September 14, 2011 is the day I refer to as “the day I got my smile back.” On that day, I underwent brain surgery to help alleviate symptoms of a Chiari Malformation, which occurs when the cerebellum (at the back part of the brain) slips from the skull and into the spinal column.
You’re never too old.
Older Americans make up 33.2 million of the United States population today and live longer lives thanks to advancements in medical technology.[1] As years extend and the retirement age of 65 stays the same, older Americans have more time than ever to make every day count. But for 18 people every day waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, time is running out.
This blog post kicks off stories of Dash for Donation Heroes on Foot. The story features the personal journey that led Tyler Ross to run and win the 5K Dash for Donation race for the first time in 2011. A true Hero on Foot, Tyler has participated in Dash for Donation events since and encourages people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors in his community.
Written and released in three sections, Tyler will share parts of his story April 1, May 1 and June 1, 2013 on our blog in the months leading up to the 2013 Dash for Donation on July 13. Read on for the second part of Tyler’s story:
Americans will honor the heroes of donation who say “yes” to organ, eye and tissue donation by registering their name in the Ohio Donor Registry on Friday, April 19 for National Blue and Green Day.
Recipients, donor family members, and community leaders are joining together from across central and southeast Ohio in an effort to not let another chair go empty as they ‘Take a Seat for Life’ in the green chair Thursday, April 18, 2013 on NBC4i.com.
By: Tyler Ross
This blog post kicks off stories of Dash for Donation Heroes on Foot. The story features the personal journey that led Tyler Ross to run and win the 5K Dash for Donation race for the first time in 2011. A true Hero on Foot, Tyler has participated in Dash for Donation events since and encourages people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors in his community.
For Immediate Release – March 7, 2013
Columbus, OH - Several individuals and institutions were honored Saturday, March 2, 2013 by Lifeline of Ohio for their roles in saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. 14 awards were presented by the federally-designated organ procurement organization at “An Evening with the Stars.” Each award was introduced by a local individual whose life has been impacted by donation. Among the presenters were a donor family member, organ and tissue transplant recipients, a candidate waiting for a life-saving organ transplant and an individual whose loved one died while waiting for a transplant.
A dry erase marker and a whiteboard: a simple way to declare support for organ, eye, and tissue donation. At Saturday’s volunteer workshop, our Donate Life Ambassadors were challenged to use those tools to share why they registered to be a donor. Volunteers were asked to complete one of two whiteboard statements: I am a registered organ donor because or Donation is important to me because. Photos were taken of the volunteers proudly holding their personal declaration of support for organ donation.
The NCIS: Los Angeles episode aired on CBS on January 15, 2013 featured a conspiracy to illegally recover tissue from deceased individuals, many of whom were military personnel. As with most Hollywood portrayals of donation, CBS gets a little bit right, a lot wrong and leaves the viewer unsure about the reality of donation. We want to address the misconceptions surrounding donation and preserve the integrity of those involved in the donation process.
In the spring of 2012, Lifeline of Ohio, at the direction of bereavement services coordinator, Jenny Hoover, began its Shawls of Support program, which will provide a handmade shawl to the family of those who give the “Gift of Life” through donation. Lovingly made by donor families, recipients and volunteers, each shawl is entirely unique in color and style and is made by hand. After a summer filled with crocheting and knitting, Lifeline of Ohio has received enough shawls to begin handing them out to donor families. The shawl will be provided to the donor family by Lifeline of Ohio staff when they meet in person at the hospital to discuss their loved one’s donation, or mailed to the family’s home if there is no hospital meeting. (more…)
Last Monday, Community Tissue Services (CTS) invited Lifeline of Ohio’s community relations and hospital relations teams to tour its new 90,000 square foot Center for Innovation and Research in Kettering, OH, where healing and life-saving donor tissue is processed and sent to needing recipients around the world. With branches in Toledo, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Fort Worth, Fresno, Portland, and Memphis, Community Tissue Services is currently one of the United State’s largest tissue banks, distributing almost 10 percent of domestic grafts – more than 200,000 in 2011 alone. (more…)
