James Jonsson is only four weeks away from his swim across Lake Tahoe! The amount of time and commitment that goes into something like this is incredible. He has been swimming at Deer Creek Reservoir every week for about a month and a half. The water there is starting to warm up, so it is in the low 60s now. Luckily, Lake Tahoe is also warming up, so James should be accustomed to the water temperature when he begins his swim.

Not only does James have to put in a lot of swimming hours to get ready, but there are procedures he must follow. His goal is to break the world record, so he recently received his permits/approvals from the US Coast Guard and the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His swim is officially legal now.

James is promoting organ donation through his swim. He did an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune last December and Open Water Swimming also highlighted his swim. Organ donation is very close to James’ heart. Several years ago, his father received a life saving kidney transplant and James saw first hand the difference this made in his life. Then in 2003, James made the decision to donate organs when his 8 year old son passed away. Through his record breaking swim, James hopes to encourage others to register on their state’s donor registry. In Utah, log on to www.yesutah.org.

Today I attended a press conference at the Utah Department of Health.  Utah was recently honored for the superior performance of its donor registry at the National Learning Congress for the Donation and Transplantation Community.  Only six states received this honor.  The medal was presented to the Utah Driver License Division for their outstanding support of organ donation.

The award was presented to Nannette Rolfe, Director of the Driver License Division, by Dr. David Sundwall, Executive Director of the Department of Health. 

Sheila Baxter also spoke about how organ donation has affected her life.  Many years ago, one of her aunts donated a kidney to another aunt who was in kidney failure and she made the decision at that time to be an organ donor. 

Several years later, Sheila’s son Tyler turned 16 years old and she went with him to get his driver license.  Tyler asked his mom about organ donation and they discussed what this meant.  Tyler decided that organ donation was a good thing and he marked yes on his license.  Three short years later, Tyler was involved in a fatal accident.  Sheila stated that she was grateful Tyler had made that decision on his license as this would have been a difficult decision to make otherwise.  Sheila then thanked the Driver License Division for all of their hard work.

This is what the registry is all about.  It is so important to mark yes on your driver license or online at www.yesutah.org so that if something happens to you, your family is not put in the position of making a very difficult decision at an even more difficult time.  Thanks Utah Driver License Division for all that you do.

What does swimming and organ donation have in common?  For swimmer, James Jonsson, they are both things he is passionate about.

James is a marathon swimmer who is currently training to break the world record for a lengthwise swim across Lake Tahoe.  He is doing this swim to bring attention to the need for others to register as organ, eye and tissue donors.  His challenge to everyone – “If I can break the world record, will you commit to being an organ donor?”

James first recognized the importance of organ donation in the early ’80s when his father, who was also a competitive open water swimmer, went into kidney failure.  A transplant in 1986 gave his father back his quality of life and he was able to continue competitive swimming.

In 2003, James became acquainted with donation from both sides when his son tragically passed away.  He was an organ donor and that decision has impacted several lives.  James has exchanged letters with some of the recipients and is grateful that organ donation allowed something positive to come from his son’s death.

The Daily News of Open Water Swimming recently published an article about his upcoming swim.  James plans on making this 22 mile swim on August 4.  To take James’ challenge and register your wishes to be an organ, eye and tissue donor, log on to www.yesutah.org.

Joanne and Kevin celebrating before the transplant.

I got up really early this morning and drove to the University Hospital!  I wanted the opportunity to see two incredible people before they were wheeled into surgery.  Their names are Joanne and Kevin.

Joanne needed a kidney transplant and her health was slowly getting worse.  Her daughters were willing to donate a kidney to their mother, but they were each ruled out as a possible donor.  Joanne knew that without a transplant she would need to start dialysis soon and the wait for a kidney could take years.  Then Joanne got another offer for a kidney; her ex-son-in-law, Kevin.

The first time I spoke with Joanne, I learned that she tried to dissuade Kevin from donating a kidney.  She didn’t want him to have to take time off work or deal with any other interruptions in his life, but Kevin was insistent, even contacting her tranplant coordinator to learn more about the testing process, donation and the recovery.  Prepared with this information, he went back to Joanne and again offered to give her one of his kidneys.  When Joanne realized how serious he was about this decision, she gratefully agreed.

