The Gifted Life: Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation Podcast

Show Notes: We talk to donor mom, Reecie Gilmore, who turned her experience with the loss of her young son into a mission to help others. Learn about The RescYou Group, the mission, their community and the services offered to grieving families. In our mental health moment, we chat about how to maintain balance in your mental health journey by using the 4-legged stool method, and honor hero Kaisen Martinez.

Show Notes: We reconnect with previous guests on episodes 160 and 169, Mark and Lynn Scotch, whose chance meeting during a leisure trip to Louisiana, saved another man's life through the living kidney donor voucher program. You don't want to miss the updates to their remarkable saga and learn where The Organ Trail has taken this inspiring couple now. Then we chat about different stages of change, and honor hero Keith Savoie.

Show Notes: Have you considered giving the greatest gift, the gift of life? We are joined by authors and advocates, Elizabeth Crais, who's a kidney recipient, and Carol Offen, who has donated a kidney to her son. These two ladies have merged forces to help educate through their own life experiences with both kidney disease and living donation. In our mental health moment, we learn tips for being conscious of pausing to wonder, and how that wonder can improve both mental and physical health, and honor hero Alex Migliore.

Show Notes: A California prosecutor is using his personal story to encourage more people to register as marrow donors. Charlie Huang joins the podcast to talk about how his diagnosis led him to hope, healing and finally, advocacy. Learn about the new law he helped pass to make marrow donation as easy as registering as an organ, tissue and eye donor at California OMVs. In our mental health moment, learn what tools are essential to have in your own mental health toolbox. Plus, we honor hero Sawyer Ridgeway.

Show Notes: High school sweethearts, Lisa and Reid Barker, are authors of the book DeLivered. They join us to share their unique path and how organ donation has made an incredible impact on their lives, through the precious gift of life from a donor hero, and through living donation. In our mental health moment we chat about taking intentional steps in life and self reflection, then, honor hero Courtney Ray Sterling.

Show Notes: When a person allows passion to take the lead in their career, life thrives for professionals and the people they serve. Amy S. Peele, a nurse since 1974, discovered her passion for organ donation and transplantation when she kicked off her career as a transplant coordinator. Now, following a 35 year career in transplantation, Amy found a new vehicle for enthusiasm - storytelling. Her books combine her love for comedy, improv and writing, with her expertise in transplantation, to entertain and accurately educate about the power of donation. Then in our mental health moment we chat about mapping out your personal core values to develop a framework for living by them, and we honor hero Jerry Winn.

Show Notes: Following a near death experience and subsequent heart and kidney transplant, Shana Pereira is sharing insights she gained to inspire others to have a better relationship with crisis. Hear how her remarkable story unfolds and how her holiday miracle, through the gift of life, has changed her life and in turn, is inspiring others. We take a moment for mental health to learn tips for listening to truly connect with others, and honor hero Mitchell Aswell.

Show Notes: CareDX is using artificial intelligence to help with the timely assessment of the likelihood of rejection in kidney transplant patients. AiKidney helps clinicians to predict kidney failure before it occurs and allows the medical team to make adjustments to reduce the risk of rejection. This fascinating technology is taking transplant care to the next level. Nila teaches us about decision fatigue and tips to help prevent it. We honor donor hero, Elizabeth Gray.

Show Notes: Individuals from multiethnic communities make up the majority of the transplant waitlist in the United States. We welcome two guests to chat about how they are working together towards eradicating multiethnic bias in transplantation. Dr. John Goss, professor and chief of the Division of Abdominal Transplantation at Baylor College of Medicine, and kidney recipient, Eric Figueroa, share their respective strategies and experiences. In our mental health moment we discuss the wellness wheel and how to apply it towards finding balance in your everyday life, then, honor hero Christopher Moreau.

Show Notes: It’s our 200th episode!!! To celebrate, we invited donor mom, Angie Calamari, and kidney recipient, Brooke Shapre, to the studio to take us on a donation journey that leads us full circle right back to LOPA in an unexpected way. Libbie Harrison, one of LOPA’s Family Support Coordinators, joins in and sets the framework for how this unique story unfolded. Then we chat about how to use serendipitous moments to bring more positivity into your life, and Angie Calamari honors donor hero, Cam Calamari.