Listen Now

Show Notes: We reconnect with previous guests on episodes 160 and 169, Mark and Lynn Scotch, whose chance meeting during a leisure trip to Louisiana, saved another man's life through the living kidney donor voucher program. You don't want to miss the updates to their remarkable saga and learn where The Organ Trail has taken this inspiring couple now. Then we chat about different stages of change, and honor hero Keith Savoie.

Show Notes: Have you considered giving the greatest gift, the gift of life? We are joined by authors and advocates, Elizabeth Crais, who's a kidney recipient, and Carol Offen, who has donated a kidney to her son. These two ladies have merged forces to help educate through their own life experiences with both kidney disease and living donation. In our mental health moment, we learn tips for being conscious of pausing to wonder, and how that wonder can improve both mental and physical health, and honor hero Alex Migliore.

Show Notes: A California prosecutor is using his personal story to encourage more people to register as marrow donors. Charlie Huang joins the podcast to talk about how his diagnosis led him to hope, healing and finally, advocacy. Learn about the new law he helped pass to make marrow donation as easy as registering as an organ, tissue and eye donor at California OMVs. In our mental health moment, learn what tools are essential to have in your own mental health toolbox. Plus, we honor hero Sawyer Ridgeway.

Show Notes: High school sweethearts, Lisa and Reid Barker, are authors of the book DeLivered. They join us to share their unique path and how organ donation has made an incredible impact on their lives, through the precious gift of life from a donor hero, and through living donation. In our mental health moment we chat about taking intentional steps in life and self reflection, then, honor hero Courtney Ray Sterling.

Show Notes: When a person allows passion to take the lead in their career, life thrives for professionals and the people they serve. Amy S. Peele, a nurse since 1974, discovered her passion for organ donation and transplantation when she kicked off her career as a transplant coordinator. Now, following a 35 year career in transplantation, Amy found a new vehicle for enthusiasm - storytelling. Her books combine her love for comedy, improv and writing, with her expertise in transplantation, to entertain and accurately educate about the power of donation. Then in our mental health moment we chat about mapping out your personal core values to develop a framework for living by them, and we honor hero Jerry Winn.

Show Notes: Following a near death experience and subsequent heart and kidney transplant, Shana Pereira is sharing insights she gained to inspire others to have a better relationship with crisis. Hear how her remarkable story unfolds and how her holiday miracle, through the gift of life, has changed her life and in turn, is inspiring others. We take a moment for mental health to learn tips for listening to truly connect with others, and honor hero Mitchell Aswell.

Show Notes: CareDX is using artificial intelligence to help with the timely assessment of the likelihood of rejection in kidney transplant patients. AiKidney helps clinicians to predict kidney failure before it occurs and allows the medical team to make adjustments to reduce the risk of rejection. This fascinating technology is taking transplant care to the next level. Nila teaches us about decision fatigue and tips to help prevent it. We honor donor hero, Elizabeth Gray.

Show Notes: Individuals from multiethnic communities make up the majority of the transplant waitlist in the United States. We welcome two guests to chat about how they are working together towards eradicating multiethnic bias in transplantation. Dr. John Goss, professor and chief of the Division of Abdominal Transplantation at Baylor College of Medicine, and kidney recipient, Eric Figueroa, share their respective strategies and experiences. In our mental health moment we discuss the wellness wheel and how to apply it towards finding balance in your everyday life, then, honor hero Christopher Moreau.

Show Notes: It’s our 200th episode!!! To celebrate, we invited donor mom, Angie Calamari, and kidney recipient, Brooke Shapre, to the studio to take us on a donation journey that leads us full circle right back to LOPA in an unexpected way. Libbie Harrison, one of LOPA’s Family Support Coordinators, joins in and sets the framework for how this unique story unfolded. Then we chat about how to use serendipitous moments to bring more positivity into your life, and Angie Calamari honors donor hero, Cam Calamari.

Show Notes: A staggering statistic, children from 1 to 4 years of age are at the highest risk for drowning. Drowning prevention is a year-round essential education for all people, adults and parents alike. We welcome Chris Knoblauch with the St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office and Kristen Sanderson, Injury Prevention Manager, with the Louisiana Department of Health to discuss valuable and necessary precautions to ensure your pool is safe and fun for those of all ages. Check out the additional resources from the American Red Cross and the YMCA. Then in our Mental Health Moment, we get a lesson on what congruence means and how you can use it to be more honest and enhance your life. We answer your question about donation and honor hero Colby Prestenback.

