COLBY FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER
FOUNDATION NEWS:
OUR MISSION IN ACTION: RAISING AWARENESS THROUGH THE COLBY CASSANI ENDOWED LECTURESHIP SERIES (CCELS)
THE CCELS AT OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES (OSU-CHS) HELPS STUDENTS, STAFF AND COMMUNITY CELEBRATE DONATE LIFE MONTH
In April, OSU-CHS kicked off their annual Colby Cassani Endowed Lectureship Series by hosting two speakers. Nicholas Jabbour, M.D., FACS, medical director of the Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, who spoke to the students about the current status of liver transplantation in the United States. The second speaker, Stephanie Scott, from LifeShare Transplant Donor Services of Oklahoma, then talked with the students about how the organ and tissue donation list is maintained, procurement procedures and donor/recipient relations.
Following the lectureship series, OSU-CHS hosted its annual Osteopathic Scrub Run on April 3rd attended by nearly 300 participants. This event is held in conjunction with national Donate Life Month each April and sponsored by the OSU Student Osteopathic Medicine Association. Many students who had heard the Colby Cassani Endowed Lectureship Series previously came together and re-named each of the races after various individuals who had experienced organ and tissue donation first-hand and were in some way connected with OSU-CHS. The races are now called the William Ferry Memorial 1 mile Fun Run or Walk; the Lo Detrich Honorary 5K and the Colby Cassani and Brayden Jueschke Gift of Life 10K. Proceeds from the event benefit LifeShare Transplant Services of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) was the first medical school awarded the Colby Cassani Endowed Lectureship Series over ten years ago. Currently there are six medical schools that will host organ and tissue donation education events in 2010 and 2011 at their campuses. Beyond OSU-CHS these schools include:
- Lincoln Memorial University and DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harrogate, TN
- Pacific Northwest University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Yakima, WA
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, PA
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, FL
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA
Our thanks to these schools who have partnered with us in spreading the word about organ and tissue donation! Together we can make a difference!
DIRECTORS’ NOTES
We are trying to get to 1000 fans on Facebook by the end of June! Can you help us out by going to our page (click the join us icon) hitting the “like” button and then inviting your friends to do the same??? Thanks for your help & ongoing support!!!
NATIONAL AND FOUNDATION EVENTS RAISING AWARENESS
April: The Colby Foundation's Holiday Appeal and Annual Fundraiser ended officially. We know how carefully everyone must consider decisions to contribute and are so thankful to all who did. For those who wish to contribute toward our unmet fundraising goal, we WELCOME YOUR ONLINE CONTRIBUTIONS OF SUPPORT throughout 2010!
April: OSU-CHS held its CCELS and 5k/10k named in honor of Colby and Brayden as part of National Donate Life Month
June: Colby Cassani, the foundation's namesake, March 18, 1992 - June 8, 1993. We miss you and we celebrate the three precious lives you saved through organ donation and going strong for SEVENTEEN years!
June: One year on Facebook! Let's get to 1000 fans!
June 11-12, DONATE LIFE HOLLYWOOD FILM FEST, Beverly Hills, CA raising awareness through film
June 26th Nick's Race (Thank you to Macie and Michelle!)
STORY OF HOPE - JAKE’S STORY
Jake - A Little Guy With Much To Give
Jake was born on May 25th, 2007. Aside from being smallish (a 6 pound, 2 ounce peanut), he was a perfectly healthy little boy, and a welcome addition to Holly and Andy’s family. Their oldest son, Ben, was 21 months old when Jake was born, and he was thrilled to be a big brother. Ben spent a lot of time comparing his feet to his brother's and acting silly to try to make him smile. Jake developed some acid reflux that kept him from sleeping well, so he spent much of his short life in his mother’s arms or asleep on her chest. “Looking back on it, I treasure all of the time I spent cuddled up with him” says Holly.
When Jake was about two and a half months old, he was put in his bassinet for a nap and when his father returned he was not breathing. Andy administered CPR, he called 911 and the ambulance crew arrived very quickly. “They were able to revive Jake's heartbeat and he was transported to our local hospital, where they did a CAT scan and put him on a ventilator. Jake was then flown to a larger hospital two hours away from home -- the longest drive of our lives. When we arrived, the doctors sat down with us to explain what they saw in the CAT scan, which was not positive. In the morning a second scan was performed, and it revealed that Jake was legally brain dead, with no chance of recovery,” shared Holly.
“Ultimately, it was Andy and I that first broached the subject about organ and tissue donation. There was no way to make sense of what had happened to Jake, to us,” explained Holly, “but there was a way to allow something positive to come of the whole experience. If another family, another mother and father could experience the joy of knowing their baby was going to survive, that would ease the loss in our lives.”
Holly and Andy talked extensively with the coordinator about their decision and gave their permission for Jake to be an organ donor. Jake was able to donate his heart and his corneas. “The coordinator who worked with us was extremely helpful, and supported us the whole way”, says Holly. “We don't know anything about his cornea recipients, but a little boy, Beckham, will be three this coming August because he received Jake's heart. The moment Jake's heart was placed in Beckham's chest, it began to beat, and on our lowest days, that's what gets us through -- knowing that Jake's heart gave this beautiful gift to a boy and his family.”
According to Holly, Jake's loss has taught so many people how important it is to treasure every moment. A local teacher was so inspired by Holly and Andy’s story that she shares it with her students to help people realize the difference organ donation can make!
Holly and Andy continue to be involved in promoting and telling their “story of hope” to others. Most recently, Holly found out that she will be performing and sharing her family’s story at the National Transplant Games to be held in Wisconsin on July 30 through August 4, 2010.
Stay tuned for our next newsletter that will share Beckham’s story (Jake’s heart recipient)!!!
For more stories of hope, please visit our Stories of Hope page
A REMINDER ABOUT GOOD SEARCH: ANOTHER WAY TO CONTRIBUTE. SEARCHING THE NET SUPPORTS THE COLBY FOUNDATION...IT REALLY DOES!
We know that not everyone can send in a contribution but here is another way to contribute! To those of you who have already begun using GoodSearch as your search engine...we THANK YOU for your support! For those who have not yet made the switch, we hope you will consider it because the Colby Foundation earns a penny every time you use GoodSearch to search the internet.
How does that work? GoodSearch.com is a Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations to the Colby Foundation add up!
To learn more, just use the GoodSearch icon (top right of this page) or go to www.goodsearch.com and please spread the word. We appreciate it!
