organ donation – Page 5 – Midwest Transplant Network

“Honoring My Donor the Best I Can”

February 11, 2021/in

Heart recipient and MTN Ambassador Barb Sheble

After passing out at track practice in January of my freshman year of college, I was sent to two different cardiologists for tests, and since neither could see anything wrong with me, I was cleared to return to practice and was able to finish out the year. About two weeks after the end of the outdoor track season, in mid-May of 1991, I started feeling like I did in January, so my parents took me to the emergency department at a local hospital. While answering the general check-in questions, I passed out, and once back in an exam room, I was found to have a serious heart arrhythmia called ventricular tachycardia (VT). My heart was going way too fast and was in the wrong rhythm.

This hospital did not specialize in these types of cases so, once stabilized, I was transferred to another, more specialized hospital in town, where I was diagnosed with a rare congenital heart condition called arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD). This condition not only causes VT, but it also causes fatty, fibrous tissue to build up on the right ventricle.

Over the next 18 years, with the help of an amazing cardiologist, I was able to live a really good life overall, despite having to manage my condition. I was able to finish college with two bachelor’s degrees, be successful working full time as a Medical Lab Scientist, travel and enjoy life with my family and friends! Sure, there were procedures that I had to go through from time to time, like getting an implantable defibrillator in 1995 and a few replacements over the years. And there were times spent in the hospital, but I always tried to just do my best to make each day fun regardless of where I was and what I was doing!

On July 2, 2008, things started to take a turn for the worse. I can still remember like it was yesterday exactly where I was when it seems like a switch was flipped. Beginning on that summer day, I was either in the doctor’s office or in the hospital at least once a week, every week until a night in mid-November when everything came to a head. That night I began having VT that my defibrillator could not pace me out of, so it had to shock me instead. In total, I was shocked seven times before we could get to the hospital and get an IV medicine that would control my heart. The next day I had the last of my many ablation procedures that are used to help eliminate the areas that cause the heart to go into the wrong rhythm. That was also the day that we decided it was finally time to be evaluated for a heart transplant. Honestly, it was not a surprise when my doctor brought it up; I had known for years that transplant was going to be my last-ditch treatment option, and after how things had gone since July, I kind of figured we were working our way there.

In early December 2008, I was evaluated for transplant, and it was determined that I was indeed to that point. On Jan. 6, 2009, I was placed on the transplant list. Over the next seven months and 12 days, I continued to work and do my best to enjoy life. At first, I was still full time but over time had to reduce my hours, and by summer I was down to four hours day. By July 2009, I ended up needing to go on IV medication 24 hours a day, but I was lucky enough to be able to do this at home and still go to work. That was a true blessing, as many people need to wait in the hospital for a while before their transplant!

On Aug. 18, 2009, early in the morning, THE CALL finally came. They had a heart for me! This was an especially amazing day to get the greatest gift that anyone can give, because that day is also my mom’s birthday! It is so special to be able to share that day with her each year, and I cannot thank my donor and their family enough.

Recovery had its little hiccups and took a little longer than some. We also learned that my heart was actually much worse than any of us knew. It was the size of an NFL football and was black/dead on the inside.

Since being given this gift, I have tried to live life to its fullest, and I still always try to have fun and find the positive in each day. I continue to work full time in the lab, travel any chance I get, and spend time as much as I can with my family and friends. I get to be a part of big family moments like weddings, graduations and births. I have been able to get back into my throwing events in track and pick up a few other sports, while competing in the both the World Transplant Games and the Transplant Games of America.

I strive to honor my donor the best I can, and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of them and their family. While I have not been able to meet my donor’s family, and I know nothing about my hero, I know I would not be here today without their generosity! A fellow heart recipient once told me he feels as though every donor family is his donor family, and I couldn’t agree more! I have been fortunate enough to meet many other donor families who amaze me, and I am blessed to call some of them my adopted donor families!

Over the years, things have not always been easy, but that does not mean that my life has not been a blessing! As I look back, I sometimes think, “Yeah, that wasn’t the best day” or, “Well, yeah, I could have done without going through that,” but that doesn’t mean that I would want to change things. This journey has made me who I am. It has brought so many wonderful people into my life whom I honestly can’t imagine my life without! It has taught me that I am strong and that with the right people and support system, I can get through anything!

