Our May Meeting:On May 9th, LI TRIO will host a

very special meeting. All are invitedand we are pleased to announce twovery special guests who will be speak-ing and accepting questions fromattendees.

The guest speakers are: Loretta MChillemi, Public Affairs Specialist,Social Security Administration andFrank Winter from Centers ForMedicare and Medicaid. We arethrilled that Loretta Chillemi isreturning to our LI TRIO meetingagain this season as her last appear-ance was so well received and gener-ated so much positive feedback.

Many TRIO members have askedfor Social Security and Medicare specialists to speak at our meetingsand this is your chance to come,share, learn and be with transplantrecipients, candidates, caregivers,donors, donor families, medical andhealth care professionals and otherinterested parties. We’ll see you onMay 9th at 7:30 PM.

At April’s general meeting ourchapter had the privilege of

having the dynamic guest speaker Dr.Lewis Teperman, Chief and Directorof Transplantation Surgery at NYUMedical Center. Dr. Teperman sharedwith us some of the hot topicsimpacting transplantation and pro-posals currently under considerationthat could change the process of kidney allocation.

Editor’s notes:“Net Lifetime Survival Benefit“

has been renamed “Life Years fromTransplant“ (LYFT). The transplantcommunity and general public willhave several opportunities to pro-vide input and feedback during theprocess including:

! Two 60-day public commentcycles,! A second public forum,! During OPTN/UNOS Committee

meetings,

! During OPTN/UNOS Regionalmeetings, and! Through e-mail submission to

kidneypolicy@unos.org

The numbers:On February 8, 2007, there were

68,902 candidates for kidney and2500 candidates for simultaneouspancreas-kidney transplant. In 2005,there were a total of 17,379 kidneytransplants. Of these, there were10,816 transplants from deceaseddonors and 6663 transplants fromliving donors. Even though thenumber of transplants from livingdonors has nearly doubled in thepast decade, there is a shortage ofkidneys available for transplant.

Definition:LYFT is the number of extra years

of life that a candidate could expectto live with the donated kidney com-pared to without a transplant.

V.XVIII/5.07THE LONG ISLAND CHAPTER OF TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION !

! May 9th: Monthly Meeting- Bypopular demand, LI TRIO is host-ing two special guests as follows:Loretta M Chillemi, Public Affairs Specialist, Social SecurityAdministration and Frank Winterfrom Centers For Medicare andMedicaid. This will be an incredi-bly informative meeting. Comeand ask your questions.

! May 20th: The Long Island LiverWalk 2007-The American LiverFoundation Greater New YorkChapter, Eisenhower Park 8:30 AM,rain or shine. Contact: Gina ParzialePhone: 212-943-1059! June 10th: LI TRIO Annual DonorRose Garden Re-Dedication Ceremonyhonoring Donors and theirFamilies. This is LI TRIO’s most

cherished event. See inside thisissue for more information.! June 13th: General MembershipMeeting. LI TRIO is hosting a special guest-Dr. Butt, RenalTransplant Surgery (Chief),Vascular Surgery (Chief) atWestchester Medical CenterPlease join us at our next meeting

on May 9, 2007 at 7:30PM.

THE LONG ISLAND TRIO GENERAL MEETINGS ARE HELD ON THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH FROM SEPTEMBER TO JUNE. OUR DECEMBER HOLIDAY PARTY SUBSTITUTES FOR THE DECEMBER MEETING. THE MONTHLY MEETINGS BEGIN AT 7:30PM AND ARE HELD AT:

145 COMMUNITY DRIVE, MANHASSET, NY

UPCOMING EVENTS AT LI TRIO

April 2007 General Meeting with Dr. Lewis Teperman

L O N G I S L A N D T R I O U P D AT E

The Newsletter of The Long IslandChapter of Transplant RecipientsInternational Organization is published monthly and mailed freeto all members. Please send any letters and any othercorrespondence to:LI TRIOP.O. Box 81, Garden City, NY 11530Please send all articles, member profiles, stories, anecdotes and othernewsletter submissions to:Mike Sosna, PresidentLI TRIO5440 Little Neck Parkway, Suite 4HLittle Neck NY 11362Tel: 516.902.8111Fax: 516.482.2599E-Mail: mike@sosproductions.comWebsite: www.LITRIO.org

