Does that sound depressing?  Well it was but it was nowhere near as depressing as what I suffered after the transplant. “So,” you say, “Why would you be depressed after a transplant, you just got a new lease on life you should be happy.”  And if you said that, you’d be right, we should be happy but a very large number of transplant patients aren’t.  Some even become suicidal. It wasn’t until four years after my transplant that I was finally free of depression. 

Before we discuss why transplant patients get depressed, let’s talk a about what depression is, how to identify it and how can affect your life.  Clinical depression can affect every part of your life…your ability to sleep, eat, work, and get along with others can be severely affected.  Depression can ruin self-esteem and turn simple tasks like getting dressed and taking a shower into major struggles.  People who suffer from depression can lose interest in things that used to excite them and put a dark and gloomy cloud over everyday life.  It cannot be willed away and you can’t ignore it.  There’s a lot that can be done to treat depression but the first step is to admit that you have a problem and that is not always easy.  Depression like other diseases has symptoms which include:

• Decreased energy, fatigue
• Loss of interest in things that were once enjoyed, including sex
• Insomnia or sleeping too much, not wanting to get up
• Loss of appetite, or overeating
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Pessimistic about most things
• Feeling helpless and worthless

• Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts

If you have any of these symptoms you should get immediate medical attention but if you are still not sure, take this on-line test as a kind of second opinion.  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/MH00103_D

Back to transplant patients and depression.  I can only speak for myself but I have spoken with many transplant patients who have shared in my experiences.  When I awoke after transplant surgery and the anesthesia wore off I felt a euphoria that defies description.  Maybe it was realizing that I had survived the surgery or maybe it was the pain killers and residual effects of the anesthesia but I had this feeling of complete and total relief.  If one can really achieve serenity I had at that moment.  I have not experienced anything like it since.  It didn’t last very long. 

Anyone who knew me prior to my surgery will tell you that I have always been very outgoing, friendly, upbeat, optimistic and full of energy.  That was my natural state but heart transplant surgery and the events surrounding it changed all that.  After 9 days in the hospital I was released to go home but I was very weak, had little or no energy, and felt like I was no longer of any use to anyone.  I had energy, no appetite, no sense of humor, no personality … nothing.  All I wanted to do was sit in my recliner in a dark corner of our family room and watch TV.  Well, watch is the wrong word, the TV was on and I was aware of it but I couldn’t concentrate on anything long enough to get interested in it.  That recliner became my home off and on for almost two years. 

Each day as my physical health improved I went through the motions of living but without enthusiasm and always with a feeling of impending doom.  I attributed some of my mood to being forced to retire from a profession I loved which meant I was no longer able to support us.  For the first time since I was ten years old I didn’t have a job and felt too old and useless to get one.  I did everything my doctors advised; physical therapy, watched my diet, tried to get exercise, tried to live a normal life but deep down I just didn’t give a damn.  I wasn’t suicidal I was just a kind of zombie.

My wife, Robin, was running two of her own businesses at the time and made tremendous sacrifices to help me recover including trying to involve me in her business by giving me simple and easy jobs to do but I wasn’t interested.  I owed her my interest and should have helped her because I was capable of doing what she wanted but I preferred feeling sorry for myself while sitting in my dark corner with the flickering images of an unwatched TV set changing the room’s shadows.

While I was being treated for depression, it seemed as though none of the medications really worked very well.  Some would give me a lift for a few weeks but almost always would fail and I’d be back in my recliner.  I finally got to the point where I believed I was as good as I was going to get.  Enter a new therapist.

 At my clinic a change in staff resulted in my being assigned a different therapist.  At the time I thought nothing of it because I didn’t think there was any hope of ever really feeling good.  Wrong!  She tried a couple of new medications and then all of a sudden things changed.  I felt like a new man, I was my old self…better than my old self, I felt reborn and began living again, doing all the things I used to enjoy but enjoying them even more.  It took a little over four years after my transplant to begin living again but it was worth the wait.  Incidentally, after trying several drugs and combinations of drugs the one that finally worked was an old one…Remeron.

Post-transplant depression, I understand, can be caused by many factors known and unknown.  Two of the most obvious factors are 1) survivors guilt (someone had to die before I could get a transplant), 2) I’m undeserving or, “Why me?” (There are so many younger, sicker people who should have gotten my organ)

Whatever the reason for the depression the fact is that help is available it just may not be immediate.  I now know that you cannot give up, you must fight every inch of the way until you get relief.  It is not normal to feel down, useless, unimportant and insignificant every waking moment of every day.  It just isn’t normal so don’t accept it.  Find help.  I’m really enjoying life again.  You can, too.

Helpful links

Supporting a family member or friend http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/MH00016

Post transplant depression http://surgery.about.com/od/ingandsurgery/a/TransplantCope.htm

All about Depression http://www.allaboutdepression.com/gen_01.html

Consider what I’ve written, discuss it with friends, join discussions on Facebook’s Organ Transplant Initiative and comment in the space provided here.  When you have decided what you think is the best solution to the organ shortage contact your elected representative or U.S. Senator and let them know your feelings.  Change has to begin somewhere, why not with you?

You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Please view our new video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on www.organti.org This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for its use.

Also…there is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues.  When you leave this site go to our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative and join. The more members we get the greater our clout with decision makers.

Twenty eight years ago, The National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) was approved.  Sponsored by Democrat Representative Al Gore and Republican Senator Orin Hatch the act outlawed the sale of human organs and provided for the establishment of a volunteer (Altruistic) system of organ donation in the United States. NOTA  also authorized the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to make grants for the planning and establishment of Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs); and established the formation of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). 

That was 28 years ago.  Since then thousands of lives have been saved by organ transplants but the number of available organs has always, from the very beginning, lagged behind the number of people who need them.

As of right now there are 112,640 waiting list candidates but so far this year there have been only 23,745 transplants done and only 11,711 donors (data from UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing www.unos.org ). The numbers are really all the evidence we need to show that the altruistic system is not working.  Each year about 6,000 people die while waiting for a transplant.  Thousands of other Americans never even get on the list because of a lack of access to specialized care or because they can’t afford a transplant. 

While many find this to be an intolerable situation neither DHHS nor UNOS seem interested in making any change to the system.  From time to time they will assemble “Ethics” panels to study ways to augment or change it but the answer is always the same, “Unethical.” One can easily ask, “What is ethical about letting all these people die?  How can you possibly look at these numbers and say, “Presumed consent and/or some kind of compensation system for donors, is unethical?”  Surely something can be designed that will provide the needed number of organs and still be an ethical practice.

I recognize that the highly skilled, educated professionals who make these “Ethical” decisions are faced with a double edged sword 1) changing the system could produce negative publicity and affect their reputations and perhaps some funding and 2) the ethics of allowing people to die.  Given those conditions it still seems that allowing people to die is more unethical than making some well-considered changes that would harm no one and benefit many. And…the situation is only going to get worse because modern technology is allowing people to live longer which is adding to the list of people waiting for transplants.

Twenty eight years of letting people die.  About 168,000 people are gone because the Ivory tower thinkers refuse to or are afraid to make a change.  Had changes been made in the past many of the 168,000 casualties would be alive today and who knows what contributions they might have made to our society.   

As I noted in the first paragraph, in the long term we probably won’t need to have a donor system but it will be many years before any of those means become commonly practical.  So we’re stuck with the old question, “What do we do to narrow or eliminate the gap between available organs and those who need them?”

My research indicates that while there are not a plentitude of options to consider there are some and they include:

1. 1.    Mandatory donation (anyone who dies is automatically a donor, no exceptions)
2. 2.    The LifeSharers approach, (you can only receive an organ if you are a donor)
3. 3.    Presumed consent (You are automatically a donor unless you opt out)
4. 4.    Some sort of compensation plan for donors and/or their families.
5. 5.    A combination of presumed consent and a payment system

 Let us tackle mandatory donation first.  On its surface it sounds harsh and like a product out of an HG wells book.  It is harsh and probably unacceptable because of its dictatorial overtones.  Americans don’t seem to like anything that is mandatory whether it is good for them or not, so mandatory donation is unlikely to receive enthusiastic support.

 Aaron Spital, and James Stacey Taylor (Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York; and Department of Philosophy, College of New Jersey, Ewing, New Jersey) have written a persuasive paper on the subject of mandatory organ donation. http://tinyurl.com/6wavm4b. Their proposal is simple:  

 ”We propose that the requirement for consent for cadaveric organ recovery be eliminated and that whenever a person dies with transplantable organs, these be recovered routinely. Consent for such recovery should be neither required nor sought.”   

