|
|
|
|
            |
TSO Newsletter And the Beat Goes On . . . Click below for TSO Newsletters May/June 2008 Newsletterr 2007 Newsletter January/February 2008 Newsletter
Adobe Reader required - click here to download:
A note from Jeff Graham: We finished our last speaking engagement for this school year today and I just finished entering the class attendance. A new milestone has been reached! We spoke to EXACTLY 5,000 students since the beginning of September ’07 in Westchester, Dutchess and Putnam counties. Our total since the program’s inception in 2000 is now 34,345. I want to thank you that joined us, for your participation this year and for helping us to hit this impressive mark. I look forward to working with you again next year in continuing to educate and inform our high school students. Warm regards, Jeff Graham 10th Anniversary As we celebrate our 10th year anniversary, we recall many interesting meetings, events and projects. A significant focus of our group has been the school project where members of TSO have presented a program to high school health classes on transplant awareness. Over 34,000 students have heard of the need for organ donation since TSO began the program over six years ago. At the start of each class it is emphasized that the purpose of the presentation is not to ask students to agree to donation. The purpose is strictly educational, giving facts and figures about the benefits of donation, leaving the decision to donate, or not, up to each person. They are asked to discuss their decision with their family. Although our primary mission as an organization is education and support, we do like to party and celebrate our new lives. So for our June meeting, we had a record turnout for a delicious buffet supper. We welcomed new members and got reacquainted with some of the older ones. We’re always looking for new members. Join us at our next meeting. * * * * * * Celebrating
the Miracle When I’m traveling
any distance in my car I find that the time passes more easily if I listen
to a book on tape. I just finished listening to A Change of Heart, by
Claire Sylvia, a compelling, true story of a woman who received a heart-lung
transplant in the early 1990’s. Much of the story focuses on her
post transplant experience filled with vivid dreams and the appearance
of unexpected new cravings, interests and attitudes, all of which she
strongly attributes to cellular memory. These sensations led Sylvia to
feel intimately connected to her donor in both visceral and emotional
ways and it was fascinating to get a glimpse into her experience of feeling
so linked to ‘him’ inmind, body and soul. Sylvia had been
very close to death prior to the transplant and in the book she shared
her powerful feelings of awe and gratitude for the miracle of this gift
of life. Sylvia’s story once again reminded me that as a transplant recipient there have been times that I, too, have felt strongly connected to my donor. Listening to this story, though, was a good reminder to me that my life has a primary purpose to honor and celebrate the gift I’ve received from my donor and his family, and to always be mindful of the miracle of my own gift of life. You’d think that we transplant recipients would never “forget,” yet I suppose that every time we let our mind well on negativity, disappointments, frustration and anger we are in some way ‘forgetting’ the miracle and ‘forgetting’ our gratitude. Also, whenever we make unhealthy choices and when we’re distracted by self-defeating attitudes and behaviors, aren’t we also ‘forgetting’ the joy of being alive? As our 2007-2008 TSO season begins, I’d like to invite you to join me in rededicating ourselves to a daily ritual of paying attention to all that we have, to express gratitude and to commit ourselves, over and over again to living our lives with love, wisdom and compassion. Like the mportance of regularly watering a precious plant, our own daily conscious practice can reinforce our ability to ‘celebrate the miracle’ and can open the way to our living the happiest and most joyful life. If you’d like to listen to the book on tape, A Change of Heart by Claire Sylvia, contact Cori at cori@maass.org or by calling 914-686-5616. --------------------------------------------------- FACTS ABOUT TRANSPLANTATION IN THE UNITED STATES
On March 21, 2008 , the OPTN National patient waiting list for organ transplant includes the following:
• 79,482 registrations for a kidney transplant. • 16,932 registrations for a liver transplant. • 1,638 registrations for a pancreas transplant. • 223 registrations for a pancreas islet cell. • 2,324 registrations for a kidney-pancreas transplant. • 225 registrations for an intestine transplant. • 2,679 registrations for a heart transplant. • 103 registrations for a heart-lung transplant. • 2,145 registrations for a lung transplant. • 105,751 TOTAL REGISTRATIONS
• 75,034 patients waiting for a kidney transplant. • 16,390 patients waiting for a liver transplant. • 1,620 patients waiting for a pancreas transplant. • 223 patients waiting for a pancreas islet cell. • 2,251 patients waiting for a kidney-pancreas transplant. • 224 patients waiting for an intestine transplant. • 2,669 patients waiting for a heart transplant. • 103 patients waiting for a heart-lung transplant. • 2,125 patients waiting for a lung transplant. • 98,186 TOTAL PATIENTS*
NOTE: OPTN/UNOS policies allow patients to be listed with more than one transplant center (multiple-listing), and thus the number of registrations is greater than the actual number of patients.
*
Some patients are waiting for more than
one organ, therefore the total number of patients is less than the sum
of patients waiting for each organ.
Numbers of Transplants Performed, 2007** • 16,622 kidney (no pancreas) transplants (6,036 living donors) • 6,492 liver transplants. • 469 pancreas (no kidney) transplants. • 862 kidney-pancreas transplant. • 198 intestine transplants. • 2,210 heart transplants. • 30 heart-lung transplants. • 1,469 lung transplants. • 28,352 TOTAL Number of Donors Recovered, 2007** • 8,087 Deceased • 6,306 Living • 14,393 TOTAL
During 2007 6,411 patients were removed from the OPTN National patient waiting list for reason of death.**
** Based on OPTN data as of February 29, 2008. Double kidney, double lung and heart-lung transplants are counted as one transplant. NOTE: Data subject to change due to future data submission or correction.
As of May 29, 2007, OPTN membership included the following:
• 257 Transplant Centers • 2 Business Members. • 58 Operating Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) • 155 Histocompatibility Laboratories • 10 General Public Members. • 23 Medical/Scientific Organizations • 12 Individual • 412 TOTAL*
* There are 8 OPTN members that operate both transplant centers and in-house OPOs and 97 that operate both transplant centers and in-house histocompatibility laboratories. These members are included in both the count of transplant centers and operating OPOs. For this reason, the total number of members is less than the sum of the different categories.
------------------------------------------
|
|