N E W S L E T T E R S TA F F

Mike Sosna–Editor

Laura Laria Roberts–Design EditorC

C H A P T E R O F F I C E R S

President:Mike Sosna 516-902-8111

Co-Vice Presidents:Erin Hogan 516-759-0178George Tietjen 516-746-0693

Sectretary:Ruth Pohl 631-884-0482

Treasurer:Jo Michaels 516-798-8411

L I T R I O G E N E R A L M E E T I N G S

The Long Island TRIO GeneralMeetings are held on the secondWednesday of each month fromSeptember to June. Our DecemberHoliday Party substitutes for theDecember Meeting. The monthlymeetings begins at 7:30PM and areheld at:

145 Community Drive, Manhasset, NY

LYFT= estimated years of life following a kidney transplant (-)estimated years of life on dialysis.

Hypothetical Example: Based on candidate and donor

characteristics, a candidate may havean estimated post-transplant survivalof 15 years. If that same candidateremained on dialysis, he/she mayhave an estimated survival of 5 years.Therefore, the candidate’s LYFT scorewould be 10 years, or the differencebetween 15 and 5 years.

LYFT prioritizes younger patientswith medical urgency since thosewith shorter estimated life-spans ondialysis and longer post-transplantlife-spans will have higher LYFTscores. As indicated below this is anadvantage for younger people and ahuge disadvantage for older people.

When compared to the currentsystem, SCD kidney allocationincorporating LYFT would amongother things:

! Shift kidney transplants towardsnon-diabetics! Reduce (with elimination of

zero HLA MM sharing and priority)the number of zero HLA MM kidneytransplants,! Shift SCD kidney transplants

towards younger recipients.For more information, please visit

LI TRIO’s website at www.LITRIO.orgMike Sosna comments–One more interesting point is the

fact that the 8 February 2007 UNOS

Conference concluded without adoubt that wider geographic sharingof kidneys would increase life yearsgained from transplantation thoughthis concept is not currently underconsideration as part of the proposal!

John Friedewald, MD has stated animportant point as well. An unin-tended shift in recipient demo-graphics may occur (under this newpolicy) which may affect living, aswell as deceased donation.

For example, those candidates withhigh LYFT scores may be less likely topursue donation from a living donor.Since outcomes from living donationare superior to outcomes fromdeceased donation, the effect wouldbe a decrease in the overall benefitfrom transplant which is counter tothe presented goals.

Additionally, If the allocation system disproportionately affectscandidates by age, race, or gender,then a clear explanation must be

offered. A lack of faith in the kidneyallocation system would ultimatelyaffect the public’s trust in the alloca-tion systems for other organs.

TRIO was indeed represented atthe conference. Ms. Rosenbloom, aliver transplant recipient, spoke onbehalf of the Transplant RecipientsInternational Organization (TRIO).

Ms. Rosenbloom asked theCommittee to consider the effect thata policy proposal would have onorgan donation, especially if that pro-posal includes the use of age as an allo-

2 LI TRIO/MAY 2007

LI TRIO April General Meeting with guest speakerDr. Lewis Teperman. Photo by: Lorraine Baldwin

cation factor. Of concern to Ms.Rosenbloom was that a policy propos-al including age would say to the pub-lic that it is acceptable to for all agegroups to donate organs but not toreceive them. Ms. Rosenbloomremarked that such a system couldcause older candidates to lose hope.This loss of hope may negatively affectcandidate survival on the waiting list.

Ms. Rosenbloom asked UNOS todo more to promote living organdonation so that the organ shortagecould be alleviated and more organswould be available for candidates.

LYFT, Life Years FollowingTransplantation is based on medianlifetimes of an organ and variesgreatly among candidates depend-ing on their age and if there is a diag-nosis of diabetes. What is currentlybeing proposed is to increase LYFT. Ifso, younger patients may benefitand older individuals would be at adisadvantage.

With the current system. childrenalready receive priority and receiveorgans first.. LYFT would give chil-dren and also younger adults anadded advantage over middle agedand older adults.