The two researchers go on to say,

“We believe that the major problem with our present cadaveric organ procurement system is its absolute requirement for consent. As such, the system’s success depends on altruism and voluntarism. Unfortunately, this approach has proved to be inefficient. Despite tremendous efforts to increase public commitment to posthumous organ donation, exemplified most recently by the US Department of Health and Human Services sponsored Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative many families who are asked for permission to recover organs from a recently deceased relative still say no. The result is a tragic syllogism: nonconsent leads to nonprocurement of potentially life-saving organs, and nonprocurement limits the number of people who could have been saved through transplantation; therefore, nonconsent results in loss of life.”  

While it is difficult to disagree from a purely logical standpoint, emotions run high on issues like this and it is unlikely to get approval from the American Public.

The second option listed is the approach where registered donors would be offered organs first, regardless of how ill other patients on the list might be.  In the U.S. there is one organization, LifeSharers, that has promoted that idea for several years and while they have nearly 15,000 members (http://lifesharers.org/) they have had virtually no impact. In order for the concept to work, they would have to sign up just about every single American…that’s not likely to happen and as far as we know, no LifeSharers member has yet been a donor to another LifeSharers member.  To be fair, however, the nation of Israel has adopted a form of the LifeSharers program but it’s still too early to make any assessments on its success or acceptance. 

Most people who object to the “Donors” first concept say it is because it deviates from the practice of offering organs (provided there is a match) to the sickest patient first.  Their program would offer organs to members first and then if there was no match, the organ could go to the sickest person.  Many people object because despite our great national communication system, there are still millions of people who don’t understand the donation/transplantation process, haven’t heard about it, didn’t know you could register to be a donor or, because of a multitude of myths, think they can’t be donors. Despite the honorable efforts by LifeSharers founder Dave Undis, the concept is not being seriously considered by the U.S. transplant community.  Additionally LifeSharers growth has been slow indicating limited acceptance by the public.  You can learn more about LifeSharers at http://www.lifesharers.org/

The third option is presumed consent and if any option is ever approved in the United States or even some of the states, this will likely be the one. Currently under our altruistic program people “opt in” by signing a donor card and having “Donor’ placed on their driver’s license or other official state ID card. Presumed consent is the opposite.  It assumes that everybody wants to be a donor and so you would “Opt out” if you don’t want to be a donor and likely would carry a card that says “Not a donor.”  You can learn more about presumed consent at http://tinyurl.com/7mcjoez.

In countries where presumed consent is in effect, (Austria, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Latvia, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Poland, Greece, and Singapore) the opt out rate has been around 2% which means that 98% of the eligible population would be organ donors as opposed to under 50% in the United States where we have the opt In program. That’s a big difference.  The great leveler, however, may be that the countries with opt out as their system still ask family members, at the time of the donors death, for their approval. If they refuse the organ is not recovered. 

The most politically sensitive of all the issues is the outright sale of organs.   At this point I know of no serious effort in the U.S. that would change our laws to allow a person to sell his/her organs on the open market.  It is not realistic to think that any U.S. regulatory or government agency would even consider the idea.  Strangely, In Iran of all places, it is legal to sell organs and a healthy kidney retails for about $6,000.

Iran legalized living non-related donation (LNRD) of kidneys in 1988.  The Iranian government regulates and funds the donation/transplantation process and compensates donors for their organs. A third-party group arranges contact between donors and recipients (much like U.S. Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs). In addition to payment from the government, donors receive free health insurance.  The transplant recipient benefits from highly subsidized immunosuppression support. Iranian law also provides for charitable organizations to pay the cost of transplants for people who can’t afford them.  Here’s an interesting twist, though.  It is illegal for the medical teams or any ‘middleman’ like our OPOs to receive payment.  Within a year of being implemented the number of transplants in Iran almost doubled.

 They system seems to be working in Iran and it certainly could work here…it isn’t as though we aren’t selling things similar to organs.  Currently in the United States it is legal to sell yourself to become a surrogate mother and everyday people are paid for sperm, eggs and hair so why not organs.  The Iran concept is certainly an option but polls continually indicate it is not a very popular one.

 There are some variations on the “Payment” theme that might be attractive to the American people.   We could consider a system that “compensates” rather than pays donors or their families.  For example, a living kidney donor does not have to pay for the surgery to remove the donated kidney nor does that person have to pay for any of the medical care surrounding the operation those costs are absorbed by the recipients insurance coverage.  The donor’s, though, often accrue other expenses like travel to the city in which the recipient lives, lodging, food and time away from work, which could be significant especially if there are any surgical complications.  A very good case could be made for compensation for these expenses.

There are other considerations as well. Dr. Sally Satel a Psychiatrist and a kidney transplant recipient who is also a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute has written and spoken extensively on the subject of compensation, “The solution to this lethal paternalism, as I and others have argued, is not to create a direct exchange of cash for kidneys, but for Congress to let donors accept a carefully devised and regulated government benefit — perhaps a tax credit, a contribution to a retirement plan or early access to Medicare.” 

It would not be a huge stretch to extend Dr. Satel’s ideas to families of deceased donors while also covering funeral expenses even providing some help with college tuition for their children, subsidized prescriptions or even subsidized health care insurance. You can read more on Dr. Satel’s thoughts by going to http://tinyurl.com/yabluu3 .

The final option that could be considered is a combination of presumed consent and a form of compensation that follows the lines described by Dr.Satel. 

The point of this blog is to just get people thinking.  The present system isn’t doing the job and never will despite heroic efforts at increasing organ donation, there just aren’t enough donors.  That we must change if we are to stop the dying, is a given.  Determining what that change should be is what is so incredibly difficult. 

-0-

Consider what I’ve written, discuss it with friends, join discussions on Facebook’s Organ Transplant Initiative and comment in the space provided here.  When you have decided what you think is the best solution, you should contact your elected representative or U.S. Senator and let them know your feelings.  Change has to begin somewhere, why not with you?

You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or  positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Please view our two brand new video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on www.organti.org This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for its use.

Also…there  is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues.  Additionally we would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater  our clout with decision makers.

As a heart transplant patient with a wife who would do anything for me and did, I can now reflect on my recovery period and easily see the number of mistakes I made as she tried so hard to meet my every need, and take care of the house while running two businesses.  To this day I have no idea how she did it and I will be forever grateful.  My ruminations on the subject led me to write the following advice to others who may be in the same situation now or who could be in the future.

Make it easy on your caregiver if you want to do what’s best for you.

1. Do as much for yourself as you possibly can. If your physician says you can get up and walk around do it as often as possible. Get your own glass of water.
2. Learn your meds. Know what they look like, what they do, how often you take them and when they must be refilled and do all of it yourself.  Plan ahead for refills and find a pharmacy that will deliver to you on short notice so no one has to go running after prescriptions at the last minute.  You can do it sitting and you don’t need a caregiver to do it for you.
3. Know your condition.  When you talk with your doctor or coordinator take notes.  It is your job to know about your health you cannot and should not depend on someone else to “remember what the doctor said.”
4. Make your own meals but be sure they are nutritious. You either just got a new organ or you are about to get one. Don’t cause further problems by eating and drinking the wrong things.
5. Only ask your caregiver for things you absolutely can’t do for yourself. If you can’t drive, you may need a ride or the caregiver may have to run errands for you.  If you are on medication that causes some mental confusion or fatigue your caregiver should be involved such as in dealing with legal papers, insurance etc.  But you should take over these responsibilities as soon as you possibly can.
6.  If you have children, especially young ones, you may not be able to get involved in strenuous activities. The Children need to know this and your caregiver may have to take on some of this responsibility…for awhile.
7.  Before making any request of your caregiver ask yourself this question, “Am I taking advantage of my caregiver by asking — is this something I can do myself?”
8. Show gratitude and consideration. Taking care of another person can be emotionally and physically exhausting. Tell that person how grateful you are and ask what you can do to make it easier on them.  Every once in a while, get a glass of water for the caregiver.
   

You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Please view our video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on www.organti.org This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for its use.

Also…there  is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues.  Additionally we would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater  our clout with decision makers.  

If you will arrange for a two speaking dates to an audience of your choice on the subject of organ/donation transplantation, I will provide you with a factual, hard hitting, convincing PowerPoint presentation (one you can edit to fit your own style) visuals included at no charge. I will also offer you professional advice on getting and keeping the attention of an audience, motivating them to do what you want them to do, how to use your voice properly, how to breathe, body language and so much more. but, the coaching offer only stands if you use our presentation (we will very carefully research each fact offered). As a stand-alone the coaching will apply to many other areas of your life and it’s up to you how you use it.

All you have to do is volunteer to make two presentations during 2012 about donation/transplantation to the audience of your choice; family, service club, dinner group, church group, as the featured speaker at a banquet or anywhere else. You will be responsible for seeking out and securing those speaking dates. I can’t promise that I can give you perfection, but in a few short minutes or hours I can help you become a more confident, powerful and convincing speaker. All you have to do is send me a personal email at bob@baronson.org and say, “I’ll do it” and we can work toward arranging the proper communication vehicle to help refine your skills. If you just want the presentation and no help from me…that’s fine too. You may use the presentation I write without permission as long as you give attribution to the Organ Transplant Initiative for having provided you with some assistance. You do not need to mention my name.