Shortly before surgery!

When I asked Kevin about his decision to donate, his response was very straight forward, “Mom needed a kidney.  I don’t want her to go on dialysis, so I’ll do what I can to help her.”  He then went on to say that he hopes to be able to educate others a little more about organ donation.  “So many people think you have to be a blood relative to donate,” he said.  “That’s not the case.” 

They both want to educate others about the importance of donation, so they gave an interview to the Salt Lake Tribune the day before surgery and allowed me to take a picture of them at the hospital shortly before surgery.  If you are interested in learning more about living kidney donation, visit the www.yesutah.org website.

I read an interesting article the other day in the Salt Lake Tribune.  It was titled, “The Adrenaline Rush of a Haunted House.”  The article talked about how our bodies have a real, physiological response to fear, even when we know the thing causing fear is not real.  It is that adrenaline rush that draws people to haunted houses.  Reading about our response to fear reminded me of an editorial that Alex McDonald, Public Relations Director at Intermountain Donor Services, wrote last year.  The editorial was titled, “Organ Donation Isn’t Scary” and it debunked many of the myths that people have heard about organ donation.  It also got me thinking about what is scary. 

Organ donation isn’t scary; waiting for a transplant is scary.  Right now there are almost 109,000 people on the national waiting list.  Each one of those people knows the wait might be long and there is no guarantee that they will even get the transplant in time.  Years ago, I was at a meeting where a man told about his transplant.  He was a young man whose heart, very unexpectedly, began to fail.  As he became sicker, he had to be hospitalized for an extended period of time.  While in the hospital, he met another patient who was also waiting for a heart transplant.  Unfortunately, that patient passed away without getting a transplant.  The speaker expressed how it is always difficult to get the news that someone you know has passed away.  Added to this was the very real fear that it could be him.

Saying yes to organ donation is easy.  Getting the facts is also easy.  Log on to www.yesutah.org and make life a little less scary for someone this Halloween.

This letter was written by a mother to her son’s kidney recipient.  With her permission, we have chosen to share this letter in our blog.

My name is Cynthia and I am the mother of Tyrando, whom you received the kidney from.  Although the tragic loss of my son is so heartbreaking, and it still seems so unreal that he is no longer with me in this life, but I know in my heart he is with me in spirit.  I am truly honored on his behalf to have been able to give life to others that are in need.  My son left this life on June 3^rd at the age of 19, and I miss him dearly.  God has blessed you and your family, and that gives me hope and comfort that parts of my son still lives in other people.  I pray that your recovery is successful and you are able to get back in the yard and do the things that you used to do, because being on dialysis isn’t fun for anyone.  In exchange for the gift that was given to you, all I ask is for you to pray for strength for me, his father, and his 2 sisters (age 20 and 8).  God is granting me strength every day so I can take care of some of my son’s unfinished business and bring those things to closure before I return back to work on July 28^th.  He served proudly in the United States Air Force and they have made this whole transition painless by being so accommodating to us because of the pain that we already endure.  The organ that you have received is truly anointed because my son was a True child of God.  May God continue to bless you and your family as you venture on with your new found life that my son has given you.  Take care and get well soon!  I am responding to the letter that was forwarded to me from the Donor Services.

Cynthia

Sunday is Father’s Day.  For some of us, that will conjure up images of a tie, for others it reminds us of good times shared with our fathers.  In my job, I’ve had the opportunity to meet many fathers who have found themselves trying to beat difficult odds.  Just the other day, a father came in to my office with his son who is working on an Eagle Scout project.  The young man chose to raise awareness about the need for people to register as organ donors because his father received a heart transplant and he knows firsthand what that can mean to a recipient’s family.

I also know a father who suddenly found himself as the primary caretaker when his wife went into heart failure and learned that she would need a heart transplant.  Another father sat nervously in a hospital waiting room while two of his adult children underwent surgery.  His daughter was donating a kidney to her older brother.  I have also met a couple of fathers, who during the most difficult time in their lives, looked beyond their own grief over the death of a child and allowed their child’s organs to save the lives of others.

