Twins survive cystic fibrosis, lung transplants

Kathryn Roethel, Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle Copyright San Francisco Chronicle.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/13/DDD41DUDJO.DTL#ixzz0r1cLVpLo

A handful of cameramen, a boom mike operator and a producer follow identical twin sisters Anabel Stenzel and Isabel Stenzel Byrnes as they walk a wide loop across the Stanford University campus.

They stop to reminisce at Roble Hall, where they shared a dorm room in the early 1990s, and the cafeteria where Isa met her future husband, Andrew Byrnes. They pass Stanford Stadium, where the twins graduated with matching degrees in human biology in 1994, then on to Memorial Church, where Isa and Andrew married.

Finally, they come to Stanford Medical Center, where both Ana and Isa nearly died but lived because of the double lung transplants they received there.

Today, Ana and Isa, 38, both live in Redwood City and are the stars of a documentary chronicling their lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis.

Doctors did not expect them to live past their 10th birthdays. But the twins are still thriving and have dedicated their lives to advocating for organ donation.

Three years ago, the Stenzel sisters published their memoir, "The Power of Two" (University of Missouri Press, 2007), in the United States and Japan, where their mother grew up. That book inspired Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Marc Smolowitz to pursue their story after he received a copy from an acquaintance, Isa's husband, Andrew.

"The title is symbolic not only of the two sisters, but of the two sets of lungs they've had and the two lung donors who gave them a second chance at life," said Smolowitz, who hopes to premiere the film at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in January.



Transplants taboo

"Organ donation really struggles to meet the mainstream, especially in Japan, where the idea of transplanting organs has a cultural taboo," he said. "We hope to use the film to demystify the process and inspire people to become organ donors."

Next month the sisters will run, jump and swim in the Transplant Games - an Olympic-style competition that brings together 7,000 post-transplant athletes in Madison, Wis. It will be the fourth games for Isa and the fifth for Ana, who holds two gold medals in swimming.

Isa also has taken up the bagpipes - one of the most demanding wind instruments.

"We're flying high. We don't want to waste a minute," said Ana, who got married last month in Fremont.

Ana and Isa were born in Los Angeles in 1972 to immigrant parents. Their mother was from Japan, their father, Germany.

Every day, their parents lovingly - but forcefully - clapped their hands against the girls' chests for 30 minutes to help loosen mucus so they could breathe more easily.

"Cystic fibrosis isn't a very ladylike disease," Isa said. "But it helped to have my sister there, going through it with me."

Coughing contests

"And we had someone to compete with," Ana chimed in. "We actually used to compete to see who could handle the chest percussion longer and harder and who could cough up more. "

Together, the sisters continued to defy doctors' predictions. Their 10th birthdays came and went. They graduated from high school and then Stanford. Both eventually found careers in the health care world they knew so well: Ana as a genetic counselor at Stanford Medical Center and Isa as a social worker at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

Yet, over time, Ana and Isa's lungs were deteriorating, and lung transplantation still seemed like a scary, maverick approach.

Ana was on the transplant waiting list for 16 months before suitable donor lungs became available. When she awoke in the recovery room on June 14, 2000, 10 years ago today, she could breathe deeply and clearly - for the first time in her life.

"I'm alive," she recalls thinking when she first opened her eyes. "I'm alive."

Unlike Ana, who had a slow respiratory decline, Isa landed on the lung transplant list after an emergency admission to the hospital in 2004. Just 2 1/2 weeks afterward, she received her transplant.

Despite their recoveries, the twins haven't been without setbacks. They've had to cope with other health problems brought on by cystic fibrosis, including diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoporosis.

In 2007, seven years after her transplant, Ana's body rejected her donor lungs, and Dr. Bruce Reitz performed a very rare - but successful - second lung transplant.

Years after transplantation, both Ana and Isa met the families of their organ donors. "Donor families are incredible heroes," Isa said. "We carry parts of them inside us." Ana agreed. "I want to encourage donor families to know that somebody out there is living and enjoying life and thinking of them on a moment-by-moment basis," she said. "I think of my donor family every single day."