I know public speaking can scare the bejeebers out of people but for many there is good sound advice that can help you through that. One thing for sure the advice you get will help you in many ways that go well beyond talking about organ donation. The skills you learn will be applicable in job interviews, courtroom and/or regulatory agency testimony, media interviews, sales presentations, regular conversation, and even giving a talk to co-workers about any subject (sometimes it even works with teenagers and spouses).

I spent all of my working life in communications including owning a firm with clients around the globe many of them in the Fortune 50 of top corporations. I don’t know why the good lord gave me this modicum of talent but I think he’d like me to share it to help save some lives, hence this offer.

I am already working on developing a slide show and hope to finish it within a month or two. Once done I will share it with you and we can begin the process. I’m hoping that eventually this will turn into a sort of national OTI speakers bureau with resources in every state and a message that is powerful, consistent and heartfelt.

I hope many of you will find it in your hearts to commit to this. With under 50% of Americans signed up to be organ donors there is ample opportunity to make a difference. Please become part of it and I promise I will do everything I can to make you successful because if that happens, we are going to save a lot of lives.

You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or  positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Please view our two brand new video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on www.organti.org This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for its use.

Also…there  is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues.  Additionally we would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater  our clout with decision makers.

Waiting list candidates                                 112,702

Transplants January – Sept. 2011              21,354

Donors January – Sept. 2011                       10,558

Right now, as you read this a patient, maybe a child, is near death.  She needs a heart but there won’t be one. As the electronic monitors beep and chirp, the family is devastated, inconsolable in the frustration over the lack of organ donors and the imminent death of their loved one.  The best medical care in the world is at their fingertips but they are helpless without an organ donor.  The patients vital signs are dropping more rapidly now, the Doctors aren’t holding out much hope.

Right now as you read this, another patient not too far away has already been declared brain dead as the result of an auto accident.  He is surrounded by a grieving family.  It is not known if the patient is or wanted to be an organ donor.  The family is considering a request to donate his organs but the decision must be made soon and they don’t know what to do, their loved one never told them of his wishes.  Through tears and indescribable grief they discuss, they argue and then decline.  Both patients die.

Each year Americans bury or cremate more than 20,000 transplantable organs – 20.000.  Surveys continually indicate that over 90 percent of Americans approve of organ donation but in one of the greatest mysteries ever, only 46 percent actually make the commitment to do so.  This inaction, this procrastination is causing people to die, families to grieve and patients who are awaiting transplants to live their lives in absolute terror.  People who are not organ donors are not evil, they are not bad, they just don’t understand that their lack of action causes terror among patients as great as that caused by the real terrorists of the world.

Most people who aren’t donors, “Just haven’t gotten around to it.”  After all, there’s no rush for them.  Organs are recovered after a person dies and most potential donors are in pretty good health.  The problem is that the patients who need the organs are not in good health.  Everyone who is on that UNOS list mentioned earlier, is dying.  Without a transplant they will die.  Period. End of story.

Well, let’s make the donation process really simple, so simple you can do it from home, your office, on your I-pad or Kindle in your doctor’s waiting room anywhere.  You don’t even have to get up.  Just go to www.donatelife.net and follow the instructions then tell your family what you have done.  It only takes minutes.  Then make very sure they clearly understand that you want to be an organ donor.  “That means when I die I want the medical people to take as much of my tissue and as many of my organs as they need to help save or enhance the lives of others.”  Those are my distinct wishes please respect them should the time come.

That’s the first step to saving lives by helping to increase the number of donors.  The second step, just in case you like this cause and want to do more, is to spread the word to convince others to do the same.  “So,” you say, “How do I do that, how do I spread the word?”  Here are ten easy tips, I’m sure that if you think real hard you might be able to come up with ten more.

1. 150 words is about a minute’s speaking time.  Write out about 150 words on why organ donation is important to the donor…the donor and then post it everywhere you can think of on the internet.
2. Call your local Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) and volunteer to speak on behalf of donation.
3. Buy the green “Donate life” wristband at www.donatelife.net and wear it every day.  If someone admires it give it to them and ask them to wear it.  What’s a few bucks to save  some lives?
4. Ask your pastor to give a sermon on organ donation…offer to help gather the information for him/her.
5. Write a letter to the editor…actually send it to every editor you can think of.
6. When some radio talk show host least expects it…call about the importance of organ donation
7. Offer to speak to a local service club about donation/transplantation issues (Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions etc).
8. Add a short note about organ donation to the signature of every email you send “Did you know that one organ/tissue donor can save or positively affect up to 60 lives?”
9. Talk to a public school class about donation/transplantation
10. Start a blog…it’s really easy.  Just Google “free blog sites” and go for it.

You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or  positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.  Please view our video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart.” Just go to www.organti.org and click on the title.  This video was produced to py romote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for it’s use.  You’ll also find other useful information on this web site about other donation/transplantation issues.

We would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative (OTI) The more members we get the greater our clout with decision makers and the more clout we have the more likely it  is that we’ll be able to increase not only organ donation but the many alternatives that science and technology people are working on.

Joel Newman is the Assistant Director of Communications for the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).  UNOS coordinates all organ transplants in the United states and is located in Richmond, Virginia.  In response to my request for a guest blog on how the donation/transplantation system works, Joel wrote the following.  Our sincere thanks to him and all the dedicated people at UNOS for their life saving work and for allowing us to use them as a resource.

How It Works

By Joel Newman, UNOS

Since the first successful organ transplant in 1954, more than 500,000 transplants have been performed in the United States.  About 250,000 transplant recipients are alive today, and most enjoy a greatly enhanced quality of life as a result of this life-giving therapy.

Under federal contract, UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) maintains an extensive national transplant network to assist medical professionals in the recovery and allocation of donated organs.  This network is called the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).

This is a brief overview of the processes involved in listing transplant candidates, organ donation and organ allocation.  We at UNOS are glad to address more specific questions.

Transplant Evaluation and Listing

To be considered for a transplant, a person approaching end-stage organ failure must be evaluated at one of roughly 250 transplant hospitals nationwide.  A transplant program’s medical team will address issues such as:

• Will a transplant effectively treat his or her disease?
• Does this person have other medical conditions that would complicate his or her care?
• Can this person participate in his or her own care by taking medications on time, following medical advice, keeping appointments, etc.?  Does he or she have family or caregiver support to assist if needed?
• Does this person qualify for insurance for transplant costs?  If not, can he or she raise funds to defray expenses?

The transplant team makes individual decisions according to its medical judgment.  If the program agrees to accept the person as a transplant candidate, it will submit a set of basic data to the OPTN.  The OPTN maintains a highly secure, continuously operated computer database to compare medical and logistical information about transplant candidates at hospitals with that of available organs from deceased donors.

An issue sometimes raised is whether a person’s past history of substance abuse, non-compliance with medical care or other self-destructive behavior may count against the possibility of listing.  While this remains a medical judgment of the transplant team, their emphasis is not on past behavior but current and likely future status.  If the team is reasonably assured that the person has ended harmful behavior and is not likely to resume that behavior once transplanted, they would be more likely to list the person as a transplant candidate.  UNOS is not involved in any program’s decision to list a transplant candidate or remove a candidate once listed.

Organ Donation and Recovery

Organ transplantation depends entirely upon the generosity of one human being to help others through the gift of organ donation.  While this gift may involve a living donor, we will focus here on donation from those who have recently died in a hospital and who meet criteria for donation.

An organ procurement organization (often called an OPO) is responsible for several key functions in the donation process, including:

• identifying potential donors
• documenting donation consent

• collecting key medical history and lab test results to assess organ function and risk of any diseases that might be transmitted to recipients
• entering donor information and organs available for matching into the OPTN database
• assuming a transplant center accepts the organ offer, arranging for logistics of organ recovery, preservation and transportation

Most deceased organ donors in the U.S. encounter brain death (a complete and irreversible loss of brain function, determined by physicians not involved in the donation process).  For such potential donors, respiration and circulation can be maintained artificially for some time (commonly 24 to 48 hours) after brain death has been pronounced.

In other instances, donation may be possible for some people who die in a hospital setting from cardiorespiratory failure.  The person’s treating medical team (in no way involved with organ donation) must conclude that he or she cannot survive but will die of cardiac failure instead of brain death.  The next of kin must agree that death is imminent and that they will agree to end supportive care.  Only then, if the individual meets other criteria for donation, would donation be considered.

Surgeons with specific training and experience remove the organs to be transplanted.  Each organ is packaged in sterile conditions and carefully labeled with a unique identification number to be matched with the recipient when it arrives at the transplant hospital.  The organ cannot be frozen, as this would cause permanent damage to the blood vessels supplying it.  It is preserved in a series of sterile containers that are then surrounded by a solution of wet ice.

