TGA2016 Promo Video1 2 24p

WOO HOO!!  A promo for the upcoming 2016 Transplant Games of America is OUT!!  I'm still blown away that this'll take place during my 20th transplant anniversary.  WOW!!!



Here is the website for more info regarding the games. Transplant Games of America

Sooooo many topics

Hi All!

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth.  I've either been sick (stupid flu shot gave me a cold--go figure!), working, or I just have soooo many blog ideas swirling in my head that I can't sit down and decide what I want to talk about.  In fact, I've now got TWO other topics I would like to discuss here.

1) The various wait list times in other countries

2) The public perception on the national waiting list here in the U.S.  Unfortunately, your average American has no idea what goes into being put on the waiting list and what entails an actual match. I'd like to go more into that and explain the finer details.

Plus, I have other things hatching in my brain.  Stay tuned!

YouTubing?

Earlier this year, I started noodling with the idea about possibly starting a YouTube channel/vlogging for two reasons:

1) To use a different form of social media to educate people about transplantation and whatnot

2) There are NO YouTube channels of any kind from a recipient and showcasing their life and what it's like on a semi-daily basis. I think it would be extremely beneficial to those out there on the waiting list, to truly give them a glimpse on what likes ahead for them.

Great idea, right? Here are the main reasons I've been hesitant:

1) I stutter/stammer up the wazoo.  People tell me I'm not as bad as I think but.....

2) I have a suuuuuuper soft voice (thanks to vocal cord paralysis)

3) I'm incredibly self-conscious OF my stammer AND soft voice.


BUT.....on the other hand.....this idea has been floating around in my head, off and on, for the past few months. I love watching other YouTubers and learning what's going on in their part of the world and I don't know if this is God's way of telling me that I should pursue something like this or if it's just a fleeting idea or what!

Thoughts? Comments?  Thank you!

Decisions decisions!

Okay, so here are the blog post ideas that are swirling in my head:

1) Transplant and the Media--Part 2: I talk about how TV and film have influenced individuals over the years about becoming registered organ donors and how certain plots have affected those already part of the transplant community.

2) Transplant and food: How taste to certain foods change post transplant, what foods are a no-no for certain organs transplanted, how the possibility of donor's food likes influences the recipient, etc.

3) Transplant process in other countries: the difference between the US and other countries that perform organ transplant; the wait, how it's done, etc.

Plus....I had two other ideas but I'm totally brain-farting on them right now. Also, I'd LOVE to bring back my "weekly feature" where I put the spotlight on someone who is either a recipient, donor family, living donor, recipient family member, or on the waiting list.  LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE FEATURED!!

Let me know which blog post you think I should tackle first OR if you have a suggestion for a future post, please contact me!!  Thank you!!  

Happy October!!

Happy October/Autumn everyone!

I apologize for the almost-month-long hiatus.  Life got in the way.  As you can see by these pictures, Autumn is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE SEASON!  Summer is gone (YAY!!), the weather is cool but not cold, you can wear sweaters and boots, eat grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, drink hot cocoa, yummy apples, the holidays are around the corner.....sigh. Total bliss....

Anyway, I've got 5 blog posts swirling in my head.  I'll post them/break them down in a blog in a moment, okay?

Thanks for hanging in there!  

Kim  :-)

14 years ago.....

To commemorate the attacks on American soil that took place 14 years ago today....

Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning~Alan Jackson

A beautiful and touching tribute to those affected by September 11th.

Transplant and the Media--Part 1

Things I love: stories in the media that get people talking about organ donation and transplant.

Things I hate: WHEN THE MEDIA TWISTS THESE STORIES AND MANIPULATES THE PUBLIC!!!

Sigh.  Where do I begin?

Controlling the way the public views transplantation, one story at a time....

Back in 2013, two stories came out regarding two young people (one, an 11 year old girl and the other, a 15-year old boy) who were on the transplant waiting list waiting for lungs and a heart, respectively.  The way that both stories were presented, it made the hospital and/or transplant team look the "bad guys" and the oh-so-innocent families seem like perfect angels (notice sarcasm).

At one point, one of the families pressured the Secretary of the United States Health and Human Services to change the lung transplant law and even she decided not to intervene and not bend the 12-and-under rules. (FYI: the rule is that children 12-and-under cannot receive a LAS (Lung Allocation Score) and are ineligible to be on the adult lung transplant waiting list).

Eventually, a judge came in and briefly changed the law so that the girl could (hopefully) receive adult lungs. She did but almost immediately, there were complications and 72 hours later, she received her second lung transplant, and again, those lungs came from an adult donor.

When she was six months post transplant, articles were published describing how well she was doing but......I've been in that girl's shoes and it was clear that she wasn't doing well.  It bothered me that the media made it seem like she'd made a miraculous recovery when it was clear, to me, she was still struggling. Even now, when the rare story comes out, it's clear that her recovery has been unusually difficult and it makes me sad that she's paraded out.

Things that make you go "hmmm....."

The other story is a bit different.

The way it was portrayed: 15 year old boy needs heart transplant and transplant center turns him down!  BOO!!  They're so mean!!  How could they?!

The reality: 15 year old boy, who already received one heart transplant, has an ankle bracelet and own mother admits she can't take him to his doctor appointments, needs a heart transplant and transplant center turns him down because they know it would be a waste of an organ. IMO, the transplant center wasn't being "mean".....they were doing their job but the media did NOT tell the public the little details I put in bold. How convenient, huh?  **rolls eyes**

After outcry and pressure from the media and public, the hospital reversed their decision and the boy got his transplant.  "YAY" right?  Nope. On April 1, 2015, after a botched robbery, the boy stole an elderly woman's car, crashed and died.

I shit you not. Not even two years after his second heart transplant and the gift is destroyed. Ridiculous....

Sadly, this is so very true....

Yes, I know that there ARE positive stories out there regarding transplantation but, unfortunately, the ones that get the most attention are the ones that are spun a certain way and it frustrates the daylights out of me!!
Sigh....

To end this post on a high note, here is a positive story regarding organ donation:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/ravens-player-maake-kemoeatu-donates-kidney-brother-chris/story?id=25598572

Almost one year ago, this news link was "Liked" 1,000 times and shared 236 times; and on ESPN's news link, it was shared 313k times on Facebook. Now it's stories like that that I would like to see more often!!!


(Part 2 will be regarding transplant on television and on film....I already have some ideas at how I want to write it.)