At a conference held in February, apresentation and discussion of thesecriteria changes in kidney allocationfound that the new policy wouldpotentially affect individuals overthe age of sixty and could meanthose individuals would have littlechance of getting an organ based onstandard criteria.

In the new proposal age and bodymass could negatively influence apatient’s chance of receiving a kid-ney. Expanded Criteria Donors (highrisk grafts-75% of which are non-ideal organs) will not be affected bythe new allocation system. They willstill be offered as an alternative to astandard criteria kidney.

As always, we greatly appreciate Dr.Teperman’s presence as he continuesto keep us informed about policiesthat impact organ allocation.

Article and April meeting minutes submittedby: Erin Hogan and Mike Sosna

T R I O P R O F I L E : C H E R Y L E C H E VA R R I A

By Bob Violino

Cheryl Echevarria of Brentwood hasbeen a member of Long Island TRIOsince 2006. She received a kidney trans-plant from her best friend in August2005 at Stony Brook UniversityHospital, after being on dialysis formore than four years. Cheryl had losther kidney function, as well as nearlyall of her eyesight, because of diabetes.

She recently graduated from theGuide Dog Foundation and getsaround with the help of her guidedog Maxx. Cheryl, who is studying

to be a medical biller, lives inBrentwood with her husband andteenage daughter.

LI TRIO/MAY 2007 3

Transplant Recipients International Organization- Long Island ChapterPO Box 81 Garden City, NY 11530Tel: 516.902.8111Email: mike@sosproductions.comWebsite: www.LITRIO.org

An open letter from Mike Sosna:

I’m pleased to announce the Re-dedication of our Donor Rose Garden inEisenhower Park. This year we are pleased that LI TRIO has adopted our area ofEisenhower Park and the garden is maintained exclusively by the hard working volunteers at Long Island TRIO.

LI TRIO’s most cherished event is just about upon us. Many recipients are thrilledand very lucky to thank Long Island and New York Donor Families for creating abrighter tomorrow and for giving the gift of life at a most difficult time in theirlives. Donors and Donor families are indeed our heroes. They are lifesaving heroeswho have shared life.

Please join LI TRIO and NYODN in honoring and thanking Donors and DonorFamilies as we Re-dedicate our LI TRIO Donor Rose Garden in a ceremony beingheld on June 10th at 2 PM at Eisenhower Park , East Meadow, Women’s SportsPavilion, Parking Field 6/6A. Lunch will be served.

Again, please save the date: Sunday June 10th-2 PM This event honors donorsand donor families. The ceremony will feature guests and speakers from membersof the Nassau County Legislature, New York State Representatives, LI TRIOTransplant Recipients and Volunteers, members and the president of the New YorkOrgan Donor Network and other healthcare organizations. Many of our cherishedhonorees; Donor Families- will be attending and speaking at the ceremony.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all at this heartwarming and very special eventon June 10th, 2007.

With warm regards,Mike Sosna, President

How did you first become aware ofLong Island TRIO?

“I found out about TRIO throughRich Derocher, who I met at StonyBrook. I got in touch with TRIO onlineto become a member. I’ve never beento a meeting but I get the newslettersso I can follow up on activities.“

What transplant-related activities areyou involved in?

“I get involved in things such aswriting to congressmen. I’m a memberof the American Diabetes Associationand I volunteer with the New YorkOrgan Donor Network. I’m also inter-ested in speaking at the schools forTRIO. I would like to do more but it’sdifficult to do things on my own,mainly because of transportation.“

What do you find most valuableabout TRIO?

“They do a lot of positive thingsfor donor awareness, such as thesingers who go to Ducks games andMets games. They’re out there work-ing with Organ Donor Network toincrease awareness.“

UBC research could helptransplant recipients

Medical researchers at theUniversity of British Columbia saythey’ve made a breakthrough thatcould lead to fewer rejections follow-ing organ transplants.

Their discovery centres on theimmune systems of recipients,which often attack organs fromdonors. UBC Professor HermannZiltener said the Vancouverresearchers have isolated a specialmolecule that attracts cells to boostthe immune system.

With this discovery, Ziltener saysdoctors should be able to target themolecule, to make counteracting theimmune system easier, with fewerside effects.

