A Quarterly Newsletter of LifeShare Of The Carolinas

VOLUME 16

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ISSUE 4

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WINTER 2013

IN THIS ISSUE:

1 A Donor Mother’s Story

2 Remembering Andy atChristmas

4 We Remember Them:Organ, Eye and TissueDonor Recognition

6 LifeShare Has a NewMedical Director

6 LifeShare TranslatesWeb Site

7 Donor Statistics byHospital

8 Season’s Greetings

A Donate Life Organization

A Donor Mother’s StoryBY JALETTA ALBRIGHT DESMOND

This article was beautifully written by Jocelyn’s mother for a newspaper column

published in April. With her permission, it is has been edited for space considerations.

JOCELYN MADE BOTH GOOD AND BAD CHOICES IN HER LIFE. AND TO BE BLUNT, SHE

MADE ONE REALLY STUPID DECISION. BUT SHE ALSO MADE AT LEAST ONE BRILLIANT

CHOICE. TWICE, IN FACT.

Jocelyn marked Organ Donor on both her NC driver’s learning permit and her

provisional driver’s license. And there was no discussion the day she was happily,

finally, getting her driver license only a couple of months before she turned 17. She

just marked it matter-of-factly and the red heart icon appeared next to her beautiful

face when the license arrived in the mail.

It was simply understood in our home. If

something horrible happened, we didn’t need

this body and the accompanying accessories. We

should leave them for someone who did. We

could save lives.

When we faced the terrible fact the day after

Jocelyn attempted suicide and a machine was

breathing for her—the fact that her brain was no

longer living and we had to let her go—the very

first thing my husband said to the medical team

was that we wanted something good to come out

of it. We wanted to donate her organs and give life

to others who, unlike her, were fighting to stay here.

I can’t explain the incomprehensible mix of

heartache and honor that choice provided. I

can’t explain the wrenching loss our family felt,

except to say that it was a humble privilege to

provide hope and joy to a crowded handful of

other families. Jocelyn saved other parents,

siblings and children from losing a loved one.

The afternoon of Jocelyn’s operation, the lead

nurse on the surgical team approached me in

the hallway and looked into my soul with her big

blue eyes. “I want you to know that I will treat

your child like she is my child,” she said.

Continued on page 3

2 L I F E S H A R E O F T H E C A R O L I N A S

LifeShareOf The Carolinas

Remembering Andy at ChristmasA TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT, SPECIAL BROTHER AND LIFESHARE VOLUNTEER

BY TRACYE GILLELAND

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Tracye—one of

Andy’s sisters. I called him Brother Brother. He called me

Seester Seester. Not sure why...just happened.

He was born in 1953. I was born in 1958. I’m not sure

how the five-year delay between deliveries happened but

trust me we are twins.

Andy and I shared many things—our faith, our love of

mankind, our value of honesty and integrity, yes and

even our kidneys.

Throughout life, Andy ALWAYS looked out for me. He showed me the ropes...what

to do and more importantly what not to do. I have several fond memories of

Christmas time.

I recall one Christmas Eve when he hurried me over to my bedroom window—

pointed out a light sweeping across the sky, told me it was Rudolph leading Santa’s

sleigh and that I needed to hurry to bed/sleep as I didn’t want to be awake when

Santa arrived as he wouldn’t stop. It was an airplane, but in my mind it was indeed

Santa. I believed in and trusted my Brother Brother.

Then there was the year that our Mom and Dad went to a party on Christmas Eve.

Shortly after midnight, after they were in bed and asleep, Andy and I went through

the house and advanced the clocks to 7 am. We then went screaming through the

house “Santa’s been here! Santa’s been here!” Thinking it was Christmas morning,

they got up and we opened gifts. You can imagine their surprise when we giggled

and told them it was really only 1 am.

My brother was an incredibly special man with so many gifts. He sang. He wrote

poetry. He drew. He was incredibly giving. He loved completely. He was kind. He was

thankful for his many blessings. He was passionate—about the people he loved,

about God’s creations, about Organ Donation Awareness.