Transportation arrangements for deceased donor organs will differ according to the type of organ, the circumstances of the donation, and the distance between donor and recipient hospital.  If they are to be used within a local area, ground transportation (ambulance or chartered vehicle) may be used.  Hearts, lungs and livers, commonly used within a few hundred miles of the donor location, often travel by charter air flight along with a team from the receiving transplant center.  Kidneys have the longest preservation time (commonly up to 36 hours from recovery).  If they are being transported over long distances, they may travel on commercial flights and be delivered to and from the airport by a courier service.

Organ Allocation

Federal law and regulation charge the OPTN to maintain an allocation system that promotes equity and efficiency, minimizes wastage of transplantable organs, and allows individual medical judgment in evaluating and accepting organ offers.

Candidates do not have a designated “ranking” on a waiting list until the OPO enters data for a given organ offer.  The characteristics of each offer may be different in terms of donor size, blood type and location, thus the rank-order of potential recipients will be unique to each offer.

The OPTN computer system generates a “match run” list.  This displays which potential recipient is to be offered each organ in sequence.  Using the match run results, a specialist at either the OPO or UNOS notifies the medical teams for the highest-ranked candidates and provides additional detail to help the team evaluate the organ offer.  This initial notification is usually sent electronically via computer or text message, but the transplant program may request additional information by phone.

Once the transplant team for the highest-ranked patient is notified, they have one hour to review detailed information about the donor and the organ and either accept or refuse the offer.  If the organ is accepted, arrangements are made for recovery and transportation.  If the transplant program declines the offer, it will note a refusal reason back to UNOS.  The offer process will continue either until the organ is accepted or until no one can accept it in time to arrange a successful transplant.

The OPTN matching system is programmed to reflect many factors.  These include medical data known to affect the likelihood of a successful transplant and ethical principles to promote fairness and public trust in the transplant system.  Public trust is especially vital, for if people perceive that the system is unfair they may choose not to support it through organ donation.

In general, OPTN organ allocation policies seek to balance two overarching principles.  One is equity – ensuring that each candidate has an equivalent opportunity to be considered for organ offers according to his or her specific need.  The other is medical utility – ensuring that the system is able to transplant as many people as possible and with the best possible survival.

In theory, the candidate who is first on the match run list for a given organ should be both in great need of the transplant and have a reasonable chance for long-term survival and quality of life afterward.  The specific policies used to generate the computerized match run are weighted statistically to maintain a balance of equity and utility.

While the specific weight of each factor varies according to each organ type, common factors considered in the match run include:

• how well the donor and potential recipients match in terms of blood type, body size and immune system compatibility
• (for heart, lung, liver and intestinal organs) the candidate’s medical urgency, with sicker patients getting highest priority
• the relative distance between donor and recipient (local recipients are considered before more distant patients, to minimize time the organ must be preserved and provide the best chance for a successful transplant)
• if all other factors are equal, priority is given to patients younger than age 18 if the donor is younger than 35 (for kidneys) or 18 (for all other organs)

The matching system does not consider social factors that do not affect medical need or prognosis, such as a person’s wealth, celebrity status or cause of his/her organ failure.

All donation and transplantation professionals work to save and enhance as many lives as possible through the selfless gift of organ donation.  We share in the hope that in the future, no one will suffer or die needlessly because an organ was not available in time.

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You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or  positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and lovePlease view our two brand new video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifyRsh4qKF4  This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for it’s use.

Another important video is “A Transplant for Nurse Lori” this brave woman has Multiple Sclerosis and needs help paying her share of the bill for a procedure that can halt the disease in its tracks and even reverse some of it.  Watch the video at www.OrganTI.org.

Also…there  is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues.

We would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater  our clout with decision makers.

While most experts and most medical associations recognize alcohol and drug addiction as a disease many of our readers disagree.  This blog and our Facebook group Organ Transplant Initiative (OTI) are focused on helping those who need organ and tissue transplants get them.  That’s our purpose and our mission but many of those who don’t believe in the disease concept of chemical dependency hold strong opinions that if a person is dying of liver, kidney, heart or other organ failures and if that person has a history of alcoholism or chemical dependency they should not be eligible for an organ transplant.  The argument is, “They chose to become an addict and they should suffer the consequences.”  This topic has received more discussion than any other that we have introduced in the nearly four years Bob’s Newheart has been publishing blogs.    We hope this guest blog will help dissenters have a better understanding and perhaps more compassion for those suffering from the disease of addiction. 

Prior to my retirement to get a heart transplant in 2007 I was a private communications consultant specializing in health care issues.  One of the great rewards in my 25 plus years career was getting to meet and interact with some of the leading medical professionals in the world.  One such person, who I am proud to call a friend, is Dr. Marvin Seppala, Chief Medical Officer for the Hazelden foundation in Center City, Minnesota.  Hazelden is one of the leading and largest non-profit addiction treatment centers in the world with several U.S. Locations.  Dr. Marv is not only a highly respected physician he is also a psychiatrist who specializes in helping those who suffer from addictions.  You can read more about him and about Hazelden at http://www.hazelden.org/  

The following blog was written by Dr. Seppala  for the CNN Health website and he has graciously given his permission for us to reprint it here.   Your thoughts and comments are encouraged and welcome.

Bob Aronson

(Bob is the bob of bob’s Newheart and has been in recovery from alcoholism since 1982.  He received a heart transplant in August of 2007)

ADDICTION — THE DISEASE THAT LIES

I learned of four addiction-related deaths this weekend. Three were people I knew in Portland, Oregon, recovery circles and the fourth was Amy Winehouse.

Tragically one must get used to such news if you spend a lot of time with those who have this disease. Whenever someone with addiction dies, I grieve the lost potential and wonder about the limitations of our ability to address this cunning, baffling and powerful disease.

I am also humbled by my own experience with addiction and recovery, and grateful for the help I received.

It seems nearly impossible to believe that people with addiction would continue to use drugs and alcohol to the point of death, but that is what people with addiction do:  They  deny both the consequences and the risks of using. As we continue to learn about addiction, we’re understanding  more about  why addicted people behave the way they do. But that’s little solace for friends and family.

Addiction is a brain disease, and our knowledge of it has expanded significantly, which has informed our treatment programs and altered our perceptions. We know that addiction resides in the limbic system, a subconscious part of our brain that is involved with memory, emotion and reward.

We refer to this area of the brain as the reward center, as it ensures that all rewarding or reinforcing activities, especially those associated with our survival, are prioritized. The reward center makes sure we survive by eating, drinking fluids, having sex (for survival of the species) and maintaining human interactions.

In late stages of addiction we can see how reward-related drives, especially those for survival, are reprioritized when people risk their families, their jobs, even their lives to continue to use drugs and alcohol. The continued use of the drug becomes the most important drive, at a subconscious level and unrecognized by the individual, undermining even life itself.

When a methamphetamine-addicted mother makes the nightly news after neglecting her children for four days while on a meth run, we can’t comprehend how anyone could do such a thing and tend to think she does not love her children. She may have been going out for groceries with the intent to return home and feed her children, but ran into a dealer and started using.

Addiction took over, and she was driven by subconscious forces even though she loves her children as much as I love mine. Her love and her natural instincts to care for and nurture her children were overridden by her own brain, the reward system  reprogrammed to seek and use drugs at all costs. Unbeknownst to her, drug use has become the most important thing in her life.

When we witness the incomprehensible behaviors associated with addiction we need to remember these people have a disease, one that alters their brain and their behaviors. We tend to believe we all have free will, so it is difficult to understand how the addicts’ perception has been so altered as to drive them to destruction.

We also assume they can make their own decisions, especially when it comes to help for their addiction. In so doing we are expecting the person with a diseased brain to accept the unacceptable, that the continued use of drugs is not providing relief from the problem – it is the problem, and they need to stop that which has become paramount.

They are unable to make such decisions because their brains have been altered to prioritize use of the drugs, even above survival itself.

Relief of psychic pain, the real, unimaginable pain of addiction, is part of the problem. People have many reasons for seeking relief from pain; some pain precedes the addiction, but most pain is the result of the addiction.

The addicted neglect their primary relationships and they may lie, cheat and steal to continue drug use. And they know this at some level, they recognize their uncontrolled behaviors, but they can’t change, they can’t stop.

Hopelessness becomes a way of life. Self-loathing, shame and guilt become the norm as the consequences of continued drug use accumulate.

They use drugs to ease the pain, but the very remedy exacerbates the problem. The answer to their dilemma goes unrecognized due to the neurobiological changes that have occurred in their brains.

The good news is that treatment is effective and specifically designed to help people recognize the problem within. Most people are coerced into treatment for one reason or another; they may be facing legal issues, job loss or divorce.

With good treatment their likelihood for recovery and abstinence is just as good as the minority who seek treatment of their own accord. Unfortunately, less than 10% of those with addiction recognize they have it and seek treatment.