“Nobody knew that this moleculehad such a role. We now have amore subtle way of blocking therejection,“ he told CBC News.

“We can now use this as a new target, and say we have one more

approach now to fight and interferewith the immune system, so it canbe beneficial in the case of some diseases.“

The findings are contained thisweek in the journal NatureImmunology. Ken Donohue of theB.C. Transplant Society said the mol-ecular discovery is very encouraging.“It’s really important for the publicto understand that transplantresearch and research in general haslasting effects for patients.“

Teen Gets First Taste AfterQuadruple Transplant

HOUSTON — A 14-year-old girl isenjoying real food for the first timeafter a quadruple organ transplant,KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday.

Doctors from Children’s MemorialHermann Hospital said MariaMendez is able to eat real food aftera lifetime of intravenous feedingthrough a catheter. Maria becamethe first quadruple organ recipient inHouston and the fourth in thenation after a successful surgery inNovember, doctors said.

Officials said a team of surgeonstransplanted a new liver, small boweland two kidneys during the 14-houroperation. Maria had remained hos-pitalized after the operation until shewas released Friday.

Maria was diagnosed with short-gut syndrome when she was 6months old, forcing doctors toremove most of her intestine, doc-tors said. Dr. Ruben Quiros said thegreatest reward from the surgery wasgiving Maria the ability to eat realfood for the first time in her life. “Ithink those are the biggest rewardswe have as a team,“ Quiros said.“Looking at this little girl smiling atus and finally being able to eat andhave as normal a life as possible iswhat we strive for.“ Maria’s relativessaid she is enjoying every new foodshe tries. Ice cream and macaroniwith cheese are her favorite foods so far. Steven Wells, the family’sminister, said the changes in Maria

are amazing. “Just to see her, alreadyshe is growing,“ Wells said.

Maria’s mother, Maria Gonzales,said words cannot describe howthankful she is the doctors saved herdaughter’s life. She also said to thedonor, “God will reward them.“

The donor was a 3-year-old childfrom Florida. Two other people benefited from additional organsdonated from the child with a hearttransplant and a dual lung transplant.

More than 7,000 people are wait-ing for a transplant in Texas. Mariahad been on the transplant wait listfor more than 10 months.

April was National Donate LifeMonth. Those interested in learningmore about organ donation can visitLifeGift and www.LITRIO.org formore information.

Submitted by: Mike Sosna Source: Click2Houston.com

Stem Cell TransplantPromising for Type 1Diabetes

Risky Brazil Experiment Enables TypeI Diabetics to live without insulin, andother Medicines.

CHICAGO, Apr. 11, 2007—Couldtheir own stem cells allow peoplewith Type 1 diabetes to live withoutany insulin shots? A small butpromising experiment in Brazil suggests the answer someday mightbe yes.

In a medical first, 15 young peoplewith newly diagnosed diabetes hadstem cell transplants from their ownblood. Thirteen of them were able togive up insulin and have been suc-cessful for periods ranging from sixmonths to three years. They arebeing followed to see if the resultsare long-lasting. While the proce-dure is risky and potentially life-threatening, none of the patientsdied or suffered lasting side effects.

“It’s the first time in the history ofType 1 diabetes where people havegone with no treatment whatsoever...no medications at all, with normal

4 LI TRIO/MAY 2007

blood sugars,“ said study co-authorRichard Burt of NorthwesternUniversity’s medical school in Chicago.

Larger, more rigorous studies areneeded to determine if stem celltransplants could become standardtreatment for people with the diseaseonce called juvenile diabetes. It is lesscommon than Type 2 diabetes,which is associated with obesity.

The hazards of stem cell transplan-tation also raise questions aboutwhether the study should haveincluded children. One patient was asyoung as 14.

Dr. Lainie Ross, a medical ethicistat the University of Chicago, saidthe researchers should have studiedadults first before exposing youngteens to the potential harms of stemcell transplant, which include infer-tility and late-onset cancers.

In addition, Ross said that the studyshould have had a comparison groupto make sure the treatment was indeedbetter than standard diabetes care.

