The marathon was difficult, but I felt pushed along by all of the supporters lining the course, and all the supporters who had helped me through so much.  As I turned towards the finish line, I was joined by Megan, but then left her as I sprinted towards the finish.  The marathon capped an incredible journey Megan and I had taken, and it was all made possible by my donor.  While I don’t know who my donor was, I am and will be forever grateful to them for what they have given me.  I hope that everyone knows what a precious gift life is, and while losing a loved one can be too difficult for words to describe, saving another is a gift unlike any other.

“Cry Me a River!” This was my picture message to my kids last week when Michael Buble started off his concert with this song at the E Center! IDS is participating with the E Center in West Valley this month, and we have had a table and display at several concerts and Grizzlies games to spread the word about organ donation. It was really fun to meet our volunteers Kristin and her daughter, Kassidy, and to trade off manning the table and slipping in to see Michael in concert!

Kristin is a liver recipient, 8 years out, and I loved getting to hear her story, and realize what the gift of life has given her and her family. Kassidy was only 8 years old at the time of her mom’s transplant, and she and her 3 older brothers would have had very different lives indeed without the donor who has made these past 8 years possible. It was so special to me to watch mom and daughter get excited about the concert, try to decide which t-shirt to buy, and just to see them together. When it came time for them to go, I didn’t cry myself a river, but I teared up looking at the two of them, grateful that they have this precious borrowed time that might not have been. A few minutes later, just as we were starting to take down the display, a sweet, older woman came by and asked if we had “anything for donations”. We showed her a brochure, but she said, no, she just wanted to give us a dollar to help someone. Her simple generosity has played on my mind over and over again. In a world where people have so many reasons to “cry me a river” it’s rewarding to be a part of the miracles, large and small, in the donation community.

Look what landed at the library!

Have you seen them?

If you’ve been to a Salt Lake County Library lately, you may have noticed some items proclaiming National Donate Life Month! We are excited to partner with the SLCO Library System to help people find accurate information regarding organ donation. With all the crazy myths and misconceptions out there about donation, it can be challenging to find The Real Story!

We are hoping that the posters and brochures may catch your eye, and especially that the mousepads by the computers will direct patrons to our new website, www.yesutah.org. Yes, we know the mousepads are a little “out there”, but hopefully they will grab some attention, make people stop and think for a second, and then go to the website. YesUtah.org is an amazing collection of facts, questions, news items, and personal stories, as well as a place to find links to many other partners in organ, eye, and tissue donation.

There are wonderful people in the library systems in Utah! We are grateful to them for their support this year during National Donate Life Month!