This is the primary reason people don’t seek help. Our largest public health problem goes unrecognized by those with the disease.

Every one of these deaths is tragic. They died of a disease that lies to them. Amy Winehouse had incredible musical talent that enthralled the masses, but she became known as much for her struggle with addiction.

We can safely watch such a tragedy, gawking as we drive by the destruction, insulated from the suffering and unable to help. But addiction is all around us and we need to respond to the rising death toll.

All of us are responsible for learning the truth about addiction, raising awareness and intervening for those who have this disease, knowing they are unlikely to be able to do so for themselves.   Dr. Marvin Seppala.

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You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or  positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and lovePlease view our two brand new video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifyRsh4qKF4  This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for it’s use.

Another important video is “A Transplant for Nurse Lori” this brave woman has Multiple Sclerosis and needs help paying her share of the bill for a procedure that can halt the disease in its tracks and even reverse some of it.  Watch the video at www.OrganTI.org.

Also…there  is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues.

We would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater  our clout with decision makers.

Heroes of Hope

So often I will read , with sadness, an obituary of a friend or relative that says: “He/She lost their battle with ___(disease the person suffered from) and passed away “.

I will hear people speak of this person as if they stepped away from the pitcher’s mound, defeated, and limped home to sulk in their bedroom. “They are at peace, they struggled, but now they are home”.

When we speak of a person who has been waiting on a transplant list, however, I know that I could never say they “lost” any battle, for we who have been caregivers know that this “battle” that is waged on the human body is like no other. An organ has failed in the body, yet this person is alive.

When I really stop to contemplate that, it is an awesome responsibility that the patient and caregiver take on when they and their transplant team decide to be “evaluated for possible placement on the transplant list”.

First off, the fear of the transplant itself kicks in, for though research and technology has come a long way, especially with mortality rates and the new generation “cyclosporine” anti-rejection drugs that  have given transplant recipients much longer survival rates and less time spent in the hospital, but  the operation itself is mind boggling. I cannot even imagine, even after over 2 years of waiting on the transplant list with my husband, saying “goodbye” to him as they wheel him in to the surgery of a lifetime.

While one is waiting and being evaluated, there are dozens of medications that have to be prescribed, filled, changed, renewed, filled again, and taken every day. One cannot “skip” a medication that is basically functioning as your heart, liver, kidneys, and so on. I was a health professional for over 6 years, and I have trouble keeping track of all of these pills, even with all of the devices and alarms, computer programs and other ways to organize them. We struggle every single day to keep this “battle” going.

A supply of these meds has to always be on hand, and I will bet I am not alone in having dealt with hte “on call” doctor who has no idea who we are, and has to read all about our loved one in less than a minute and make a potentially life changing decision on a Saturday night to continue this ritual of keeping what is left of the organ functioning.

While one is being evaluated, the treatment must continue, and it does. Paracentesis (withdrawal with a long needle of accumulated fluid around the abdomen), Thoracentesis, (fluid withdrawn in much the same procedure around the lining of the lung), Colonoscopy, Endoscopy, Cat Scans, Ultrasounds, and dozens of others, just to name a few, have been our life for the past two years.

We are the lucky ones, however, with just the feeding tube in place or my husband, because some people need to be on continuous treatments, such as dialysis, breathing machines, oxygen, and so many other life preserving therapies.

Many of these are painful, and exhausting. Yet somehow, some way, we find the will to go on.

We wait one more day, one more hour, praying that someone will pay attention to the “battle” going on in the hospital room, or home, of our loved one. We pray that someone, somewhere, will go online, or to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, and fill out that form to become an organ donor “now” , rather than “later”.

Caregiver and patient, family, friends,chaplain support, medical team assistance,(and of course, humor!) all combined to keep just ONE life intact. It may seem foolish to some, when thousands are dying around the world of starvation, earthquakes , and other disasters and tragedies, but when it is your husband, your mother, father, brother, sister, or otherwise, it is the most important life there is.

This is humanity at it’s best.

This is the reason I cannot understand the missing piece of it all. Where are the organ donors? The rate of donation is astonishingly low in almost every state!

Of course there are plenty of stories I could pull at any given day from the media/ net, (or from having been in the “OTI” (Organ Transplant Initiative group on Facebook), personal stories of dear friends ),of the strength and courage of a living donor, or a deceased donor, who puts forth their life and everything that entails, and gives part of it to another human being. These stories are real, and I don’t want to underscore those absolute heroes who give freely of their own body so that another person, be it stranger or loved one, can go on and complete their life cycle.

But I cannot for the life of me understand why the rate of organ donation is so low! People always talk about charities, and non-profit organizations that they are involved in, and how the recession has caused them to have to “cut back”: but here is a place to give a MILLION BUCKS, without having to spend a dime, to someone their life back, and yet there is a negative response from so many.

I have heard so much in the last couple of weeks about “James Whitey Bulger”, the “big and scary gangster” from my home of Boston, and 24/7 media coverage about a man who murdered 19 people, who took AWAY 19 lives, and while my sympathy is with the victims of this coward, I cannot stop and compare the statistic of the number “19″.

19 people die every day in the U.S. from lack of a life saving organ.

Imagine if all of that senseless and repetitive coverage of a man who will problably never see justice shifted, and turned to something positive, a push for new organ donors to register, stories of the lives of those who have “been in the battle”.

Whitey, I dare say, would have a fit. It would be like the devil himself losing the attention of the world.

I flip through the gauntlet of these “reality shows”, from the industry of crab fishing (Deadliest Catch) to saving whales, (Whale Wars) , parking meter attendants and their exciting life, (Parking Wars) and medical shows about “real life” medical emergencies, but not ONE show about Transplants.

What about the “Transplant War”?

Those who are winning it would love to talk about it.

Here is an opportunity for an “up and coming” reality show writer to really make their mark,but for some reason, this intriguing subject rarely appears on my TV.

What could possibly be more inspiring then a” transplant reality series”? The human epic drama about a war waged against your own body. The “altruistic” demeanor of the whole situation, humanity at it’s best, and worse.

The Gift of Life that is given every single day, to little children who pass away suddenly, and hearing from the heroic parents who can actually see past their grief for even one minute to think about another person’s child is nothing short of a spiritual awakening.

I believe the Organ Donation rate would double almost over night. I am an optimist, and when a particular cause is taken up in America, it spreads like wildfire.

The people who may have needed to see this “reality show”?

The man who got shot outside a pre-school in Boston yesterday morning thought he had plenty of time, he was about 21 years of age.

Those people who die in car crashes 2 miles from their home thought they had plenty of time also.

The persons who hide behind their “religion”, without even consulting their spiritual leaders on the subject, and say “I can’t be an organ donor because I am ___” (fill in almost any religion, because I have heard them all!) Amish, Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Christian, …all of them are religions that absolutely encourage the individual to “follow their conscience” and to “support , continue, and pursue life in any way possible”. (The current Roman Catholic Pope’s words)

So, in closing, If you ARE an organ donor, if you have given of yourself, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, and dare I speak for those I know, and those I love. You will be rewarded, and you have my undying respect and love, whether you are alive or deceased.

If you have not “checked it (organ donation) out”, NOW would be the time.

If you are waiting for an invitation, I just sent you one. No need to RSVP, just go to the United Network for Organ Sharing’s website (UNOS.ORG) for more information, and to sign up online, or for locations on where you can sign up in person.  You can also become a donor on line by going to www.donatelifeamerica.com or by calling your local Organ Procurement Organization (OPO)

Oh, and “NBC, CBS, FOX, DISCOVERY CHANNEL, A+E.”…if you are watching, call me. (I don’t have your number, and have not the faintest idea how to get a hold of you)

I have a great script for your first episode of “Transplant Wars”, and the name of the first episode is “HEROES OF HOPE”.

This name is because the transplant recipients, the organ donors, the caregivers, the medical teams, the researchers…they really are “HEROES” of “HOPE”. My heroes.

*Thank you to Bob Aronson for being our “hero of hope”. He has been there for my husband and I for over 2 years, since the minute we met online, and we could never repay him for his support and love during this “battle” we are going through that seems to never end. Anyone who says you can’t make life long friends on FB hasn’t met Bob. Come join our group, “OTI” (Organ Transplant Initiative), you will be made to feel right at home!

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Please view our two brand new video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on You
Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifyRsh4qKF4  This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for it’s use.

Another important video is “A Transplant for Nurse Lori” this brave woman has Multiple Sclerosis and needs help paying her share of the bill for a procedure that can halt the disease in its tracks and even reverse some of it.  Watch the video at www.OrganTI.org.

Also…there  is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues.

We would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater  our clout with decision makers.

You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or  positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love

I think it is important to point out here that while I am a recovering alcoholic I am not anti-alcohol.  There are, though, some instances where abstinence is absolutely necessary.  Such is the case with liver disease.