When I first got sick, I didn’t think I would make it to 40, and here I am rocketing toward 50 in fewer than two years! In May, I will celebrate the fact that it has been 30 years since I nearly died. In August, thanks to God, my donor, their family and my amazing medical team, we will celebrate my 12th heart birthday. I think it is safe to say, life doesn’t get any better than that!

Our thanks to Barb Sheble for writing this guest blog post.

the impact of organ, eye & tissue donors from the MTN service area in 2020. 341 organ donors. 898 organs transplanted. 1938 tissue & cornea donors. 33896 transplant-supporting lab tests performed

2020: A Record-Breaking Year

January 27, 2021/in

/by Midwest Transplant Network

Midwest Transplant Network’s lifesaving and life-enhancing work continued in 2020, despite the pandemic. We coordinated a record number of organ donations for an increase of 21% from our previous record (set in 2019), recovered tissues from nearly 2,000 donors and enabled nearly 900 organ transplants.

We are incredibly grateful for our donor heroes and their families, our community partners and our staff members for helping us give the gift of life to so many in need during a challenging year.

Thank you, healthcare and front-line heroes

2020 in Review

January 19, 2021/in

/by Midwest Transplant Network

Despite the many challenges MTN and organizations globally faced, 2020 was a year of true heroism as we worked with our community partners to save and enhance lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. None of these incredible gifts would be possible without our generous donors and their families. Thank you to everyone who played a role in our 2020 successes!

Take a look back at our remarkable year:

Honoring the “Coolest 3-Year-Old” in Support of Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation

January 13, 2021/in

/by Midwest Transplant Network

According to Matt Hampel, his youngest daughter, Ryan, was a force to be reckoned with: She was cool, polite, loving and smart, with a smile that could light up any room.

When 3-year-old Ryan’s life was tragically cut short in a multi-car crash, Matt and Ryan’s mother made the courageous and selfless decision to donate her organs so that others could live. Matt said that, “while you feel like everything around you is going wrong, you have an obligation to do what’s right.”

Just a few weeks after Ryan’s death, friends of Matt’s organized a baseball tournament to honor Ryan and support Matt, who had been severely injured in the same crash. In the three years since, Matt and his wife, Heather, have organized the tournament and grown it exponentially, generously donating all proceeds to Midwest Transplant Network. They held their biggest tournament yet in August 2020, featuring 67 teams and raising nearly $30,000 — amid a pandemic, nonetheless.

Matt credits the people in his support system for not only helping him and Heather process Ryan’s death, but also for teaching Matt’s other children the importance of family, even if members of that “family” are not connected by blood.

“We took Ryan everywhere, and everybody knew her, and everybody knows my other two girls,” he said. “I have an obligation for them to be exposed and to see the good people we have around us.”

Although the Ryan Grace Memorial Baseball Tournament is already a huge success each year, Heather said she and Matt are determined to continually improve it, creating an even greater impact on their community.

“We hope Ryan knows that we’re doing the best we can and that we are trying to spread the message of being kind,” she said.

If he could talk to Ryan today, Matt would make sure she knows exactly how loved she continues to be — by himself, her sisters, Heather and so many people in the community. “For as little as she was,” he said, “she had such a huge crater that she left.”

To learn more about the Ryan Grace Memorial Baseball Tournament, visit ryangracememorial.org.

Employee Spotlight: Midge Dempsey

August 19, 2020/in

Employee Spotlight

/by Midwest Transplant Network

Check out our latest blog post and Employee Spotlight. This time we hear from Midge Dempsey, a Family Services Coordinator based in Wichita, as she talks about her role in the community, multicultural awareness, and her thoughts on organ, eye and tissue donation.

Get to know Midge:

Midwest Transplant Network Receives Architectural Approval for Headquarters Expansion

July 10, 2020/in

News

/by Midwest Transplant Network

With site plan approval for alterations and additions from the City of Westwood Planning Commission, Midwest Transplant Network (MTN) will soon begin construction document production for a new Donor Care Unit at its Westwood, Kansas, headquarters. Through this addition and remodel of MTN’s existing building, MTN and architecture firm Hoefer Wysocki will create an on-site recovery facility for organ, eye and tissue donors.

Currently, MTN clinicians collaborate with hospital healthcare teams to care for donors in hospitals located within MTN’s service area. The new centralized approach from MTN will allow for specialized donor care to help reduce the burden on hospital resources and enable more predictable timeframes for families and transplant teams.