Burt, who wrote the study proto-col, said the research was done inBrazil because U.S. doctors were notinterested in the approach. Thestudy was approved by ethics com-mittees in Brazil, he said, adding thathe personally believes it was appro-priate to do the research in childrenas well as adults, as long as theBrazilian ethics panels approved.

Burt and other diabetes expertscalled the results an important stepforward. “It’s the threshold of a verypromising time for the field,“ saidDr. Jay Skyler of the DiabetesResearch Institute at the Universityof Miami.

Skyler wrote an editorial in theJournal of the American MedicalAssociation, which published thestudy, saying the results are likely tostimulate research that may lead tomethods of preventing or reversingType I diabetes. “These are excitingresults. They look impressive,“ saidDr. Gordon Weir of Joslin DiabetesCenter in Boston.

Still, Weir cautioned that morestudies are needed to make sure the

treatment works and is safe. “It’sreally too early to suggest to peoplethat this is a cure,“ he said.

The patients involved were ages 14to 31 and newly diagnosed withType 1 diabetes. An estimated 12million to 24 million people world-wide - including 1 to 2 million in theUnited States - have this form of dia-betes, which is typically diagnosedin children or young adults.

An autoimmune disease occurswhen the body attacks insulin-pro-ducing cells in the pancreas. Insulinis needed to regulate blood sugar lev-els, which when too high, can leadto heart disease, blindness, nerveproblems and kidney damage. Burtsaid the stem cell transplant isdesigned to stop the body’s immuneattack on the pancreas.

A study published last year describeda different kind of experimental trans-plant, using pancreas cells fromdonated cadavers, that enabled a fewdiabetics to give up insulin shots. Butthat requires lifelong use of anti-rejec-tion medicine, which isn’t needed bythe Brazil patients since the stem cellswere their own.

The 15 diabetics were treated at abone marrow center at theUniversity of Sao Paulo. All werenewly diagnosed, before theirinsulin-producing cells had beendestroyed. That timing is key, Burtsaid. “If you wait too long,“ he said,“you’ve exceeded the body’s abilityto repair itself.“

The procedure involves stimulatingthe body to produce new stem cellsand harvesting them from thepatient’s blood. Next comes severaldays of high-dose chemotherapy,which virtually shuts down thepatient’s immune system and stopsdestruction of the few remaininginsulin-producing cells in the body.This requires hospitalization andpotent drugs to fend off infection. Theharvested stem cells, when injectedback into the body, build a newhealthier immune system that doesnot attack the insulin-making cells.

Patients were hospitalized for

about three weeks. Many had sideeffects including nausea, vomitingand hair loss. One developed pneu-monia, the only severe complica-tion. Doctors changed the drug regi-men after the treatment failed in thefirst patient, who ended up needingmore insulin than before the study.Another patient also relapsed.

The remaining 13 “live a normallife without taking insulin,“ saidstudy co-author Dr. Julio Voltarelli ofthe University of Sao Paulo. “They allwent back to their lives.“ The patientswere enrolled in the study at differenttimes so the length of time they’vebeen insulin-free also differed.

Burt has had some success usingthe same procedure in 170 patientswith other autoimmune diseases,including lupus and multiple sclero-sis; one patient with an autoimmuneform of blindness can now see, Burtsaid. “The body has tremendouspotential to repair,“ he said.

The study was partly funded by theBrazilian Ministry of Health, GenzymeCorp. and a maker of blood sugarmonitoring products.

Source: KABC-TV and The Associated

Health Watch: Damaged OrganSuccessful In Transplant

Here is a story about life-savingthat is found in the form of recy-cling. It is about two men who havenever met, but who have somethingvery personal in common. One ofthem needed a new heart and liverbecause of disease. When it cametime for the transplant he gave hisdiseased liver to someone else. So,how can a liver that does not workfor one man end up the gift of lifefor another? Here are the detailsfound in this Health Watch Report.

Joe Brassell points out that there isstill life in this 1937 Plymouth.

LI TRIO/MAY 2007 5

“My idea is to take the car apart, putit back together again,“ said Brassell.Brassell said he’s been taken apart andput back together, too. He also hassome recycled parts of his own. Hehad his heart and liver transplanted atMayo Clinic because of an inheriteddisease called Familial Amyloidosis. Itcaused his liver to produce an abnor-mal protein called amyloid. This pro-tein builds up in other parts of thebody, especially in the heart, causingpermanent damage.