Show Notes: Grieving is the process of rebuilding following a loss. In this episode we connect with donor mom and author, Autumn Jackson, to hear her story, and learn about her tips for growing with grief. She provides those who are grieving with resources, and she shares her newest outreach efforts through SODA, Student Organ Donation Advocates, at the upcoming Rose Parade. What is schema? We define the term and learn how it helps a person adapt to new information, and honor hero Rylee Marie Jackson.

Show Notes: There are currently 57 Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO) throughout the United States. In a lively conversation, we connect with passionate President and CEO of LiveOnNY, Leonard Achan, to learn about how the gift of life has changed the trajectory of his career. Hear how his OPO is saving and healing lives in the Empire State, and propelling forward to share how special the gift of life is for donor families and recipients alike. We chat about the importance of truly plugging into yourself for self care and honor hero Maria Markell.

Show Notes: On this episode we learn about an organization facilitating the process of living donation for veterans in need of a transplant and hear from one of the program's altruistic living donors. Veteran and living donor, Lindsay Gutierrez, first tells us how she connected with DOVE Transplant founder, Sharyn Kreitzer who also recently donated her kidney. Sharyn shares the important work her nonprofit does to facilitate living donor transplants for veterans and how life adjusts once giving the ultimate gift of a kidney. We discuss ways to vocalize curiosity when you're concerned about a friend or family member, and honor hero William Kyles, Jr.

Show Notes: The organ transplant recovery process is a crucial time for recipients. Denise Redeker with Heartfelt Help Foundation joins us to share her experience following a heart transplant, and the importance of clean, safe and accessible temporary housing during transplant rehabilitation. Hear how the foundation works to alleviate what is often a financial burden for heart transplant candidates, patients, and their families. In our mental health moment we define doom scrolling, offer tips for recognizing the behavior and how to curb it when scrolling online, and then we honor hero, Carl Miller.

Show Notes: August is National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month, and in this episode we connect with Chavon Trahan, a Tissue Family Advocate with LOPA. Chavon walks us through how she personally connects with multiethnic families to explain the opportunity to give the gift of donation, and how she addresses families' concerns about common myths. Then we discuss ways to recognize that it might be time to seek professional help for mental health, and Lisa shares the following resources: National Institute of Mental Health/NIMH, www.nimh.nih.gov and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), www.samhsa.gov, then search Office of Behavioral Health Equity. Our donor hero this episode is Linden Gray.

Show Notes: We welcome Tara Storch with Taylor’s Gift Foundation, who's a previous guest from episode 43 of The Gifted Life. She re-joins The Gifted Life to talk about Taylor's Gift Kindred Hearts Program and how it is creating a space so that no donor's family ever grieves alone and welcomes them to participate as long as services are needed. In our moment for mental health we offer tips for building your social support system and then, honor hero Christopher Cabrera.

Show Notes: Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the #1 leading cause of death in student athletes. Michelle Temple is donor mom to hero Grayson Temple and started Gray’s Army Foundation in honor of her son. The foundation has passed legislation as a way to help prevent sudden cardiac arrest in children and young adults. They also focus on education, providing student CPR training and AEDs to schools in need and preventing SCAs through the promotion of free heart screenings for student athletes. Then Nila gives tips for living in the present and being grounded, and we honor Grayson Temple.

Show Notes: MediGO brings together forward-thinking and caring leaders that share a desire to use technology to digitally transform and revolutionize the organ donation and transplantation process to save lives. Scott Plank, CEO and co-founder of MediGo, shares how the company got started, the uniqueness of the donation/transplantation supply chain and how MediGo is addressing those challenges by tracking organs recovered for transplant. Nila discusses strength based learning, and how many of us have difficulty naming our strengths. The hero for this episode is Maureen Favret.

Show Notes: Donor mom, Melanie Marcel, joins the podcast to talk about both the power of adoption and the miraculous power of donation. Hear how Melanie's multifaceted story about her son and hero, Connor, has continued to make an incredible impact on her family's life in ways she didn't anticipate. Then we discuss tips for regulating emotions in our mental health moment, and honor hero Connor Marcel through his father and siblings who read his story.

Show Notes: In episode 189, we welcome members from our internal Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee to facilitate an important conversation. Sheron, Cheryl and Sid discuss how LOPA's multicultural outreach has evolved throughout the years, and what steps are being put into action to ensure continued and exponential growth. The panel also welcomes heart recipient Keenan Shields, who shares his perspective as someone who's directly affected and inspired by the gift of life. Then in our mental health moment we chat about changing your perception to manage stress and honor hero Jayden Ramirez.