“Creating this Donor Care Unit within Midwest Transplant Network is the right thing to do for the citizens of the Kansas City area and surrounding communities to improve organ donation,” said Dr. A. Michael Borkon, Co-Director of Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute and Surgical Director of Heart Transplant at Saint Luke’s Hospital; MTN Governing Board Chair. “It is a very timely construction, as constraints are being placed on our ability to maximize organ donation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that ICU beds are in short supply.

“The Donor Care Unit will allow us to not only streamline the donation process, but also improve the number of organs that we can obtain from each donor because we can work through the time required to make the necessary changes to improve lung and heart function that ordinarily would not be prioritized in busy ICUs today.”

About Midwest Transplant Network
Midwest Transplant Network has been connecting lives through organ donation since 1973. As the federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) for Kansas and the western two-thirds of Missouri, Midwest Transplant Network provides services including organ procurement; surgical tissue and eye recovery; laboratory testing; and 24-hour rapid response for referrals from hospital partners. Midwest Transplant Network ranks in the top 10% in the country among OPOs, which reflects the organization’s quality, professionalism and excellence in partnerships throughout the region. For more information, visit mwtn.org.

About Hoefer Wysocki
Founded in 1996, Hoefer Wysocki is a multidisciplinary architecture, interior design, medical equipment planning and clinical technology consultancy known for collaborating with clients to create performance-driven solutions. From offices in Kansas City and Dallas, the firm works with clients in healthcare, higher education, government and commercial markets on projects across the U.S. For more information, please visit hoeferwysocki.com.

MTN President/CEO Jan Finn Becomes AOPO President-Elect

July 2, 2020/in

News

/by Midwest Transplant Network

VIENNA, Va. (July 2, 2020) — The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) has named Midwest Transplant Network (MTN) President/Chief Executive Officer Jan Finn, RN, MSN its President-Elect. This role includes significant responsibilities with AOPO — the nonprofit organization representing the 58 federally designated organ procurement organizations — including leading the strategic planning process, collaborating with AOPO councils, and advocating nationally for issues as they relate to donation and transplantation.

With this appointment, Finn will serve on AOPO’s Executive Committee for three years and will assume the role of President for 2021-2022. As AOPO President, Finn will be the organization’s spokesperson and Chairman of the Board of Directors and also will serve as a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Board of Directors

“I am honored to represent MTN, those in our service area and the entire organ procurement organization (OPO) community,” said Finn. “AOPO is actively involved in advocacy for all donor families and recipients in ensuring each OPO strives for excellence in donation practice to ensure desperately needed organs for transplantation, and I am happy to lend my voice to such meaningful work.”

Throughout her time on AOPO’s Executive Committee, Finn said she hopes to foster collaboration between OPOs to provide a unified voice as the national industry expert

“My goal is to engage OPOs with known best practices to help those at other OPOs so we all can truly maximize the gift of life through organ, eye and tissue donation,” she said.

About Midwest Transplant Network
Midwest Transplant Network has been connecting lives through organ donation since 1973. As the federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) for Kansas and the western two-thirds of Missouri, Midwest Transplant Network provides services including organ procurement; surgical tissue and eye recovery; laboratory testing; and 24-hour rapid response for referrals from hospital partners. Midwest Transplant Network ranks in the top 10% in the country among OPOs, which reflects the organization’s quality, professionalism and excellence in partnerships throughout the region. For more information, visit mwtn.org.

About the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations
The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) leads the nation’s organ donation process through innovation, advocacy and education. AOPO advances organ donation and transplantation by driving continual improvement of the donation process, collaborating with stakeholders and sharing best practices with their organ procurement organization members. For more information, visit aopo.org.

Former Basketball Star Alonzo Jamison Teams Up with Wife Colleen Jamison in Support of Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation

June 22, 2020/in

News

/by Midwest Transplant Network

WESTWOOD, Kan. (June 22, 2020) — Initially hesitant to talk about his need for a kidney transplant, Green Ribbon Champion Alonzo Jamison has found his voice. He now formally advocates for people to become registered organ, eye and tissue donors, years after undergoing dialysis and, later, receiving a kidney transplant from a living donor.

For the second year of his Green Ribbon Campaign, former University of Kansas power forward Jamison is partnering with a fellow donation advocate: his wife, Colleen Jamison. An attorney, Colleen spends much of her free time volunteering for the National Kidney Foundation and testifying for pro-donation legislation.

“I think education is really important, and I want to do whatever I can to get the word out,” Colleen said.