Andy had a liver transplant in January, 1995 and a kidney transplant in 2012. Andy

was extremely grateful for the gift of life he was given...twice. Andy participated in

the US, Canadian and World transplant games. He earned medals in table tennis. He

gave them ALL away to donor families he had never met...all except for three. They

were being held for HIS liver donor family.

Continued on page 3

Andy was finally going to get to expresshis gratitude to the family who had sograciously granted him the gift of life.

1-800-932-GIVE

www.lifesharecarolinas.org

Editor

Debbie Gibbs

Associate Editor

Gary Burris

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OU R M I S S I O N

Improving lives through organ,

eye and tissue donation.

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OU R V I S I O N

We envision a day when everyone

who needs a transplant will be

able to get one.

3

Number of Candidates on theNational Transplant Waiting List

Kidney 98,881

Liver 15,863

Pancreas 1,182

Kidney-Pancreas 2,006

Heart 3,685

Lung 1,610

Heart-Lung 48

Intestine 262

NATIONAL TOTAL 120,783

North Carolina 3,395

South Carolina 942

Based on OPTN data as of November 29, 2013.

W I N T E R I S S U E – 2 0 1 3

CALENDARof events

January 1, 2014Donate Life Float

Rose Parade

TV Stations Nationwide

Check your local TV listings

February 14, 2014National Donor Day

Nationwide

April 2014National Donate Life Month

Nationwide

July 15–17, 2014Transplant Games

Houston, Texas

Remembering Andy at Christmas continued

Approximately six weeks ago, Andy

received word that his donor family would

be amenable to contact from him. Andy

was ECSTATIC! After almost 20 years,

Andy was finally going to get to express his

gratitude to the family who had so gra-

ciously granted him the gift of life.

He asked LifeShare to please hold the

medals until he could write a letter to

them. LifeShare still has the medals. The

letter remains unwritten.

In Andy’s honor and memory, I challenge each of you to become organ donors.

Without Andy’s donor family, we would have been deprived of a relationship with an

incredible human being. See you again soon brother…

This story was written for Andy’s funeral. Tracye did write the letter and it was

delivered to Andy’s donor family along with his precious medals.

A Donor Mother’s Story continued

Everyone from the doctors, to the nurses, to the people who handle the paperwork at

LifeShare Of The Carolinas, treated us with great tenderness and respect.

They treat you not with pity but with benevolence, as if you are bequeathing a

priceless gift—because you are.

We had a chance to say goodbye to Jocelyn in the operating room and she left us

peacefully. It was clear to me in that moment that she didn’t need the shell she left

behind. She didn’t need her liver or kidneys, but there were other people waiting

who did. And we knew how grateful their families would be to have potentially 20

more years with them.

“It is very hard to put into words what your family has done for us,” wrote the

man who received Jocelyn’s liver. “You have given the greatest gift of life to us. Your

loved one will never be forgotten by us.” “If it hadn’t been for your family, I would

probably still be on the waiting list for a transplant,” wrote one of the kidney

recipients.

I haven’t yet responded to these kind letters but I look forward to one day telling

them about who Jocelyn is, about the good and the bad, and about the stupid

choice and the brilliant one that saved their lives. And I will tell them that I truly

believe the pain and loss from death doesn’t need to overshadow the potential for

life-saving joy.