According to the American Liver Foundation (ALF), (http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/alcohol/)

the liver breaks down alcohol so it can be eliminated from your body. If you consume more alcohol than the liver can process, the resulting imbalance can injure the liver by interfering with its normal breakdown of protein, fats, and carbohydrates.

The ALF says there are three kinds of liver disease related to alcohol consumption:

Fatty liver is marked by a build-up of fat cells in the liver. Usually there are no symptoms, although the liver may be enlarged and you may experience discomfort in your upper abdomen. Fatty liver occurs in almost all people who drink heavily. The condition will improve after you stop drinking.

Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. Up to 35 percent of heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis. Symptoms may include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and tenderness, fever and jaundice. In its mild form, alcoholic hepatitis can last for years and will cause progressive liver damage. The damage may be reversible if you stop drinking. In its severe form, the disease may occur suddenly, after binge drinking, and it can quickly lead to life-threatening complications.  In some cases a liver transplant is the only life-saving option.

Alcoholic cirrhosis is the most serious type of alcohol-induced liver disease. Cirrhosis refers to the replacement of normal liver tissue with scar tissue. Between 10 and 20 percent of heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis, usually after 10 or more years of drinking. Symptoms of cirrhosis are similar to those of alcoholic hepatitis. The damage from cirrhosis is not reversible, and it is a life-threatening disease. Your condition may stabilize if you stop drinking.

Many heavy drinkers will progress from fatty liver to alcoholic hepatitis and finally to alcoholic cirrhosis, though the progression may vary from patient to patient. The risk of developing cirrhosis is particularly high for people who drink heavily and have another chronic liver disease such as viral hepatitis C.

The ALF makes it very clear that if you have any liver disease you must stop drinking, period!   “Your doctor may suggest changes in your diet and certain vitamin supplements to help your liver recover from the alcohol-related damage. Medications may be needed to manage the complications caused by your liver damage. In advanced cases of alcoholic cirrhosis, the only treatment option may be a liver transplant. However, active alcoholics will usually not qualify as suitable organ recipients.”

Once people become aware of the dangers alcohol poses to the liver, the first question they ask is, “Can I drink at all?  Is there a safe level of drinking?”  Here’s ALF’s response:

“For most people, moderate drinking will not lead to alcohol-induced liver disease. Moderate drinking means no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. (A standard drink is one 12-ounce beer, one 5-ounce glass of wine or one 1.5-ounce shot of distilled spirits.) However, for people with chronic liver disease, especially alcohol-induced liver disease, even small amounts of alcohol can make the liver disease worse. Patients with alcohol-induced liver disease and those with cirrhosis from any cause should stop using alcohol completely.

Women are more likely to be affected by alcohol-induced liver disease because women can be affected by smaller amounts of alcohol than men.”

Finally The American Liver Foundation says:  “Serious complications from alcohol-induced liver disease typically occur after many years of heavy drinking. Once they do occur, the complications can be serious and life-threatening. They may include:

• Accumulation of fluid in the abdomen
• Bleeding from veins in the esophagus
• Enlarged spleen
• High blood pressure in the liver
• Changes in mental function, and coma
• Kidney failure
• Liver cancer”

The basic philosophy behind this blog is to advance organ donation but because there is such an organ shortage it is important, too, to protect our organs.  Steps can be taken to avoid needing an organ transplant.  Moderation of alcohol consumption is one of them.

Please view our two brand new video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on You
Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifyRsh4qKF4  This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for it’s use.

Another important video is “A Transplant for Nurse Lori” this brave woman has Multiple Sclerosis and needs help paying her share of the bill for a procedure that can halt the disease in its tracks and even reverse some of it.  Watch the video at www.OrganTI.org.

Also…there  is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues.

We would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater  our clout with decision makers.

You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or  positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

When you bend over to pick something off the floor you probably feel nothing.  Here’s what happens, though.  When you bend you compress your diaphragm which affects your breathing.  As your lung condition worsens that one simple move can leave you feeling as though you’ve run a mile at top speed.  I cannot bend over to pick up anything without having to sit down immediately to catch my breath.  That means I can’t pick up my shoes, I can’t check the air in my tires, I can’t even bend over to pet my dogs.

My transplant docs tell me I’m doing very well, that with the exception of my lungs I am in pretty darn good condition.  I know my mind is ok because I am more intellectually curious than I’ve ever been and I love to learn and write (some who have read my writing may think I’m a little loony but it’s a healthy loony ).  When I am sitting down and at my computer I feel better than I have in 25 or 30 years but that bubble bursts as soon as I get up and walk across the room.

Smoking is killing me even after having quit two decades ago.  Smoking may also share some of the responsibility for my needing a heart transplant.  There isn’t one damn good thing about smoking.  People say, “It relaxes me.”  Sure it does, it relaxes you because you are addicted to nicotine and you were going into withdrawal.  Having a cigarette is a lot like the alcoholic (yes, I’m one of those too 30 years sober now) who has a drink to cure a hangover.  There isn’t any difference.  There isn’t one excuse (there are no reasons) you can give me for smoking that I cannot destroy in a second.

I have COPD, I lost my father to Chronic Bronchitis and a wife to lung cancer.  I know first hand what smoking does and it isn’t as though you are only hurting yourself.  Smoking not only will kill you it is killing those around you, your friends, your loved ones, your kids, even your pets.  All of them will suffer because of your selfish desire to satisfy a craving.  I smoked up to four packs a day for 37 years and quit.  It took a lot of tries but with the help of nicotine gum I quit in 1991.  If   I could do it you can, too.  I’m not tolerant like a lot of smoking cessation counselors are, I won’t accept the BS that you can’t quit.  You can!  You are just to much of a wimp to experience some temporary discomfort.

Get some guts, sure it’s hard to quit smoking but to give up by saying, “I can’t quit.”  BS!  Do you remember the story about the man who was caught alone in the wilderness with his arm pinned by some debris?  He cut off his own arm to avoid death and walked a great distance to get medical attention.  That’s experiencing real discomfort and showing a will to live.  Allowing yourself to die because of a simple “craving” is wimpish, gutless and suicidal.

If you don’t like my harsh comments that’s too damn bad.  I cannot sympathize with anyone who has the power to save their life and the lives around them but refuses to do so because its not “comfortable.”  Shame of you!

Oh yeah…one more thing.  Don’t count on getting a lung transplant to solve your problem.  There’s a long line ahead of you waiting for a new lung or lungs and they won’t all get them.  The best way to solve the organ shortage is to take care of yourself so you never need one.

Please view our brand new video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on You
Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifyRsh4qKF4  This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for it’s use. Another important video is “A Transplant for Nurse Lori” this brave woman has Multiple Sclerosis and needs help paying her share of the bill for a procedure that can halt the disease in its tracks and even reverse some of it.  Watch the video at www.OrganTI.org.

Also…there  is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues.

We would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater  our clout with decision makers.

Please  comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or  positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

This blog is about Emily Lori Cameron a cancer survivor who now has Multiple Sclerosis (MS) which presents her with new challenges every day.  Each day she asks herself, “Will I be able to speak clearly, will my thoughts be clear, will I be able to walk, use my hands or even know where I am and what I am doing?”   Medicare has approved a new procedure for Lori but she must raise $42,000 to pay her share of the cost.  More about that in a bit but first a little about MS.

Multiple Sclerosis is a terrible disease.  In effect the immune system attacks the protective lining around nerves, shreds it and causes communication between brain, nerves and body to become tangled and ineffective.   For example, the brain might send a message to the legs to begin walking but along the way the message gets garbled and what the legs receive is a command to relax so you fall down.  Up until the last couple of years  standard treatment which includes drugs and some physical therapy only delays the inevitable. It does not stop the progression of the disease so it certainly can’t reverse it.

Now there is a new procedure that uses one’s own adult stem cells to not only stop the disease in its tracks but to even reverse many of the existing symptoms.   This new procedure is approved by Medicare and initial studies have indicated that it is very effective, some have even called it a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.   I can’t tell you exactly how this works but apparently they will withdraw from Lori a certain amount of her adult stem cells and store them for a short while. Then she will undergo chemotherapy that will destroy the old immune system. When that is done the original adult stem cells withdrawn from Lori’s body will be injected into her again to create a new uncontaminated immune system. Initial studies indicate success rates in the high 90 percent range. Here’s a link to tell you more http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2009/01/burtms.html

So far the new treatment is approved for use in the early stages of MS so it is entirely possible that if Lori’s condition gets considerably worse, which is entirely possible, she could be removed from the approved list.  Lori’s sister has already experienced the treatment and is doing wonderfully well.  There is an urgency to Lori’s condition because we must, must, must raise the money as soon as possible so there is no chance she will be removed from the transplant list.

