Our Blog
Our blog is place for us to share news, information and resources about LifeSource and donation and transplantation. Most of the content posted here is courtesy of a select few writers at LifeSource, whose posts reflect their views and perspective on the topic about which they are writing. Our writers are asked to abide by a code of ethics when sharing information both here and across the web.
We also welcome guest posts on our blog. Please contact Rebecca Ousley if you are interested in sharing your thoughts or experiences. We hope you’ll join the conversation!
The Latest News:
A poem in honor of donors and donor families
Heart recipient Jim Swenson, from Willmar, MN, shared this beautiful poem that he wrote shortly after his transplant in 2004 to recognize donors and donor families for the selfless gift of donation. As he shared, “It’s just my way of trying to put into words how I feel.”
Jim and Barb Swenson
The unexpected knock, the unexpected call.
The tired saddened doctor’s face seemed to say it all.
Everything had been done, your heart sank at the sound.
And now you finally knew, your loved one was down.
As you learned the unwanted truth, there was nothing more to do
Your emotions took flight to say, now how do we make it through.
Your loved one didn’t plan it, as you face this awful strife
But now you face the question, do you give the gift of life.
Though your sorrow cannot be measured, our thanks is great indeed.
For donors are the heroes we thought we’d never need.
And donors are the heroes we never got to know.
They’ve lost it all, but in that loss they gave life the greatest gift of all.
I am hope: Quentin’s story
Today we close our week of “I am hope” stories with Quentin, a beautiful little boy who, at just 16 months old, saved lives through organ donation. Quentin’s liver saved the life of a little girl named Maria Isabella who was the same age and had just days to live.
Quentin’s mom, Nina, and his sister, Morgan, have become strong advocates for the gifts of organ and tissue donation and were named part of the 12 inspiring women of 2012 by Donate Life America. You can also follow Nina on her blog, Sparkle Theory, where she brings the sparkle of her sweet little boy to everything she does.
Nina and Morgan are sharing their passion for donation to inspire people, every day, to register as organ and tissue donors. You can too! Share the video below, keep Quentin’s legacy alive, and encourage others to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor.
I am hope: David’s story
“To get up each day and be able to see the vivid colors and all the things going on around us is a gift so easily taken for granted. I am blessed to have had that gift returned to me.”
David is a wood turner who creates beautiful vases, bowls, and toys. Most of the material Dave uses is “found wood” from southeastern Minnesota’s hardwood forests and orchards. These domestic hardwoods provide a wide palette of grain configuration, colors and textures for the artist. David is also a cornea transplant recipient thanks to the gift of eye donation.
One Valentine’s Day, David was given not flowers or candy, but a far sweeter gift – his vision. That day, David received a cornea transplant in his left eye, bringing back clear vision that the eye disease, Fuch’s dystrophy, had taken away. His visual acuity now measures better than 20/25 and he is able to read, drive and pursue his woodturning art.
Help save lives and restore sight to others by registering as an organ, eye and tissue donor.
Did you know?
The cornea is the clear tissue in the front of the eye. A corneal transplant is the surgical procedure that replaces an unhealthy cornea with a healthy donor cornea. Corneal transplantation is one of the most frequently performed human transplants. The procedure has benefited patients ranging in age from newborn to 103 years old.
Common reasons for corneal transplants include:
- Eye disease
- Injuries to the cornea
- Misshapen corneas
- Birth defects and congenital diseases
- Complications following cataract surgery
In addition to the cornea, the sclera (the white of the eye) can also be transplanted, helping patients who suffer from glaucoma, optosis (droopy eye), enucleation (eye removal due to tumor, trauma or disease) and scleral ulcers.
Today’s story is provided by our friends at the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank.
I am hope: Joanie’s story
Joanie is hope for the more than 113,000 men, women and children in the United States waiting for a transplant. In the summer of 2010, she received a pancreas transplant that transformed her life.
An insulin-dependent diabetic for 19 years, Joanie suffered from low blood sugar that she could not control. Since her transplant nearly two years ago, Joanie is back to living her life with excitement and hope and has not had a drop of insulin with her new pancreas.