E-mail Kathryn Roethel at kroethel@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page D - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/13/DDD41DUDJO.DTL#ixzz0r1bcD5eT

Blacks must wait longer to get organ transplants

By Lucas Sullivan, Staff Writer for Dayton Daily News
Updated 10:44 AM Monday, May 3, 2010

KETTERING — Ty Stone wipes her tears while speaking to a room full of people about her son’s death.


Steven Smith, 19, died in September 2007, six weeks after he was hit by an out-of-control motorist while walking on Philadelphia Drive.

Somewhere out there, Stone tells a crowd gathered Thursday, April 29, at NCR Country Club, someone is walking and seeing again because of Steven’s selfless donations. Stone sees a few black faces in the mostly white crowd. She hopes her message resonates most with them.

Not enough blacks are donating organs, especially kidneys, to meet the growing need in the area, doctors and advocates say. Locally and nationally, blacks in need of organs are waiting two to three times longer than whites, according to Life Connection of Ohio.

Nationally 107,000 — about 3,100 in Ohio — are awaiting organ transplants and 31 percent of those are black, according to data provided by Life Connection, a local nonprofit that promotes organ donation.

But in this area, blacks make up nearly half of 86 people on a waiting list at Miami Valley Hospital. All are in need of kidneys, said Dr. Thav Thambi-Pillai, a transplant surgeon at Miami Valley. “Diabetes and high blood pressure are much more common in the black community and both lead to kidney failure,” Thambi-Pillai said.

Organ donation requires recipients and donors to have as many physical and biological matches as possible, Thambi-Pillai said, though advances in medicine have allowed for transplants to cross ethnicities.

Since her son’s death, Stone, 45, has joined with Life Connection, the donor advocacy group, to honor Steven’s legacy. Stone said she hopes Steven’s selfless story helps increase organ donation in the black community.

Bilal Momin, 55, who received a kidney transplant in 2006, heard Stone’s message Thursday. “(Blacks) have the greatest need, but we give the least,” Momin, an associate minister at Freedom-Hill Baptist Church in Dayton, said. “There’s no greater legacy than saving someone’s life.”


http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/blacks-must-wait-longer-to-get-organ-transplants-684011.html

Donate Life Month Starts April 1st!

National Donate Life Month (NDLM) was instituted by Donate Life America and its members in 2003, and grew out of the federally proclaimed National Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Awareness Week (NOTDAW). NDLM features an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to become a donor. To get ready, please take some time to learn some facts about donation.

Learn the facts!

Despite continuing efforts at public education, misconceptions and inaccuracies about donation persist. Learn these facts to help you better understand organ, eye and tissue donation:

Fact: Anyone can be a potential donor regardless of age, race, or medical history.

Fact: There are 106,605 people in the USA waiting for a life saving transplant as of 3/30/2010.

Fact: All major religions in the United States support organ, eye and tissue donation and see it as the final act of love and generosity toward others.


Fact: If you are sick or injured and admitted to the hospital, the number one priority is to save your life. Organ, eye and tissue donation can only be considered after you are deceased.


Fact: When you are on the waiting list for an organ, what really counts is the severity of your illness, time spent waiting, blood type, and other important medical information, not your financial status or celebrity status.


Fact: An open casket funeral is possible for organ, eye and tissue donors. Through the entire donation process the body is treated with care, respect and dignity.


Fact: There is no cost to the donor or their family for organ or tissue donation.

Fact: Signing a driver's license with an "organ donor" designation may not satisfy your state's requirements to become a donor. Be certain to take the necessary steps to be a donor and ensure that your family understands your wishes.

2010 Winter Olympics: Chris Klug goes out with a flourish

By Rachel Bachman, The Oregonian


February 27, 2010, 6:48PM
 
WEST VANCOUVER, B.C. –Few people had Chris Klug in the elite eight of their men's snowboarding parallel giant slalom bracket.

Yet as he has done countless times before, Klug overcame the odds Saturday at Cypress Mountain to finish seventh in the Vancouver Winter Games. Klug's performance, cheered by about 100 fans from Colorado and Sisters, Ore., where he lives half the year, caps an Olympic career that spanned 12 years and three Games.

Not bad for a 37-year-old organ-transplant recipient who needed a sponsorship from Hooters this season to help pay his training bills.