While Alonzo waited for a lifesaving kidney transplant, he underwent almost two years of nightly dialysis treatments.

“Physically, it was a chore,” Colleen said. “I wasn’t in his head, so I can’t even imagine how it must have been for him mentally.”

After keeping his diagnosis largely under wraps, Alonzo eventually decided to share with others his need of a kidney transplant.

“I had always encouraged Alonzo to be public with it, and he was reluctant,” Colleen said. “Then something happened to change that: A young man who Alonzo used to coach in basketball was public on social media about his medical issues. And Alonzo and I talked about it and decided that, if this young man is brave enough to go public, then maybe it’s time that Alonzo do the same.”

Alonzo and Colleen published a call for help on social media, and news stations that previously had covered Alonzo as a basketball player contacted him to find out more and help spread the word. Eventually, one of Colleen’s business acquaintances, Wichita native and Army veteran Shekinah Bailey, asked how he could be tested to potentially donate a kidney to Alonzo. Bailey was a match, and he soon donated one of his kidneys to Alonzo.

“After his transplant, Alonzo looked so much healthier — which he was, because he had a kidney that was functioning properly,” Colleen said.

Alonzo added: “Shekinah didn’t know me, and he had no obligation to help me, but that’s the kind of person he is. When it came down to saving my life, he stepped up to the plate. Through organ donation, people from all walks of life can provide these amazing gifts for each other.”

Alonzo and Bailey now are a team, bonded for life through this unique and humbling experience. Alonzo also speaks to the importance of his other MVP off the court.

“My wife, thankfully, is doing a lot to raise awareness for donation,” Alonzo said. “She was there for me when I went through my dialysis and things of that nature. I am so grateful that she was there for me.”

Everyone can be a registered organ donor — regardless of age or medical history — and the registration process is quick and easy. Individuals can sign up at ShareLifeMidwest.com or at the DMV when obtaining or renewing a driver’s license or ID card. More information about how to help support organ donation is available at mwtn.org/community-outreach.

MTN CEO Jan Finn Joins MTF Biologics Board of Directors

March 10, 2020/in

News

/by Midwest Transplant Network

EDISON, NJ (March 10, 2020) — MTF Biologics, a global nonprofit organization that saves and heals lives by honoring donated gifts, serving patients and advancing science, recently announced that Midwest Transplant Network President/Chief Executive Officer Jan Finn has joined the organization’s Board of Directors.

“MTF Biologics is excited to welcome Jan onto our Board of Directors,” said Joe Yaccarino, President and Chief Executive Officer at MTF. “Jan brings nearly 30 years of organ procurement experience to the MTF Biologics Board. She is extremely passionate about our work to provide high-quality tissue grafts from donated human tissue and understands the positive impact that the gift of donation has on the lives of both recipients and donor families. We know that she will be an invaluable asset to our MTF team.”

At MTN, Finn is responsible for overseeing the executive leadership of a team that directs all organ and tissue donation operations in Kansas and western Missouri. Under her leadership, MTN increased its donation rates and recovery of organs and tissues to record levels. MTN ranks in the top quartile nationally among other OPOs.

Finn currently serves on the Missouri Governor’s Advisory Council on Organ and Tissue Donation, the Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee for the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations and as a board member for the Gift of Life Foundation and the National Organ Donation Alliance. She is a past president of the North American Transplant Coordinators Organization and became a Certified Procurement Transplant Coordinator through the American Board for Transplant Coordination.

Finn began her career at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri, working for 13 years as a registered nurse primarily in critical care. She holds undergraduate degrees from Missouri Southern State University and Pittsburg State University, as well as Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Kansas. She was a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society and was credentialed as a CCRN by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.

“I am delighted to join my friends at MTF Biologics as a member of their Board of Directors,” said Finn. “MTF Biologics remains a global leader in tissue and organ transplantation, and I look forward to working with the Board to help further MTF’s legacy of honoring donors and saving and healing lives.”

About Midwest Transplant Network

Midwest Transplant Network has been connecting lives through organ donation since 1973. As the federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) for Kansas and the western two-thirds of Missouri, Midwest Transplant Network provides services including organ procurement; surgical tissue and eye recovery; laboratory testing and 24-hour rapid response for referrals from hospital partners. Midwest Transplant Network ranks in the top 10% in the country among OPOs, which reflects the organization’s quality, professionalism and excellence in partnerships throughout the region. For more information, visit mwtn.org.

