The Gifted Life: Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation Podcast

Show Notes: On episode 129, we welcome award winning community activist and organizer, Melvin Giles, to hear his story about blowing bubbles and touching hearts in Minnesota. Melvin’s loved one, Mary Salter, became a donor and is our honored hero in this episode. Learn how he’s using her memory to inspire peace and ease people's concerns about becoming an organ, tissue and eye donor with some help from our friends at LifeSource. In our Mental Health Moment, we discuss how men grieve and then answer a question about the waiting list.

Show Notes: February 14th is National Donor Day and what better way to celebrate than to welcome our friend Andrew Mullins, COO at Lifeline of Ohio to talk about how one registered donor left his legacy of life while sparking two landmark milestones in the US: the first adult to donate his heart after circulatory death and also the first to give six organs after circulatory death (also known as DCD). Don’t miss the details of this breakthrough in organ recovery. Then we learn how conflict can benefit a relationship and honor Lifeline of Ohio’s hero, Justice Yoder on episode 128 of The Gifted Life Podcast.

Show Notes: Two sisters used their grief to spark a chain of events impacting numerous lives when they started a living donor chain. Listen to Hannah and Bethany Goralski’s story of hope and giving to learn how it all started. We offer tips for navigating tough times using effective coping mechanisms, and then we honor hero Scott Fornea on this powerful episode of The Gifted Life Podcast.

Show Notes: Over the course of his life, Steven Taibbi, has endured multiple heart surgeries including two heart transplants. Like so many organ recipients, he’s struggled with survivor’s guilt, and penned a book, Grateful Guilt: Living in the Shadow of My Heart. Steven’s story of determination will inspire you to overcome your own struggles. Sara offers tips for cementing connections while being vulnerable, and we honor hero, Travis Buzzard, all here on episode 126 of The Gifted Life Podcast.

Show Notes: 25 years later, we connect with Reg Green, father of Nicholas Green, to hear in his own words how his son’s story had a global impact, and continues to inspire others to register to be organ, tissue and eye donors. Sara shares tips for transforming how to deal with stressors. Then, in our honoring a hero segment, Reg Green rejoins us to share more about his son Nicholas Green and we get an intimate look at the little boy behind the movement.

Show Notes: Santa is here! Need we say more? Listen to this very special and festive edition of the podcast thanks to our Alabama friends with North Pole connections at Legacy of Hope. Then we hear tips about maintaining boundaries and honor Alabama hero, Savannah Sides. A very Happy Holidays from The Gifted Life Podcast team.

Show Notes: On episode 123, learn how The Decision Project at the Living Legacy Foundation takes a grassroots approach to saving more lives by empowering people to make an educated and inspired decision about organ, eye, and tissue donation while sharing their decision with family. Sara ‘triggers’ us during her vocabulary lesson on the proper use of psychiatric terminology. Then we honor hero, Jordan Taylor Brown, from the The Decision Project’s website (make sure to scroll through to see Jordan’s smile) and listen till the end for the answer to your questions.

Show Notes: How do you defy the odds when you are hit with life’s roadblocks? Rich “Trigger” Bontrager is a speaker and life coach sharing his story, which includes working his way back to a full life after receiving a liver transplant, to inspire others who are facing their own trials. Sit back, listen and enjoy his remarkable story. Then we give tips for battling insecurity and honor hero, Jeremy Schiro, all here on episode 122 of The Gifted Life Podcast.

Show Notes: 120 episodes ago, back in 2015, we kicked off The Gifted Life Podcast. On this episode we decided to get back to basics of organ, tissue and eye donation. A few things have changed since our first episode, and more lives are being saved and healed with each medical advancement. Our registry has grown and each yes provides hope to so many waiting. Yet, myths about the process remain. We debunk those myths and reiterate the facts. In our mental health moment learn tips for combating materialism, we honor hero Sarah Zuccaro and answer your question about registering as a donor.

Show Notes: How do you build a culture championing the gift of donation? We welcome Jennifer Milton with University Transplant in San Antonio, along with lung recipient and volunteer extraordinaire, Dot Delrosa. They work together sharing powerful stories and infusing a passion to support donor families, staff and recipients. We learn tips for balancing self esteem and social media usage. Then in a powerful moment, Dot Delarosa honors her hero, all here on episode 120 of The Gifted Life Podcast.