Andrew Burton, Special to The OregonianChris Klug had his own cheering section at Cypress Mountain, most of them from Oregon or Colorado."That's a little bit tough, just to come up short," Klug said of losing in the quarterfinals. "But it was a lot of fun. I was really proud to be out here. Definitely tried to fight as hard as I could."

Dozens of red foam "No. 1" fingers with Klug's name on them bobbed in the stands. Someone held up a sign that read "Donor Dudes." On a rainy/snowy day with fog like clam chowder, Klug appeared to have the largest, most resilient cheering section.

"I'm gonna go up there and jump in the crowd and say hi to them all in a minute," said Klug, who has been on the racing circuit for 20 years. "If this is my last competitive season, I'm really stoked to be here."
Klug was 16th after two qualifying runs, barely making the 16-man competition field. Just as in the NCAA basketball tournament, Klug was matched with the No. 1 seed, top qualifier Andreas Prommegger of Austria.

In parallel giant slalom, two snowboarders race one another twice on side-by-side courses, with the time differential carrying over to the second run. So if a racer finishes .25 seconds ahead in the first run, his opponent must start .25 seconds behind him in the second run. Klug finished .88 ahead of Prommegger in the first run, then beat him on the second run.

"I mean, to come in 16th in the qualifier and bounce the top guy, he's got momentum on his side," Jewell said.
In the round of eight Klug faced France's Bozzetto, who was the ninth qualifier and fell behind .60 on the first run. On the second run, Klug was leaning hard into the gates when he missed one near the bottom, eliminating him from contention. He described the low-visibility conditions as "riding by Braille."

Klug, born in Denver and raised in Aspen, Colo., was diagnosed in his early 20s with the same liver disease (primary sclerosing cholangitis) that killed legendary NFL running back Walter Payton. Klug nonetheless made the 1998 Olympic team and finished 6th in Nagano, Japan. But he still was ill.

After three years on a transplant list, Klug in 2000 received the liver of a 13-year-old boy who had died in an accidental shooting. Klug returned to training and, about 19 months after the transplant, won the bronze at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. To add flourish to the achievement, he took his last run with duct tape to hold together his broken binding.

He became a spokesman for organ donation, raising awareness, answering phone calls and e-mails from people needing transplants.

Klug didn't make the 2006 Olympic team. In the run-up to the 2010 Games he failed to make the U.S. "A" team – even after winning the U.S. championship – and found outside funding scarce for PGS, which doesn't attract sponsors like the flashier snowboard halfpipe.

So he formed the training group America's Snowboard Team, securing sponsors including Hooters and hiring a coach, and made the Olympic team.

Klug, who lifted his eyes frequently Saturday and smiled at the crowd, in July will celebrate his 10th year with his donated liver. He still takes anti-rejection drugs twice a day and probably will for the rest of his life. But he is more thriver than survivor.

"I remember right after my transplant I took a handful of pills (daily), and I was like, 'Boy, this is going to be hard to get used to,'" Klug said. "Now it's just one pill in the morning and night. I just kind of got accustomed to it.

"No matter where I am, on my surfboard or my snowboard or kiteboard, I just take one with me and it doesn't really slow me down."

http://www.oregonlive.com/olympics/index.ssf/2010/02/2010_winter_olympics_chris_klu_1.html

Life Connection of Ohio Celebrates Black History Month by Highlighting Expert in Minority Transplant Surgery, Dr Clive O. Callender

Director, Howard University Hospital Transplant Center

Founder and Principle Investigator,

The National Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP)

Dr. Clive O. Callender is an expert in minority transplant surgery and organ/tissue donation. He has served on staff at Howard University Hospital since 1973, where he helped develop the first minority-directed dialysis and transplant center and histocompatibility and immunogenetic laboratory in the U.S. His highly successful efforts and programs were used as models in 1991 to conceptualize and develop the National Minority Organ/Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP) to increase minority donation rates nationally.

National MOTTEP is the first national organization to identify a two-fold solution to the donor shortage which includes increasing the number of minority donors and decreasing the number of persons who need transplants through a health promotion campaign aimed to prevent the need for transplantation.

In January 1996, Callender was appointed chairman of the Department of Surgery and in February 1996, appointed the first LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr. Professor of Surgery at the Howard University College of Medicine.