Just today I posted a new video on YouTube, it’s only 9 minutes long and effectively tells Lori’s story and why your donation is so critical and must be done so quickly.  You can find it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrBJoCdIKto.  Or to be even faster you can just go directly to the highly respected National Transplant Assistance Fund (NTAF) and donate directly.  Lori has been approved by NTAF and is registered there www.ntafund.org/contribute/ Secure credit card: 800-642-8399.   You can look her up under the name Emily Lori.

This is probably the most urgent appeal I have ever made.  Lori is a nurse and a very compassionate human being.  She has sacrificed a great deal in order to help others, never asking for anything for herself but now the situation is becoming desperate.  We simply must raise $42,000.  That’s a lot of money but when that’s all it takes to save a human life it should not be an insurmountable obstacle.  Please dig deep…forsake the Latte for a few days, or a beer, or a pack of cigarettes or that sweater you really wnted and send the money to Lori instead.  If we can do that Lori will have the financial support she needs very quickly.  Can you stand by and watch someone die?  I think not…send what you can 50 cents, a dollar, ten dollars…all of it will add up and we can save this precious human life.

Please view another of our recent videos, “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on You
Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifyRsh4qKF4  This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for it’s use. 

Also…there  is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues. We would love to have you join our Facebook grou[, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater  our clout with decision makers.

Please  comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or  positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

The fourth anniversary of my heart transplant is on August 21. I will never, ever forget that day. I was a very sick man. I had dilated cardiomyopathy, which is a progressive and incurable heart disease, but let us turn back the calendar to the time when I first learned I had a fatal illness and would likely need a heart transplant.

It was about 9 PM in July of 1995 and I was just leaving the office. All day my breathing had been somewhat labored but I thought it was my old asthma resurfacing so I did not dwell on it. Even though I was not having serious problems with asthma I always carried a “rescue” inhaler with me so I used it a couple of times but strangely it did not seem to be doing any good. As the day wore on breathing got more difficult.  I felt like going home but I had a client coming in from six until nine that evening and was sure I could “gut” it out.

My always prompt 6 o’clock client was there early so I hurried the previous out the door and began work with my last appointment of the day.  Six until nine became the longest three hours of my life. I was having such trouble breathing my client asked if I needed to go home. Always the tough guy I told her I was fine, just having a little bit of seasonal asthma.

When nine o’clock came she gathered her things and said goodnight. I was out the door about two minutes after she was. On the ride down to the parking ramp I remembered that when I had arrived that day the only parking places left were all the way at the back of the ramp, easily a block from the elevator door. My laptop and other “homework” was in my rolling briefcase so I began the walk to the car, all the time struggling for air. A couple of times I had to stop, lean on my rolling case for a couple of minutes and then start again. My breathing was getting so difficult I was starting to get a little scared.  I
repeatedly used the rescue inhaler but to no avail, it was useless so I decided it was a bad inhaler or this asthma attack was a particularly strong one.

Finally  I reached the car, gasping for air. I got in and just sat for a few minutes and my breathing started to become a little better, not much but a little. Home was fifteen miles from the office and it seemed like the whole world had gone into slow motion. Getting a little concerned I picked up my clunky cell phone and called home. When my wife answered I told her what was happening and that I thought I might need to go to an emergency room but I would pick her up first. When I arrived she was standing outside waiting. It was clear that I could no longer drive, I could hardly move, so my wife got behind the wheel and we sped off to the closest ER. When we walked in there was no one there but a nurse behind a desk. Now, gaspling for air and feeling faint, I told her about my breathing and about the rescue inhaler and that I thought I was having a severe asthma attack. While I was talking she was taking my blood pressure and temperature. When I finished two men came into the waiting room with a stretcher on wheels. I told them it was asthma and that I did not need the stretcher. That is when still another nurse appeared and said, “Mister, you are definitely not having an asthma attack.”

Almost as soon as I got placed in bed in a curtained cubicle a doctor appeared.  As he examined me and gave instructions to the nurses I was connected to several monitors.  The quietly efficient ER staff started an IV and my breathing seemed to be easing….within a few minutes it seemed to be almost normal again.   Obviously there was some fast acting medication in the I V.  As I began to relax and enjoy the ability to breathe again the doctor looked up from a chart and told me that I
was having some kind of heart problem and that I needed to be transferred to another facility because my condition appeared to be grave and that they did not have the cardiac care capabilities that I needed.  He said an ambulance was on its way to take me to United Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota which was a well-known cardiac care center.  By now I was feeling pretty good and told the doc I did not need an ambulance  — my wife could drive me there. With a stern look and a threatening voice he said, “You are a very sick man Mr. Aronson, you are going by ambulance.”

When the ambulance arrived two paramedics hopped out and began hooking me up to their monitors while they quickly wheeled me to and into the back of the big red and white truck. Siren on, lights flashing, I wondered what the big deal was. I was rushed into United Hospital and connected to what seemed to be every monitor in the room. They drew blood, sent me for x-rays and I do not really remember all the other things but it was quick, efficient and done with great respect and
concern. In short order my entire family began to gather around me joking and laughing .  After all, I felt pretty good, I looked Ok and I didn’t seem to be in any danger.   That’s when when a tall, gray haired, distinguished looking man walked in. He was Dr. Thomas Johnson a respected cardiologist.  He was very friendly and calm but his words indicated the situation was not good.   ”You have a condition called cardiomyopathy,” he said and explained what the disease was and that while I was feeling good right now, it was the medication that was responsible.  It was obvious from his demeanor that this situation was quite serious.  When he finished his explaination to me and my family he said, “Cardiomyopathy is a progressive, incurable form of heart disease and it is likely that you will need a heart transplant.”  The room fell into a prolonged silence.

Trying to make the best of a bad thing I said, “See, there’s a remedy… I’ll get a heart transplant.” I knew very little about organ donation and transplantation and assumed that if I needed a new heart we could schedule it and I would be fine after some recuperation. That is when I learned how the organ shortage I had heard about affected me.  Dr. Johnson explained the organ shortage and said that some people never got the organs they needed. I also learned the procedure could not be done at United because they were not a transplant center. To make a long story short I stayed in the hospital for a few days then was given some prescriptions, instructions and  set up an appointment to see Dr. Johnson in his office the next day.  As we headed home, I was overwhelmed with random, disconnected and confusing thoughts.  I was still kind of puzzled because I felt great.  None of it made any sense.

Twelve years went by before I finally got a new heart. In the meantime I had more epiisodes and finally was fitted with an implantable defibrilator which proved to be insufficient for my condition and within a year or so required a more sophisticated device.  This was all getting very real.  I could feel and see the outline of the defibrilator through my skin just below my left shoulder.  In the meantime I continued to work but at a slower and slower pace. I

As a communications consultant I  did a lot of training for my clients and when I did my “lecture” I always stood, walked around the room  and tried to make it fun but all that activity used up a lot of energy. As time went on I limited my walking around while presenting because it affected my breathing. Then I quit walking completely and just stood at a lectern and finally I could no longer even stand for any length of time, I had to sit. Now I began to understand the progressive nature of the disease.

By this time I was re-married after having lost my first wife to cancer several years earlier. As fate would have it my new, lovely wife Robin was from Jacksonville, Florida where most of her family lived. For six years we lived in Minnesota’s
twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul but I knew as we approached the end of the sixth year that my condition was getting very bad. I was 68 years old and loved my job but it was clear that very soon I would be unable to do it anymore. I had great difficulty making it from our family room to the bathroom. It was time to retire.

I love to do computer research so I began digging and found that the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville had an excellent ransplantation record and they seemed to have more organs available to them sooner than any other transplant center.  Besides, Robin’s entire family lived there.  The decision to move to Jacksonville was easy.

I am always proud to say that when I was a communications consultant the famed Mayo Clinic was a client. Our relationship lasted for over a quarter of century in all three of their U.S. locations (Rochester MN., Scottsdale AZ and
Jacksonville, Florida).

After buying a home and making appointments at Mayo for a thorough heart and lung examination we started to settle in to our new life. The results of the examination, tread mill test, blood work, bone scan and more were further confirmmation of what Dr. Johnson had told me.  Mayo Transplant Cardiologist Dr. Jeffrey Hosenpud told me he was going to go before the hospital transplant committee to convince them that I needed to be placed on the transplant list immediately.

I will try to explain just how bad my heart was. Pumping efficiency of the organ is judged by the “Ejection fraction. (EF)” Using ultra sound they determine how much blood is pumped out of your heart. The normal EF is around 60%, mine was between 10 and 20, usually closer to 10. That meant that because my heart couldn’t pump the blood out it had to find a way to store it internally so my heart kept getting bigger, much bigger in order to hold the blood it could not pump out. When you are getting very little blood to your brain and elsewhere you slow down considerably.