About MTF Biologics

MTF Biologics is a global nonprofit organization that saves and heals lives by honoring donated gifts, serving patients and advancing science.. They provide unmatched service, resources, and expertise to donors and their loved ones who give the gift of donation, people who depend on tissue and organ transplants, healthcare providers and clinicians and scientists.
The International Institute for the Advancement of Medicine (IIAM), a Division of MTF Biologics, honors donors of non-transplantable organs by providing their gifts to the medical research community to combat and cure diseases. Statline, also a Division of MTF Biologics, provides specialized communications and technology expertise to organ, tissue and eye procurement organizations, as well as the hospitals and patients that they serve. Its sister organization, Deutsches Institute for Zell-und Gewebeersatz – DIZG (The German Institute for Cell and Tissue Transplantation) expands its reach to patients across the globe. For more information, visit mtfbiologics.org.

Organ, Eye and Tissue Donors Saved or Improved Record Number of Lives in 2019

January 22, 2020/in

News

/by Midwest Transplant Network

WESTWOOD, Kan. (Jan. 22, 2020) — Midwest Transplant Network is celebrating a record year in 2019, surpassing its previous milestones for number of organs transplanted, organ donors, eye/tissue donors and laboratory tests performed.

Midwest Transplant Network, the not-for-profit organ procurement organization serving Kansas and the western two-thirds of Missouri, enabled 929 lifesaving organ transplants — a 14% increase compared with 2018. Those gifts came from 282 donor heroes, which represented an 4% increase. MTN also procured gifts from 1,895 eye/tissue donors, a jump of 13% from 2018.

“Our record-breaking year is a testament to the selflessness of our donor heroes and their families, our hard-working staff and our dedicated hospital and community partners,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Jan Finn, RN, MSN. “I’m honored to have colleagues such as our clinical staff who work around the clock to care for donor heroes; those who support donor families throughout their grief journeys; those who ensure safety for transplant recipients in our lab; those who educate the community about the donation registry; those who work with our hospital partners; and the transplant center teams who care for the recipients.”

MTN’s award-winning histocompatibility lab performed 8% more tests compared with the previous year, totaling 31,277 tests assessing blood work for potential matches for organ, tissue and bone marrow transplantation, as well as post-transplant monitoring.

MTN’s performance metric increases reflect a national upward trend for the organ transplant system. The United Network for Organ Sharing reports that nationwide, clinical workers performed nearly 40,000 lifesaving transplants — the seventh consecutive record-breaking year for this data point and a 9% increase from 2018.

Despite transplant increases nationally and locally, the waiting list grows. More than 112,000 people around the country need a lifesaving organ transplant — with 446 of those people living in Kansas and 1,725 in Missouri.

MTN also continues its comprehensive multiyear initiative known as the Green Ribbon Campaign to raise awareness and encourage registration to the organ donor registry. The goal is to promote recognition of the green ribbon as a badge of honor representing the selfless act of becoming a registered organ, eye and tissue donor and the lifesaving impact that donation can provide.

Supporting the campaign are the Green Ribbon Champions, a diverse group of local and regional leaders and well-known personalities who are passionate about increasing the number of registered organ donors in our communities across Kansas and Missouri.

As a result of the campaign and MTN’s other awareness efforts, 80% of adults in Kansas and 78% in Missouri are registered organ donors. While those numbers are strong, MTN is committed to raising them even higher in 2020 because the need for donors still outpaces the number of registrants.

“While I am incredibly proud of the care our staff provided donors, donor families and recipients in 2019, we have so much more work to do to ensure we continue saving more lives and driving more people to the donor registry,” Finn said. “With the support we receive from our outstanding hospital partners, transplant centers, DMV offices and volunteers, the possibilities for what we can accomplish are limitless.”

^* National transplant numbers, national waiting list number and state waiting list numbers as of Jan. 16, 2020.

About Midwest Transplant Network

Midwest Transplant Network has been connecting lives through organ donation since 1973. As the federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) for Kansas and the western two-thirds of Missouri, Midwest Transplant Network provides services including organ procurement; surgical tissue and eye recovery; laboratory testing and 24-hour rapid response for referrals from hospital partners. Midwest Transplant Network ranks in the top 10% in the country among OPOs, which reflects the organization’s quality, professionalism and excellence in partnerships throughout the region. For more information, visit mwtn.org.

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