Life Connection Celebrates Black History Month Highlighting the First African American Woman Transplant Surgeon in the US

Dr. Velma Scantlebury is a transplant surgeon, professor of surgery, assistant dean for community education, director of the division of transplantation, and director of the University of South Alabama Regional Transplant Center. Dr. Scantlebury is the first African American woman transplant surgeon in the United States.
Dr. Scantlebury received her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed her internship and residency at Harlem Hospital Center in New York. She was a clinical fellow in transplant surgery at the University of Pittsburgh before becoming an assistant professor in 1989 and then an associate professor.

In 2002, Dr. Scantlebury was appointed professor of surgery and director of the University of South Alabama's Gulf Coast Regional Transplant Center. An active educator in the field of African American organ donation, Dr. Scantlebury has served as a member of the board for the American Society of Minority Health and Transplant Professionals and as a spokesperson for Linkages to Life, an initiative to encourage African Americans to become organ donors.

African Americans and Organ Donation: A Personal Story by William Minniefield

A story from MODEP: Minority Organ Donation Education Program
http://modep.buffalo.edu/personal_stories/william_minniefield.htm

My name is William Minniefield and I am an African American whose family has been touched by end stage renal disease (ESRD). Some years ago my brother died while waiting for a kidney. My brother's name was Ronald and he was one year younger than I. He was diagnosed at an early age with high blood pressure that eventually caused kidney damage, requiring a transplant. Ronald had also developed an enlarged heart, a complication associated with long-term dialysis that led to cardiac arrest. When Ronald died he left a wife and two very young children behind. His birthday was August 8th, and mine is August 6th. Seeing his children, my niece and nephew, at family gatherings is a painful reminder that my brother is gone. On my birthday I'm reminded even more so that he is gone, and how much I miss him. On the day of his funeral I put a small jar of red dirt (we are from Atlanta, GA) in his coffin and a note in his suit pocket letting him know that we will always be with him. During the first few months after his death I visited his grave two or three times a week and on his birthday for the next three years. Ronald was on dialysis for five years before his death and those were not good years for him. He was plagued with constant infections and was in a lot of pain. I remember too clearly taking him to some of his dialysis appointments and watching him struggle and feeling so helpless. Near the end of his life I would carry him to his wheel chair and put him in the car. The saddest part of all is, he didn't need to die.
As fate would have it, I now have an older brother, Curtis, who has been on dialysis for four years. Curtis developed diabetes in 1990 that lead to his end stage renal disease. In 1996 his doctor told him that it was time to go on dialysis. Curtis must go on dialysis three times a week, for four hours each time. Eleven months ago Curtis was placed on the national transplant waiting list, but my family and I wonder if there will be a kidney available for him. We pray that he won't have to endure what Ronald did. My family and I have had a rude awakening about how African Americans are affected by renal disease and the difference in treatment that we receive. We learned first hand that the color of a person's skin can drastically affect the way he or she is treated and the quality of treatment they receive. We have learned that there is little equality or respect for African American within this health care system.

My family has always believed in and supported organ donation. Two years ago my niece, Dee Dee, died two weeks before her fourth birthday from cancer. Even with all the grief her mother was enduring she did not hesitate to donate Dee Dee's corneas to the tissue bank. Three weeks later she received a letter informing her that two children had received Dee Dee's corneas. This is the type of unselfish act that we must practice so others may live or have a better quality of life. African Americans must educate themselves concerning organ donation and learn how this disease affects us. We must also learn how to live and eat better to minimize our chances of developing diabetes and hypertension.

This experience with my family, the health care system, and working with African Americans as well as other minority dialysis patients opened my eyes as to where I need to apply myself. There is more to treating patients than just medication. Education must become a large part of the total package for preventing and minimizing diabetes and hypertension. Why must we wait until after the fact? Please think about becoming an organ donor because this story could be about your family.

There are many barriers to African Americans and other minorities' participation in organ donor programs. Because of the lack of participation hundreds and even thousands of African Americans as well as other minorities die every year while waiting for transplants. Due to high rates and prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, African Americans require organ transplants in higher numbers than members of other ethnic groups in the United States. The shortage of organs donated by African Americans contributes to the longer wait for transplants for African Americans. The longer the wait, the greater the risk of death. Due to the genetic make-up of African Americans, there is a lower chance of organ rejection if the organ is from another African American.