Because it takes 30 or more years forthe amyloid proteins to damage otherorgans, Joe’s liver could be transplant-ed, or recycled, into someone else --someone over 50 who won’t likelyexperience negative effects of the pro-tein. It’s called a domino transplant.Brassell remembers how surgeonCharles Rosen told him. “They’reconsidering possibly giving this toanother person, and how do you feelabout that? And I said, ’if I can helpsomeone else, great,’“ said Brassell.

That someone was ThomasNeedham. “They said you have twoweeks to live. And I thought, ohman, that’s not good,“ Needhamsaid. Brassell’s liver gave Needham achance at life. “Every day you get upis a gift,“ said Needham. Thousandsof people die each year waiting fortransplants, because there are notenough donor organs available.

Submitted by Mike Sosna Source: KFOXTV

Long Island TRIO andNorth Shore UniversityHospital Participate inNational Campaign toEncourage Organ andTissue Donation

Hospital Set To Open New KidneyTransplant Program This Summer.

John Overvold, NSUH chaplain,delivers remarks at flag raising cere-mony to honor organ donors andtransplant recipients. From left –Dennis Dowling, executive directorof NSUH; Maureen Spatafora with

her two children, who carried out thewishes of her late husband, John, anddonated his organs after he died lastAugust.

In an effort to encourage organand tissue donation, North ShoreUniversity Hospital (NSUH) todayheld a public awareness event andflag raising ceremony to honororgan donor families, transplantrecipients and the healthcare profes-sionals who help make transplanta-tion possible.

April is National Organ and TissueDonor Awareness Month. More than95,000 people in the United States –including about 8,500 in New YorkState – are awaiting life-saving organtransplants. Each day, about 77 peo-ple nationwide will get an organtransplant, but sadly, 19 others willdie waiting for a transplant.

For several years, NSUH along with14 other hospitals of the NorthShore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ)Health System, have had an aggres-sive action plan in place to increasethe number of organ and tissuedonations at its hospitals. In 2006,33 organ donors from North Shore-LIJ hospitals resulted in 86 life-sav-ing transplants. “This is a tremen-dous achievement that reflects thecommitment and dedication ofdozens of nurses, physicians, socialworkers and others at our hospitalswho help prepare families for aloved one’s death and reinforce thefact that they can give life throughorgan donation,“ said DennisDowling, executive director ofNSUH and LIJ Medical Center.

According to the New York StateOrgan and Tissue Donor Registry, oneperson who donates organs can saveup to six lives, while a tissue donor canimprove 12 or more lives by restoringeyesight and helping fight infectionsin burn patients, for example.

To increase healthcare access forkidney transplant patients in Queensand Nassau, North Shore-LIJ willlaunch a new kidney transplant program this summer at NSUH. The program will be directed by

Ernesto Molmenti, MD, PhD, thehospital’s newly appointed vicechairman of surgery, who previouslyheld the position of professor ofsurgery and chief of the section ofabdominal transplantation at theUniversity of Arizona College ofMedicine in Tucson.

“This new program will benefitQueens and Long Island residentswho need life-saving surgery,” saidDr. Molmenti. “Kidney transplantpatients will be able to have the high-ly specialized surgery locally as wellas their pre- and post-medical care.With kidney transplant patientsrequiring 30 or more medical visits inthe first year, this program will savepatients’ time and energy and makethe entire process easier.”

In Nassau and Queens counties,between 60 and 70 people require akidney transplant annually, but withno transplant centers in either coun-ty, residents have had to travel toManhattan or Suffolk County tofind care. The transplant program isexpected to handle 15 to 20 trans-plants during the first year.

Life and DeathBy Rob Spahr, staff writer, April 15, ‘07

An Ocean County man was dyingof liver disease. A North Carolinaman, full of life, had died. In theend, one saved the other.

