The Gifted Life: Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation Podcast

Show Notes: Joey Gase is honoring NASCAR Hall of Famer, Davey Allison, on his car in the Talladega races April 24th and 25th. Davey became a donor on April 28th, 28 years ago, and his race car number was 28. Joey knows the importance of sharing the stories of donors and encouraging families to talk about their wishes, he made the decision for his mom to be a donor when he was just 18. Liz Allison, Davey’s widow, also joins us and shares what this race means to her and what she hopes fans will take away from Davey’s example. Sara shines a spotlight on loneliness during our mental health moment, and we honor donor hero, Timothy Jarreau.

Show Notes: Transplant patients all have to adapt to a new way of life post transplant, but there are unique challenges for pediatric transplant patients and their families. Everything from how to explain to young siblings where the new organ came from, to worrying about their ability to physically grow. Joseph Hillenburg and Melissa McQueen are both parents of recipients and share their stories and how they each recognized the gap of information and support, which led to the creation of Transplant Families. Their hope is by sharing stories of life after transplant, they can help other caregivers thrive. Sara shares techniques to help us fight loneliness, and we honor hero Gavin Chelette.

Show Notes: “Organ donation is like life, it's about the trying. And when someone gives the gift of donation, they are giving another family a chance to try. And sometimes, it's all we get. And somehow, it's enough.” Lisa Bradshaw from the Don’t Wait Project joins us again to share her latest endeavor to promote organ donation - songwriting! The song, This Beautiful Life comes from the deepest place of gratitude she has ever ventured. We are certainly grateful to her for sharing it with us and continue to inspire others to become donors. Sara shares how focusing on mental health can build a healthy home and we honor hero Brenda McGraw.

Show Notes: Breast reconstruction is an important aspect of patient recovery following mastectomy. On this episode, we welcome back our friends from Bio-Aesthetics for an update on their important work to aid in the reconstruction process. Nick Pashos and Billy Heim first visited with us on episode 104, now we are thrilled to learn how their work has progressed. Then we offer tips for coping with anxiety about death, answer your question about the gift of tissue donation and honor hero, Chelsea Carriere.

Show Notes: The Traumatic Loss Support Program is a new program adopted by LOPA to help further support the loved ones of deceased donors. Libbie Harrison, one of LOPA's Family Support staff, joins us to share some of the key aspects of the program like the 4-legged stool, the need to care for ourselves, care for others and talks about the additional resources for survivors of suicide. Then we chat about tips for being curious rather than defensive while in the midst of conflict with a loved one, and honor hero Chase Romero.

Show Notes: Organ and tissue donation affects every race and culture. We are joined by Hedi Aguiar to learn about the inspiration behind the program she developed called, Love Thy Neighbor. She notes the challenges faced by both families and organ procurement professionals when the decision to donate needs to be made. Hear how her program contributes to bridging cultural, ethnic, and racial divides with misunderstandings about organ, tissue and eye donation through cultural humility. Then we chat about tips for keeping a new year's resolutions and honor hero Rodney Smith.

Show Notes: Imagine the shock of hearing your doctor say, "you are dying and I need to find out what is wrong!". This is what our guest, Kathleen Gebbia, was told when she first learned her kidneys were no longer functioning. Kathleen was shocked by the news, and humbled by those who stepped up to try to get her the life-saving kidney she needed, including her daughter-in-law, Sage Cronk-Gebbia. Sara explains authentic pride and how to embrace your strengths, and we honor hero Jerry Prine.

Show Notes: Kidneys are the most needed organ in the United States, and can be transplanted through both deceased donation and living donation. On episode 152, we welcome National Kidney Foundation's Jennifer Martin to learn about the program called The Big Ask, The Big Give. Whether a person needs a kidney or they are considering donation, hear how NKF's program helps start the conversation about living donation. We talk about EQ (emotional intelligence), what it is and how to develop it further, and honor hero Brantley Spillman. Visit srtr.org to find a transplant center near you and for more information about living donation in Louisiana, visit lopa.org/living-donation.

Show Notes: On this special episode of The Gifted Life Podcast we begin 2021 with a New Year's tradition, honoring heroes through the Tournament of Roses Event and the Donate Life Floral Sculpture. This year's Louisiana Floragraph honoree, Shawn Elizabeth Guillot was 15 years old when she became a hero nearly 30 years ago. We connect with both of her parents to learn more about Shawn, and reconnect this family with their priest, Father Sean Sheehy, who led their family with faith through their biggest trial, losing Shawn Elizabeth, back in 1991.

Show Notes: We talk to kidney and pancreas recipient Nic Whitacre who talks about his harrowing journey to the gift of life and a cure to his Type 1 diabetes. His hero is Chris Gregory, whose story was documented by his father in a book and on our podcast. His story has been translated to the silver screen through the movie 2 Hearts. We give tips for living with different, varying opinions and personalities, plus honor hero, Reese Gorman.