4 L I F E S H A R E O F T H E C A R O L I N A S

Donation makes Abe Abraham Albert Alexander Alice Allan Allen Allison A

Autumn Barbara Barry Baxter Beckett Belinda Benjamin Benny

Bradley Brady Brenda Brent Brian Bruce Caitlyn Caleb Calvi

Catherine Cathy Cedric Channing Charles Charlie Cheryl C

Crystal Dache Dale Daniel Danny David Davion Deborah Deb

Douglas Edward Eleanor Elizabeth Ellen Emma Erica Ernest

Gabriella Gail Gale Garrett Gary Gathel Gayle Gaylene Georg

Haze Homer Hoyt Hugo Ida Isaac Jackie Jacqueline James

Jennifer Jerry Jessica Jessie Jewel Jimmie Jimmy Joe Joel

Judy Julio Justin Justin Karen Katherine Kay Kayla Ken Ke

LeeAnn Lenda Leona Leonard Lesa Lewis Linda Lisa Lonnie

Marco Marcus Margaret Marilyn Mark Markece Marshall M

Michelle Mike Mildred Monica Nancy Natalie Nayyira Nels

Ophelia Otha Ova Pamela Patricia Patrick Patrick Patsy

Rebecca Richard Rickey Robert Roger Ronald Ronnie Ron

Scott Sergio Shakia Shantilal Sharlene Sheila Sherecee Sher

Sylvia Taylor Ted Teddy Teresa Terrance Terrence Terry

Travis Trudy Tump Van Verlie Vickie Vinson Wade W

WE REMEMBER THEM: THE ORGAN, EYE AND TISSUE DO

* The names listed here are from November 1, 2012 through October 31, 2013. Donors after this date will be included in next year’s Winter newsletter.

5W I N T E R I S S U E – 2 0 1 3

s it all possible! Anbre Andrew Angela Anthony April Arnold Ashley Aubrey

Bernhard Bette Beverly Billie Billy Blondie Bob Bobbie Bobby

n Carl Carla Carlos Carol Caroline Carolyn Carseenya Caryl

hhean Christina Christopher Clarice Claude Corey Courtney

ra Denise Dennis Deslyn Devonte Diane Dinah Donald Donna

Evelyn Faye Flemming Frank Fred Freddie Frederick Freida

ge Georgia Gerald Gina Glenda Glenn Gordon Harold Harvey

Jane Janet Janice Jared Jason Javonya Jay Jeffrey Jeffrey

John Johnny Joleesa Jonathan Joni Jordan Joseph Joyce

enneth Lanaysiah Lance Larry Latasha Laura Laurie Lavonia

Lori Louis Lu Lucinda Lynn Mackenzie Mandy Marc Marcia

artha Marvin Mary Matthew Megan Melissa Melvin Michael

son Nikita Noah Noel Norman Octavius Olin Olivia Omer

Paul Paula Peggy Pennell Rachel Ralph Randy Raymond

nie Rosalind Rose Roy Ruben Samuel Sandra Sara Sarah

rry Shirla Shirley Sona Stanley Stephen Steve Steven Susan

Theresa Thomas Thomas Thorton Timothy Tony Tracey

allace Wanda Wayne Wilburn William Willie Mae Zed

ONORS OF 2013*. THEY ARE GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN…

6

PLANNING A PROGRAM?

As your organization plans its meeting

calendar for the year, please think of

LifeShare. Speakers from your community

whose lives have been touched by

organ or tissue donation are available

to talk to local groups.

If you would like to schedule a

free, informative presentation tailored

to the needs of your organization,

call the LifeShare office nearest you

at (704) 512-3303 or (828) 665-0107.

If you are interested in joining our

Speaker’s Bureau, we’d also like to

hear from you.

Lots of opportunities are available

to help in the office, to staff a booth

at a health fair or to make presentations

to community groups. Call us.

PLEASE CONSIDERMAKING A FINANCIALCONTRIBUTION

By making a donation to LifeShare,

you can help to save lives by raising

organ and tissue donation awareness.

You may contribute in several ways.

In lieu of flowers, LifeShare may

be designated as the organization to

receive memorials for funerals.

Contributions may also be made in

the name of a transplant recipient,

donor or other loved one. Each person

who makes a contribution to LifeShare

receives a thank you letter. A separate

letter is sent to the family or person in

whose honor the donation was made.

Please mail your check, payable to

LifeShare, to the address on the back

of the newsletter. All contributions

are tax-deductible and are used for

public education purposes.