TOMS RIVER - Dennis Korzelius wasmarried for only two months whendoctors told him he was going to die.“You should take him to the hospital,but he is still going to die,” a doctortold Korzelius’ new wife, Pattie, inSeptember. Tests showed thatKorzelius was in the end stages of liverfailure caused by Hepatitis C. Doctorswould not tell Korzelius exactly howlong he would live, but said it wouldlikely not be longer than a year.“There was no way I was making ’08,that’s for sure,” said Korzelius, a 43-year-old father of three. “I know whatI felt like. I could tell I was dying.”Which is not what Pattie Korzelius,

6 LI TRIO/MAY 2007

42, expected from married life. “I wasangry,” she said. “I waited 40 years tomeet him and now my best friend wasbeing taken from me.”

The only hope for Korzelius was aliver transplant, but even getting onthe waiting list for one was difficult.

“I had to have $30,000 up front justto be evaluated for a transplant,” saidKorzelius, a union laborer. “That wasjust to prove that we would be able toafford the medications I’d need afterthe surgery.” The Korzeliuses plannedto hold a fundraiser and their chil-dren even offered to sell their toys tohelp. Eventually, a friend offered tolend the Korzeliuses the $30,000 theyneeded, but the chances of him get-ting a liver in time were still slim.

The national waiting list for liverdonations compiled by The OrganProcurement and TransplantationNetwork has 16,946 potential recipi-ents. Last year, however, only 7,300livers were donated, and just 6,650 ofthose were used in transplant surg-eries. In New Jersey, there are 218patients waiting for a liver transplant;only 78 people received one in 2006.

Korzelius knew his odds and beganpreparing for death. “I was prettymuch ready,” Korzelius said. “I’vealready done everything I wanted todo in my life except go to a SuperBowl or see a space shuttle launch.“

But there was something Korzeliuswas not ready to give up. “I wasn’tready to leave my kids. That botheredme,” said Korzelius, who has a son,Darius, 5, and two step-daughters,Cassidy Thomson, 9, and DelilahThomson, 7. “I wouldn’t even get toteach my son how to play ball.”

It was March 17, and inside a collegebasketball arena in Winston-Salem,the University of North Carolina waswrapping up a come-from-behind 81-67 victory over Michigan State in thesecond round of the NCAA men’s bas-ketball tournament.

Leading the students’ celebrationwas the heart-and-soul of the UNCstudent body, its ram mascotRameses. Inside the Rameses cos-tume was 21-year-old Jason Ray, a

senior set to graduate in May with amajor in business administrationand a minor in religious studies.

Ray was a rare commodity intoday’s college scene: He was an EagleScout, regularly attended prayer read-ings, sang in a Chapel Hill choir, hadvisited the Sistine Chapel and hadrun with the bulls in Pamplona.“Jason was an extremely happy,warm and wonderful person,v hisfather, Emmitt Ray, said in a tele-phone interview Wednesday. “That’scoming from his dad, but it’s true.”

But it was Ray’s contagious enthu-siasm that earned him his role asRameses, a part he played for threeyears. “Jason had that rare energywhere people just gravitated tohim,” UNC cheerleading coachBrown Walters said.

But this celebration would be Ray’s last. On March 23, while walk-ing back to his hotel in Fort Lee,Bergen County, prior to UNC’sregional semifinal game against theUniversity of Southern California atthe Meadowlands, Ray was struckfrom behind by a sport utility vehicle. He was transported toHackensack University MedicalCenter, where he spent three days in critical condition before dyingMarch 26-the morning afterGeorgetown eliminated UNC in theEastern Regional Final 96-84.

That night Korzelius received a call.The voice at the other end told him toimmediately get to the UniversityHospital of the University of Medicineand Dentistry of New Jersey inNewark because a liver had becomeavailable and he was second on thelist. He was told to hurry because therewas a chance the first person on thelist - a man from Georgetown wouldnot survive long enough to receive thetransplant. Later that day, theGeorgetown man died and Korzeliuswas given his second chance at life.

While donor information is typi-cally not released to recipients or thefamilies of donors due to confiden-tiality laws, doctors and other hospi-tal staff told Korzelius it was Ray

who had provided that chance.Neither the donor company - The

New Jersey Organ and Tissue SharingNetwork - nor a spokesperson for theUniversity Hospital would confirmthat it was Ray’s liver that savedKorzelius’ life. But the Korzeliusessaid in addition to being told theliver was Ray’s, they saw a copy of thedonor-information packet.

