Let's Talk About Life

Most of us think of the holidays as a happy time. For some people, however, it can be a period of painful reflection, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, and depression. Feelings of sadness that last throughout the holiday season, usually from November through December, are often referred to as “the holiday blues.” When you’ve lost a loved one, though, this season can leave you feeling more than the holiday blues.

With the impact of COVID restrictions this year, any of us can be prone to a dark holiday season, but the loss of a loved one can make that darkness even more profound. How does one cope with loss during a time of celebration? Elissa Berman, Lifebanc Senior Bereavement Services Counselor, provides thoughtful suggestions for grieving through the holidays.

We’re all familiar with stories of organ donors saving the lives of recipients; maybe you’ve heard about it in the news or seen it as you’ve scrolled through social media. One story that too often gets overlooked is the dramatic and life-changing gift of sight. Just for a minute, try to imagine how your day-to-day routine would drastically change if you lost your sight!

David Bosch, President, and CEO of Eversight talks about innovation, research, and the mission of making vision a reality.

We are wrapping up our series Stories from the Bridge to Life. Each episode is an opportunity to hear first-hand from those touched by organ donation and/or transplantation. 

Growing up, Randy Oyaski was your typical boy-next-door. He was healthy, and life was going great. He went off to college, got married, and became an athletic trainer for the United States Football League. All in all, life was good until a persistent cough sent him to the doctor. Randy’s normal life was changed with one diagnosis.

Something just wasn’t right. Weight gain, shortness of breath, and excessive thirst kept La’Tanya from normal activities. Also having a persistent cough, she went to a doctor where they did blood tests. When she returned home she received a surprising message telling her to go to the hospital. La’Tanya had been diagnosed with acute kidney failure.

If someone had told La'Tanya Foster-Johnson what her journey would look like after that initial diagnosis, she wouldn’t have believed it. Surgeries, dialysis, a living kidney donor, and finding the love of her life were all ahead on a bumpy road.

At 26 years old, the adult life of Alex Fletcher was about to launch. He recently received a promotion at his day job and landed a spot on the Cleveland Indian’s ground crew as a side gig. He was handsome, healthy, and had a heart of gold.  Overall, a wonderful young man loved by so many.  Imagine then -the depth of shock and despair when he passed away in his room – with no known cause.

Greg & Sandy Fletcher talks about their son Alex and how his gift of life has helped them to connect to their community in new ways.

Having a family member in organ failure doesn't happen often. Imagine, then, the overwhelming challenges faced by a family with multiple members in this vulnerable condition, all wondering whether they will receive an organ transplant or be forced to live a compromised life. For Julie Dabb Pencak, this is the reality she lives every day. Listen to Julie explain how kidney disease has affected her mother, siblings, and children and changed her own life.

Marla Corrado first became aware of Lifebanc when her Father, William passed away and was a registered donor. Since then, she has become a volunteer for Lifebanc and was part of a Gift of Life Walk & Run team to honor her dad’s memory called Planting the Seeds of Love.  When COVID hit, she and her daughters found a way to help others during an uncertain time while raising money for Lifebanc and honoring the very thing her Dad's life was all about.

Listen as Marla shares about the meaning behind the team name and how COVID connected her girls the Lifebanc mission.

An afternoon game of football with friends changed the life of 12-year-old Peter "PJ" Williams forever. After being tackled, he noticed that his knee hurt.  The pain and limp did not go away, and PJ's mom, Sophia grew more concerned but neither of them was expecting the diagnoses they received.  Bone cancer.

Listen as PJ shares his story and experience since his diagnosis and the reason he is standing tall today.

You can save a life, like PJ's by registering to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor now.

When someone we love or care about passes-away, especially when it is sudden and unexpected, it can become a very stressful situation.  Arrangement decisions to be made, informing family and friends, and other tasks associated with the end of life.   This is on top of the grief felt by the loss which can lead to despair.

When we lose a loved one, we associate grief as the main emotion and we sometimes underestimate the amount of stress the situation causes.  Elissa Berman, Lifebanc Sr. Bereavement Services Counselor shares helpful information about handling the stress of grief.

For more helpful information, visit the Donor Family Resources page

Like many people of color, Carol and her circle of family and friends were skeptical about organ, eye, and tissue donation, not to mention the health care industry as a whole. Even when it came to her mom's passing, Carol could not move beyond her concerns to allow an autopsy to be performed to see the cause of her mother's death. It wasn't until Carol joined the Lifebanc team that she saw for herself the care, respect, and integrity that Lifebanc demonstrates in serving donors and donor families.

Listen as Carol Bell, Lifebanc Executive Administrative Assistant discusses the fears and misconceptions that make people skeptical about organ, eye, and tissue donation on Episode 32 of Let's Talk About Life.

If you have questions about organ and tissue donation, click here now for FAQs and how donation works.