African Americans have a significantly elevated prevalence of diabetes and hypertension. These two diseases put African Americans at a higher risk of developing end stage renal disease that will require kidney dialysis and eventually a kidney transplant in order to stay alive. For this reason it is important for African Americans as well as other minority groups such as Native Americans and Latinos to have a heightened awareness of the risk factors for developing these two diseases and to follow through on regular doctor visits. These visits should include regular blood sugar and blood pressure monitoring.

The leading cause of end stage renal disease in African Americans is high blood pressure. In the general US population, diabetes is the number one cause of end stage renal disease and high blood pressure is the second leading cause. African Americans develop high blood pressure two to three times more often than the white population and the complications are much more severe for African Americans.

The association between end stage kidney disease and high blood pressure is eight times higher for African Americans than for Whites. This disorder has higher rates within the African American population within the age groups of 35 to 50. Many African Americans who have been made aware that they have high blood pressure may not be aware that this can lead to related kidney problems. The second leading cause of end stage renal disease for African Americans is diabetes. Diabetes is now the fifth leading cause of death for African Americans between 45 and 60 years of age and is now the third leading cause of death for African Americans who are 65 years of age and older.

Recent Research Findings

The disparity between African Americans and Whites in the United States pertaining to organ donation is of great concern. Considering the great demand of organs by African Americans, we wanted to get a general attitude concerning the subject of organ donation from a sample of African Americans. We wanted to identify some factors that prevent African Americans from participating in the organ donor process.

*As of February 8, 2010 there are 113,702 patients waiting for an organ transplant of some type listed on the National Transplant Waiting List. Of that total number there are 88,286 patients waiting for kidneys alone. Of that, 88,286 patients 30,360 are African Americans. Given the fact that African Americans only comprise 14 percent of the total United States population, this a national problem that must be addressed by African American health professionals, health care providers and community groups.
*Data from the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) for the year 2009 showed a substantial difference in the donor rates by African Americans and Whites in the United States. The number of cadaveric organs donated by Whites was 4,493 and 1,092 by African Americans. Living organ donors for that same year were 3,816 for Whites and 613 for African Americans. The fact that all organs recovered are not useable affects the number of actual transplants that take place. The number of African Americans who received kidney transplants in 2009 was 3,559 compared to that of Whites who received 7,484 transplants.
One Solution

In response to the needs of the Buffalo and Western New York area the "Minority Organ Donation Education Program" was developed to address the lack of information and education available to the minority populations concerning organ donation. There are agencies that have failed and continue to fail to educate minority communities concerning this important issue. The overall goal of MODEP is to serve minority communities by educating minorities concerning organ donation and other health issues that affect their quality of life. MODEP was developed by minorities to educate minorities. This was due to cultural barriers and practices that non-minorities have great difficulty understanding. Lectures, presentations, and workshops are given by MODEP. MODEP will work in collaboration with are churches (health ministries), educational institutions and community organizations addressing this and other health issues.

*Data was updated by Life Connection of Ohio via information from http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/

The First Green Chair Event!

The Green Chair was featured at the University of Dayton on January 20th. It was displayed for those people coming to the game to take a first look at the chair, have a seat and share their stories (which can be seen at  Donate Life Ohio's You Tube Channel ). It was also the star, along with Life Connection's Donate Life Ambassadors during the half time show where it took center stage.

The next stop for the chair is the 2010 Homeworld at the Dayton Expo Center on the weekends of February 5-7 and February 12-14. Come by and say hello and tell your story and your video could be featured on the Donate Life Ohio You Tube Channel!

Why A Chair?

Think of your favorite chair, or the chair of someone special in your life. When you see that chair, you can’t help but think of the person who usually sits in it.

This is the goal of the Donate Life Ohio Green Chair Campaign, to bring to mind the many different people affected by organ, eye and tissue donation. Recipients. Donor families. Those waiting for a transplant. And the families of those who died waiting.

The Green Chair is an invitation to anyone who has been touched by organ, eye and tissue donation to share their story. It is intended to be an icon of hope and encouragement, that as the number of registered donors increases, the fewer empty chairs there will be.

Don’t let another chair go empty. Register as an organ, eye and tissue donor at Donatelifeohio.org

DO IT NOW!