L I F E S H A R E O F T H E C A R O L I N A S

LifeShare is proud to announce that Dr. Michael Haley

has joined our team as Medical Director. He is an

Intensivist and Attending Physician in the Internal

Medicine Department at Carolinas Medical Center.

Dr. Haley has been involved with LifeShare for several

years as a physician champion and a partner in organ

donor management. As Medical Director, Dr. Haley will

take a more active role in our quality initiatives, policy

development, and leadership.

He meets regularly with the clinical staff to review

cases and provide education for the team to help insure

optimal outcomes. He assists our Hospital Development staff in providing educational

opportunities for other physicians across our service area.

Dr. Haley attended Clemson University before obtaining his medical degree from

the University of South Carolina. He and his wife, Chere are the proud parents of

three children: Tyler, Kimber, and Hudson.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Haley to our family.

LifeShare Has a New Medical Director

In recognition of the changing demographics of the nation and the region, LifeShare

will soon offer a Spanish-language translation of our web site. The site is scheduled

to go live in January, 2014.

From the beginning, our web site was designed to appeal to people of all ages and

ethnicities. Maribel, a donor family member and LifeShare Family Support Staffer, is

pictured on the site. One of the Stories of Hope also features Dawn, a LifeShare

volunteer and donor family member from Puerto Rico.

There are approximately 22,000 individuals of Spanish descent on the waiting list

for an organ transplant in the United States. Community groups who would like to

learn more about organ and tissue donation or to request paper enrollment forms in

Spanish are encouraged to contact us at (704) 512-3303.

Information will also be available on our new Spanish-language web site at

www.espanol.lifesharecarolinas.org.

LifeShare Translates Web Site Into Spanish

DoneVida

W I N T E R I S S U E – 2 0 1 3

LifeShare is pleased to offer

donor family members a

special way to remember

their loved ones—through

our memorial quilts, the

Quilts of Life.

We display the quilts in our

office and at special events

designed to promote organ

and tissue donation. Squares

are added to the quilts at

least once a year, usually in

the spring in time for

National Organ and Tissue

Donation Awareness Month.

If you would like to add a

square in memory of your

loved one, visit our web site

at lifesharecarolinas.org for

size dimensions, a release

form and other details. You

may also call us for additional

information at (704) 512-3303.

We look forward to receiving

additional squares and to

sharing the memory of your

loved one with others.

LifeShare gratefully acknowledges the commitment of all nurses and other medicalpersonnel who help to further the ideals of organ and tissue donation. It is throughtheir efforts and the generosity of donor family members that donation occurs. Whencomparing statistics, please note that not all hospitals have the same donor potential.

DONOR S TAT I S T I C S BY HOSP I TA L

July–September 2013

Hospital Eye Organ Tissue

Angel 1 0 0

Anson 2 0 1

CaroMont Health 16 3 11

Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) 30 20 18

CMC - Blue Ridge Grace 4 0 1

CMC - Lincoln 4 0 3

CMC - Mercy 0 0 0

CMC - NorthEast 11 0 8

CMC - Pineville 2 0 0

CMC - Union 4 1 3

CMC - University 0 0 0

CMC - Valdese 1 0 0

Cherokee 1 0 1

Cleveland 5 0 3

Harris 0 0 1

Haywood 3 0 4

Highlands-Cashiers 0 0 0

Kings Mountain 1 0 1

Lake Norman 1 0 0

Mission 21 3 10

Murphy 2 0 2

NH - Ortho 0 0 0

NH - Huntersville 2 0 2

NH - Matthews 2 0 3

NH - Presbyterian 7 0 1

Pardee 4 0 1

Park Ridge 0 0 0

Rutherford 3 0 1

St. Luke’s 2 0 2

Stanly 5 0 4

Steele Creek 1 0 1

Swain 1 0 1

Transylvania 0 0 0

VA Medical 5 0 2

7

Quiltof Life

LifeShareOf The Carolinas

5000-D Airport Center ParkwayCharlotte, NC 28208