COLBY FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER
OUR MISSION IN ACTION: RENOWN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER; RENO, NEVADA; SHINING STAR AWARDS
Our local hospital, Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada, received several “Shining Star” awards at the 2011 hospital awards party recently hosted by Sierra Eye & Tissue Donor Services and Golden State Donor Services. Renown Health representatives accepted the “Highest Performing Tissue Donation Hospital, Best Nursing Administrative Managers and Best Health Information Management Department” awards on behalf of the entire healthcare organization. Renown Regional Medical Center was also recognized for being welcoming and available, for consistently providing needed chart information and for facilitating more tissue donations than any other hospital in the Sierra Eye & Tissue Donor Services and Golden State Donor Services’ coverage area throughout northern California and northern Nevada. “We consider each team member at Renown Regional Medical Center absolutely central to our mission,” Monica Johnson-Tomanka, CEO of Sierra Eye & Tissue Donor Services and Golden State Donor Services said. “It is because of their passion for saving lives that countless others continue to live on – with renewed health and energy.” Renown Health employees encourage and support families in their darkest moments to shine a light on hope and reach out to someone else in need.
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DID YOU KNOW?
By the Numbers: There are now 100 million registered organ, eye and tissue donors. That is roughly 42 percent of the adult population in the country. However, the need for transplants continues to grow. One organ, eye and tissue donor can save or enhance the lives of more than 50 people. There are several ways to make your decision to be an organ and tissue donor known. The best way is to register online (click the "Become a Donor" icon) or through your local DMV. Say “yes” to becoming an organ donor.
The miracle of donation and transplantation would not be possible without the compassionate generosity of donors and their families.
Valentine’s Day Was National Donor Day: Can you think of a more loving gesture than making February 14 the day you join thousands of Americans in making the decision to become a donor? Organ donation is the process of giving an organ, or a part of an organ, for the purpose of transplantation into another person. Transplantation helps thousands of people with organ failure. It provides hope for many and an active and renewed life.
Every 10 minutes another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list. Eighteen people will die each day waiting for an organ transplant. Ninety percent of Americans say they support donation, but only 30% know the essential steps to take to be a donor.
Organ and tissue donation and transplants can dramatically improve the quality of life for those who are the receiver, and even save lives. Talk with your family about your decision. They will be involved in the donation arrangements when you die. If they do not know your wishes of becoming a donor, your wishes may never be carried out. Learn more about becoming a donor from the Colby Foundation, from Donate Life, or from www.nedonation.org.
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2011 HOLIDAY APPEAL CAMPAIGN AND TRUSTEES’ NOTES
Holiday Appeal: The Colby Foundation reached 97% of its $8,000 goal! Total contributions were $7,780.00. Thank you so much! Your continued support enables us to increase our Colby Cassani Endowed Lectureship (CCELS) program and to create partnerships to advance our mission. In 2012-2013, the CCELS program will be provided to seven medical schools throughout the country. If you would like to contribute, please click here to make a contribution online now.
Trustees Notes: We are creating an Advisory Board to assist us in developing and expanding the Colby Foundation. We are planning our first local fundraiser in April, 2012, in recognition of National Donate Life Month. This event will be staged in Reno, NV at Napa Sonoma Grocery Company and will feature wines from Entropy Wine Group. Through our newsletter, our website, and our facebook page; we will update you regarding this exciting news.
We wish you all the best in 2012.
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Have you already joined us on Facebook? Click the icon to "like" us on facebook! Stay informed. Add to the conversation. And spread the word!
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STORY OF HOPE: INTRODUCING JIM - THANKS FROM A DONOR'S PERSPECTIVE
Sometime in the early evening, Wednesday, Nov. 23, I came to. It’s a strange feeling coming off anesthesia – like waking up drunk after a long nap.
I was wrecked. Groggy. Bleary-eyed. Sore. From my left arm my eyes followed two IV lines up to the equipment that shared space next to my bed: A saline bag, a mechanical pump dosing morphine into my bloodstream, and a couple of oxygen and heart-rate monitors. After taking all of this in, my first cogent thought: How’s Brian doing?
Eight hours earlier, Brian and I had wished each other good luck and were shuttled off to separate operating rooms. If all went well, my childhood friend who I loved like a brother would get another chance at life. He was looking forward to a future doing the normal things again, like raising his young boy Filip and traveling abroad to his wife Helena’s home country… he just needed my extra kidney.
It took me awhile to conceive that one of my kidneys was extra. Surely removing one would put a greater burden on the other, create risks for my welfare, and shorten my lifespan. But the more research I did the more I learned about the reality of living kidney transplantation. Having one versus two isn’t much more of a liability.
And then I learned about the procedure. These days most kidneys are harvested with a combination of arthroscopic incisions and one larger cut to remove the organ, like a C-section. It’s major surgery, and it doesn’t feelgood, but in the end I bit the bullet and volunteered my services. Brian, the most humble, self-sufficient person I know, had to step outside of his comfort zone to accept, but we went for it.
Eight weeks after the surgery, I feel fine. The bad part lasted about a week, the discomfort about three weeks and the occasional “ouch” about six. Although Brian’s end of the surgery was much more intense, he instantly felt better than he had in years. He even brought the family for a visit to my home in Reno, unencumbered by a daily dialysis regiment that used to leave him feeling sick half the time, and without energy the other half. He can eat regular food now, go on long walks with his family and he’s even planning that trip to Europe.
And I’m sure Brian will fall over himself telling me thanks for the rest of our lives but I’ve got a secret: Through this experience I get to see my friend live life the way he should be able to live, and that’s a beautiful thing... I think maybe I’m the one who should be saying thanks.
Jim is a father or two, writer and marketing professional. He lives in Reno, Nevada.
Click here for more Stories of Hope
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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!