My own father would sacrifice anything for his family and my life is better because of his unselfish dedication.  These fathers have taken what life has offered and used it to make life better for their own families and others.  To all the fathers out there, “Happy Father’s Day.”

High school seniors everywhere are looking forward to graduation and making plans for jobs, college, and dozens of other options that are open to them.  Hali, a high school senior, found out how quickly those plans can be sidetracked.

Last year, Hali was very involved in school and other activities.  She ran every day, played on her high school tennis team, and played the cello in a Youth Symphony.  When it came time to register for her senior year, she elected to take 5 Advanced Placement (AP) classes to give her a head start on her college education. 

Toward the end of her junior year, Hali became sick.  A trip to the doctor reassured her that it was most likely a bad case of the flu and she just needed some rest.  However, the flu-like symptoms worsened and then she had a seizure.  Tests to determine the cause of her seizure showed signs of kidney failure.  Ironically, on the July 4 weekend, when most of us are celebrating our freedom, Hali started her dialysis treatments.

For Hali, dialysis is every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and each dialysis session lasts about three hours.  On those days, she attends her first two classes and works with her teachers in her other two classes to get her assignments.  Often the treatments leave her too tired to complete assignments, making more work on the days she doesn’t go to dialysis.

She also discovered the unusual side effects of kidney disease.  She began her senior year with what she describes as ‘chipmunk cheeks’ because of the new medications she was taking.  She is no longer able to eat chocolate, peanut butter, or a whole list of other items.  She is also very limited on fluid intake, being allowed only about 40 ounces of anything liquid (including things that can melt, like Jell-O or ice cream) each day.

Hali’s family began considering living kidney donation as soon as they learned she would need a transplant.  No one in her immediate family was a match, but a cousin was tested and will be able to donate to her.  She hopes to have the transplant after her high school graduation and be able to recover in time to start college in January. 

On the national waiting there are over 80,000 people who are waiting for a kidney transplant.  For information about kidney donation, log on to www.yesutah.org or call 1.866.YES.UTAH.

A few months ago, I contacted several people and asked them if they would share their donation or transplant story with me. I want to share some of those stories starting with a little girl named Abbigail.

Abbigail’s father described her as a little girl with a big heart.  Like many four-year-old girls, she simply adored the Disney princesses, so she was in total bliss when her family was able to visit Disneyland during a trip to California for her uncle’s wedding.  It was a fantastic trip, and they enjoyed the time they were able to spend together as a family, laughing, taking pictures, and just being together.  At the time, they had no idea how treasured those memories in California and Disneyland would be.

 The day after they returned home, their lives drastically changed.  Abbigail’s dad, Marcus, left for his shift as an officer with a County Sheriff’s office. While Marcus was on patrol, a call came over his radio stating emergency crews were being sent to respond to a 911 call about a four-year-old who was not breathing and his address was given as the location.  

By the time Marcus reached his home, paramedics were already on the scene. Marcus learned that Abbigail had put a bouncy ball in her mouth and it had become lodged in her throat.  The emergency crew was able to dislodge the ball and had begun CPR but the situation was serious.  Abbigail was flown to Primary Children’s Medical Center where they would be better equipped to deal with this type of emergency. 

Upon arriving at Primary Children’s Medical Center, the medical staff determined that Abbigail was brain dead.  Marcus and Deborah were devastated. They were asked whether or not they wanted to consider organ donation.  “My wife and I discussed organ donation.  The thought of Abbigail being able to continue to help others through organ donation became somewhat of a comfort to us and we decided to give our consent,” said Marcus.  “The biggest thing about Abbigail was her heart, which she gave to anyone and everyone. There was comfort in knowing, that in the face of tragedy, our child was able to help others.”  

Considering her ‘big heart,’ it seemed fitting that Abbigail was able to donate her heart valves to someone in need.  Her kidneys and liver were also donated. 

If you are not already signed up on the Utah Donor Registry, please consider doing so at www.yesutah.org.

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.