“It said Jason Kendall Ray, fromConcord, North Carolina, born 10-7-85,“ Pattie Korzelius said. “That’sright,“ Emmitt Ray said after hearingit. Ray became an organ donor fouryears earlier when he got his driver’slicense, his father said. “He told hismother (Charlotte) that if he died hewouldn’t need his organs, so whywouldn’t he share them and savesomeone else’s life,” Emmitt Ray said.

Korzelius was not the only personRay saved. “There are 83 other peo-ple who love him just as much as Ido,“ Korzelius said. “But it is hard tothink about it, because two peoplehad to die for me to live.“

Korzelius’ children love Ray, too.Cassidy said she would thank Ray ifshe had the chance. Before Korzeliuswent into surgery, Delilah said aprayer: “Dear God, please let Dennisget a liver and whosever liver it is,please let them have had a happylife.” Emmitt Ray wanted to assureDelilah that Jason Ray had a happylife. “Make no mistake about it, Jasonlived more in 21 years than mostpeople do in a lifetime,“ he said.

While the Korzeliuses are gratefulfor Dennis’ second chance at life,they know he is not out of thewoods yet. The organ survival ratewithin the first year of a transplant isabout 80 percent. It is about 78 per-cent after five years. All Korzeliuswanted right now, though, was to letthe Rays know how thankful he wasfor their son’s gift. But Emmitt Raysaid it would be Jason who wasthankful. “He would be thrilled tobe able to help a man that had threelittle children,“ Emmitt Ray said.

Submitted by: Ruth and Howard PohlSource: Press of Atlantic City

LI TRIO/MAY 2007 7

WELCOME NEW LI TRIO MEMBERS!

HAPPY MAY RE-BIRTHDAYS!

Phillip Barton Liver 5/2/2006Lloyd Bucknell Kidney 5/22/2003Ann Grasso Liver 5/5/1995Carl Kaufman Kidney 5/10/1993Maryann Keegan Kidney 5/8/1996David Krugman Kidney & Liver 5/13/2006Hopeton Lue Kidney 5/30/2000Margaret Margulies Kidney 5/13/1989Vinny Santalucia Kidney 5/27/2000James Schneidmuller Liver 5/23/1987Anthony Scro Liver 5/1999Wilma Spatafore Liver 5/12/2002John Tolan Kidney 5/1996

8 LITRIO/MAY 2007

VISIT LI TRIO ONLINE: www.litrio.org E-MAIL LI TRIO: mike@sosproductions.com

Transplant Recipients International OrganizationLong Island ChapterPO Box 81Garden City, NY 11530

WHO TO CONTACT AT LI TRIO

LI TRIO Main Number/Voicemail—Jerry Sosna 516-942-4940

Membership/Welcome Chairperson—Tom Bush516-887-4931

E-Mail Tree—Joe LaBarbera litrio@gmail.com

Corresponding Secretary/Publicity—Ruth Pohl 631-884-0482

Website Design/Legislative Initiatives and Guest Speakers—Mike Sosna mike@sosproductions.com

Special Projects—Ed Burki 516-620-3700

Rose Garden Ceremony—Jo Michaels 516-798-8411

Data Base Manager—Rich DeRocher 631-698-5294

Donor Families and Social Secretary—Barbara Musto 516-671-5793

Singers and School Speakers—Sue Tietjen and George Tietjen 516-746-0693

Fund Raising/Holiday Party Chairpersons—Florence & Jerry Sosna 516-482-2908

Meeting Greeter and Reporter—Erin Hogan 516-759-0178

Board Member—Donald Schwartz dschwartz@fcsmcc.com

Board Member—Joy Oppedisano 516-352-0164

Anthony & Suzanne Devivl

Elise Folk

Stefanie & Jeannie Foxworth

Neil Gilmartin

Dick Harrington

Ginny Ingenito

Sherman Lewis

Michael Murphy

Joel Pope

Cindy & Wayne Richards

Paul Skwiersity

Bonni Watson