A Lifesaving Decision Starts at the BMV

By Tracy Williams, Workplace Partnership Coordinator for Life Connection of Ohio
1/15/10

In September 1999, Theresa Kroetz’s brother, Gary, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. One day on his job as a construction worker, he got some poison ivy. His visit to the doctor turned into a diagnosis for congestive heart failure. Two years later, Theresa was at Gary’s side wondering if he would make it through the night when a nurse gave him the news that there was a heart available from an organ donor. “It was stressful waiting to find out if it was a match, but when we got the news I can’t explain the level of excitement and adrenaline that we experienced. The whole family started screaming and crying.” Gary said “Theresa spent many hours at the hospital, every time I turned around, she was stopping by the house to see what she could do to help.” That was eight years ago, Gary still feels great.


Theresa works at the Bryan, Ohio BMV office. “When I ask people if they want to be an organ and tissue donor, many don’t really understand what that means. I explain it to them and tell them about how a donor saved my brother’s life. I get excited when young kids come in and say yes, they want to register to save someone’s life. “

“I’ve also been able to help older people realize they can still be donors. You are never too old to register and in addition to organs you can donate tissue at the time of your death. Once I explain this to them, most want to continue their organ and tissue donor designation. It makes me feel good to know I can make a difference.”

Gary is making a difference too. He is honoring his donor by sharing his story and living life to the fullest. He is happiest when he spends time with family, especially his three beautiful grandchildren. “My grandson loved being with me when I threw out the first pitch at a Mud Hens game and he saw Papa on the big screen. I’m also very proud of my sister for the difference she is making. You never know if someone she asks will have the opportunity to save someone’s life just like someone did for me.”

Have a qustion or comment? Post it here!

Ohio Family Gives Message of Hope and New Life at Rose Bowl Parade New Years Day

Leighann and Tim Jones after finishing the floragraph representing their son Isaiah.


Source: ABC22 Dayton Ohio, http://abc.daytonsnewssource.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/wkef_vid_3252.shtml
Kettering – A local family turns the nightmare of losing their infant son into hope for other families. Tim and Leighann Jones now hope their decision to say ‘yes’ to organ donation convinces others to do the same.
Isaiah Jerome Jones was born on January 14, 2009, but less than seven months later, the Jones’ beautiful little boy was gone.
"Tim put him down for a nap, Leighann Jones remembers, ”and about 1/2 hour later went in and found Isaiah not breathing.”
Isaiah was declared brain dead three days later. At that point, the Jones’, in their darkest moment decided to let Isaiah bring light to other families by donating his organs.
"His heart was given to a seven month old little girl, Leighann says, ”and his abdominal organs given to a 2 year old little boy.”
Now just a few months after Isaiah’s death, the Jones’ will get to share their son yet again, this time with the world at the Rose Bowl Parade.
"Just to have other families see how much of a blessing Isaiah was to us, even though we only had him for six months, now other families get to have a part of him forever hopefully.”
Isaiah will be memorialized on the Donate Life float in the parade which is titled ”New Life Rises”. His likeness is captured on a floragraph, which is a piece of art work done in floral materials. Tim and Leighann put the finishing touches on that piece today and will be in Pasadena to watch the parade.
If you would like to become an organ donor, go to http://www.donatelifeohio.org/.
Family Of Infant Organ Donor To Participate In Rose Bowl Parade

Posted: Friday, December 18 2009, 06:26 PM EST
To watch the video go to:
http://abc.daytonsnewssource.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/wkef_vid_3252.shtml

About Us

Who We Are

Life Connection of Ohio is an independent, not-for-profit agency designated by the federal government as the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) for Northwest and West Central Ohio.



Mission Statement

Life Connection of Ohio is committed to serving humanity by ending the wait for organ and tissue transplants in a manner that is beneficial to patients, donor families, health care professionals and the public.



What We Do
Honor individual’s donation decision as recorded in the Ohio Donor Registry. When the individual’s wishes are unknown, provide families with the option of donation in time of loss as a measure of comfort;

Facilitate the recovery of viable organs, tissues and corneas for transplantation, medical research or education;

Provide public and professional education to increase awareness and commitment to organ and tissue donation;

Promote and maintain a collaborative relationship with hospitals and other health care facilities involved in the recovery and transplantation of organs and tissues.