Watch her story and be inspired to share with your personal and professional networks to inspire people to register to be organ, eye and tissue donors so that everyone who needs an organ will be able to receive the gift they need.
I am hope: Austin’s Story
Last night KSTP reporter Naomi Pescovitz brought us the story of Austin, today’s feature in our “I am hope” campaign. Austin grew very sick very quickly and was in desperate need of a liver transplant. His father was a match and was ready to donate a portion of his liver to his son, when the operation had to be postponed. Before the surgery could be completed, a deceased donor liver became available for Austin. They are forever grateful and, as his mom, Heather, shares they have hope.
“Hope is something that you can hold on to that nobody can take away. It gives you something to look forward to, something that just stirs something in your heart,” Heather said.
I am hope: Kailee’s Story
“I like to sing, dance, and play basketball and volleyball, and I’m thinking about a career as an eye doctor.”
Kailee was not yet two when a Christmas tree needle pierced her right eye. The pine needle had to be surgically removed, and Kailee’s eye became infected. Despite constant monitoring and numerous eye drops, her cornea had trouble healing, and for several years Kailee struggled with recurring infections, swelling and cloudy vision.
By the time she was six, the vision in Kailee’s damaged eye was greatly reduced. The cornea had become scarred and remained cloudy. Her best option for restored vision was a cornea transplant, which she received thanks to a 15-year-old boy’s eye donation. Once shy and nervous around strangers, she is now comfortable meeting new people.
Help save lives and restore sight to others by registering as an organ, eye and tissue donor. Did you know?
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Cornea transplants are one of the most frequently performed transplants, with more than 33,000 surgeries performed each year.
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Cornea transplants have benefited patients ranging in age from a few days old to 103
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Corneas are usually transplanted within 3 to 7 days following donation
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More than 90 percent of cornea transplants are successful
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The Minnesota Lions Eye Bank places more than 60 percent of the eye tissue it recovers with Minnesota surgeons
Today’s story is provided by our friends at the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank.
I am hope: Anthony’s story
“When a person dies, people tend to put them on a pedestal. But Anthony was weird!” laughs his mom, Princess. “He was always playing jokes and would do silly, quirky things like all of a sudden decide to clean all of his shoes…we miss him so much.”
On July 4, 2010 Anthony was the unintended victim of gang violence in Minneapolis. “He went to a graduation party that night with a group of people,” says Princess. “It was odd for us to not all be together, but I knew the family and felt comfortable with him going.”
Princess, her son Jessie and daughter, Princess Ann, were at a family party. Just as the fireworks were beginning, Jessie’s phone rang. “I answered and heard ‘Anthony’s been shot’,” said Jessie. “I just couldn’t believe it.”
The sixteen year old whose nickname was Prince Charming was involved in football, hockey, skateboarding, youth ministry, and leadership camps. He loved school and had completed his pre-ACT and was thinking about careers in engineering or science.
Jessie, older by a mere 16 months, misses Anthony like a person misses their other half. “I thought we had at least sixty more years of doing stuff together,” he shares. “It’s rough.”
Princess and Jessie take comfort in the fact that Anthony was able to donate his tissues and eyes to people in need. When Anthony received his state ID card, he checked the box to be an organ, eye and tissue donor. “He called me from the DMV and asked what it meant. I told him briefly and then said he should ask someone who worked there,” said Princess. “We didn’t talk about it again, but sure enough when his card came in the mail he had checked ‘donor’.”
So far, Anthony’s gifts of donation have been shared with men and women in 14 states ranging in age from 8 to 63. “I’m a donor,” shares Jessie. “Why not? I don’t need my organs or my tissues when I’m gone. Let someone else use them.”
I am hope: Nikki’s story
Each day this week we will be sharing stories of hope – inspiring stories of Minnesotans who have been touched by donation and transplant. Today we begin with Nikki, a 36 year old Cystic Fibrosis patient who has been waiting for a new pair of healthy lungs for 672 days.
Each day, 18 people in the US die because there are not enough organs for everyone who needs one. We don’t want Nikki to be a statistic.
Watch her story and be inspired to share with your personal and professional networks to inspire people to register to be organ, eye and tissue donors so that everyone who needs an organ will be able to receive the gift they need.