The day after Dr. Hosenpud presented my case to the transplant committee he called and told me that I was going to be listed by UNOS (United Network For Organ Sharing). UNOS is the central organization that coordinates all U.S. transplants. While I was very happy with the news that I would finally be on a list (remember it was 12 years since that original diagnosis) I did not think I would have much of a chance of getting a heart after all I was now 68 years old. I was sure there were much sicker and younger people who had every right to get an available heart before me. I expected to die, sitting on our reclining loveseat in front of the TV.

Then came the biggest surprise of my life. 13 days after being listed Dr. Hosenpud called and said, “I may have a heart for you.” He told me to come to the hospital right away and that by the time I got there they would likely know better if he really did have a heart for me.  Geographically Jacksonville is the largest city in America. It’s population of over a million is spread far and wide so it took some time to drive all the way across the city to get to Mayo. I remember thinking that when I got there and announced that I was called to come in for a heart transplant, pandemonium would break out  just like on TV but when I walked to the reception desk and excitedly told the woman I had been called to come in because I was going to get a transplant, she ;looked at her computer screen, smiled and said, “I see that, have a seat Mr. Aronson and we’ll call your name when the Dr. can see you.” Boy did the air come out of that emergency balloon. I really wanted it to be chaos just like on TV.

I got to see the doctor just a few minutes later, around 1 PM when he told me that indeed there was a heart for me and that they would do the surgery that day.  I was sent to a room, changed into one of those fashionable hospital gowns and began the wait.  It was a long one.  It was not till very late in the day that I was taken to an operating room and given something to “relax” me. The next thing I knew I woke up in a different room and Robin was there holding my hand and saying, “Everything went well, you have a new heart and it’s working perfectly. Your donor was a 30 year old man from South Carolina but that’s all we know.” I immediately went back to sleep.

My recovery from the transplant surgery was tough very tough, t took two years.  There was no problem with the  transplant but several other health problems emerged like pneumonia, then a diagnosis of Chronic Oppressive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), torn rotator cutts and deep depression all of that kept me pretty inactive for a long time but between Robin my caregiver and the team at Mayo I finally came around to where I am today.  Now it is 2011 and I feel better than I have for ten or fifteen years. Retired, I spend most of my time helping Robin with her business, promoting organ donation and related issues and loving my new woodworking hobby. I am a really active guy at age 72.

So — for those of you who think, “I’m too old,” or “There are so many  people more deserving than me,” or “There are so few organs I’ll never get one,” I am the example that all of those hurdles can be overcome. Do  not ever give up hope, never, ever!

Thanks for reading my story.

Please
view our brand new video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on You
Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifyRsh4qKF4  This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for it’s use. 

Also…there  is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues. We would love to have you join our

Facebook grou[, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater  our clout with decision makers.

Please  comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or  positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Due to several economic and political factors America’s health care safety net is in danger of disintegrating leaving millions of people with only emergency rooms for their primary care 

As the economy worsened the cost of health care and health insurance continued to rise and millions of Americans whether employed or not found themselves with little or no coverage even if their conditions were life threatening.  A good number of these people were critically ill, jobless, had exhausted their financial resources and could only turn to Medicaid for help (Medicaid is partially funded by the U.S. Government but administered by the individual states).

Many officials were elected by promising tax cuts and deficit reduction.  Then, just a few weeks after the last election, their legislatures went into session and members of the bodies knew their promises were still fresh in the minds of voters.  Unlike the federal government the law does not allow states to end the year with a deficit.  So as the budget disparity grew tax increases were considered to be political suicide even if such moves would have helped solve the problem.  That left legislators with only one way to address the state’s deficit — cut programs.

The top revenue eaters in all states are education and Medicaid.  There have been or will be drastic spending cuts in both areas.   While several states like California, New York, Texas and Florida are considering Medicaid cuts, Arizona took the first step by eliminating the program’s coverage of most organ and tissue transplants. The move immediately affected 98 legal pre-approved Arizona citizens who were promised that Medicaid would cover their procedures.  Texas, threatens to go even farther and some powerful people there want to eliminate Medicaid completely

Experts agree that anyone who is approved to be on the transplant list has a life-threatening illness that requires treatment beyond what standard medical procedures and treatments can provide and that means tissue and/or organ transplants which are highly effective but expensive.   A person can only be “listed” if a physician who specializes in their disease is convinced there is no other way to save the patient’s life.  Then, that same expert must convince a hospital transplant committee, also made up of experts, that the patient’s name should be submitted for listing.  At that point the name and condition of the patient is forwarded to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in Richmond, Virginia for placement on the national waiting list.  UNOS coordinates all organ and tissue transplants in the United States.  Currently there are over 110,000 people on that list. 

When Arizona decided to break their promise to the 98 patients they knew that without the promised transplants every one of these terminally ill people would die. Two have passed on already and a Phoenix transplant surgeon says as many as 30 more may die in 2011. 

To make matters worse, the legislature and Governor Brewer used outdated and erroneous data to justify the action saying “Transplants are Cadillac options and aren’t very effective anyway.”  The truth is that the only option to a transplant is death; there are no other medical remedies for these patients  and — organ and tissue transplants do work.  Hearts have a 90-95% success rate (this writer is one of them) kidneys have an 85-90% success rate and lung transplants are successful about 75% of the time.  The American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the American Transplantation Society and UNOS have together protested the use of incorrect information and have provided the Governor and the legislature with the latest data which shows beyond a doubt that the procedures are not only successful but save money in the long run.  Governor Brewer and the Legislative leadership has ignored that information and continue to use the same old incorrect data in order to justify their unconscionable actions.  

The Arizona lawmakers insist that the transplant cuts will save $5 million but the state’s own research indicates the figures are lower — $800,000 in 2010 and $1.4 million in 2011.  Governor Brewer has $30 million in discretionary federal stimulus funds that she could use to save these lives.  She says the money is spoken for but won’t say where it’s going.  In the meantime she found $2 million to conduct algae research and another nearly $2 million to fix a roof. 

Steven Daglas a 30-year-old Republican from Illinois with whom I’ve talked studied the Arizona budget carefully and found 26 ways to cover the cost of the transplants without raising taxes and without negatively affecting other programs.  Acting in a respectful, responsible and helpful manner he presented his findings to the Governor.  He, too, has been ignored.

Now Arizona wants to cut almost 300 thousand people from Medicaid which will place a burden on hospital Emergency Rooms that are required by law to treat anyone who comes in, insured or not.  That most certainly will cause a hike in the cost of healthcare and penalize hospitals and patients at the same time.   If you think ER waiting times are long now wait a few months, it will get much worse.

Governor Brewer in a game of smoke and mirrors has stated that she is setting up a fund for critical cases that should help the Arizona 98 get their transplants.  But the fact is this action may make it even less likely because by removing nearly 300 thousand people from Medicaid the fund will be depleted almost immediately and the likelihood of the transplant patients getting the care they need is below minimal.

Unfortunately this is only the beginning.  Other state legislatures are meeting, too and most of them are watching Arizona very carefully to see what the Grand Canyon State is going to do.

I believe, as do many Americans, that allowing the critically ill to die in order to balance a budget or achieve political gains is wrong and criminal in nature.  This is a civil and human rights issue and no one should have the right to decide who lives and who dies.  In the case of Medicaid those who die will be mostly poor who have exhausted all other alternatives.  We can find absolutely no justification for this cruel and unconscionable action.  It must be stopped, you can stop it.  Let your voices be heard.  Join Facebook’s Organ Transplant Initiative (OTI) and/or Dream of Life Coalition (DLC).and become a volunteer to stop this insanity.

On March 5, 2011 The Dream of Life Coalition will hold a rally at the state capitol in Phoenix, Arizona to send a strong message to Arizona about the immorality of denying Medicaid coverage to transplant patients.  It will start at 9 AM at St. Mathew church. Walk with us and show your support.  There’s a hole in the dam and we have an opportunity to patch it.  Can you stand by and do nothing?

Please view our 7 minute video “A Promise Broken” on www.savethearizona98.com.  Also…there is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues.  We would love to have you join our Facebook pages, Organ Transplant Initiative  and The Dream of Life Coalition  The more members we get the greater our impact on increasing life saving organ donation

Please comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org.  And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors.  There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance.  If you convince one person to be a donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives.  Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

If Medicaid dies so does American morality and compassion.  Due to several economic, political and yes, even some human selfishness factors, America’s health care safety net is in danger of disintegration leaving millions of people with only emergency rooms for their primary care.  Most disturbing is the fact that the great majority of terminally ill patients who depend on life saving organ and tissue transplants, dialysis, radiation and chemo therapy, hospice and other complex surgeries and treatments will simply be sent home to die. It is happening in Arizona and it is likely to happen in many other states as well and but for a committed few is being met with apathy and disdain for those affected. 

The danger is imminent but many Americans just don’t seem to care.  If we let this happen America will have lost part of what has made it great, ““Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”   These last few lines in a poem by Emma Lazarus, speak for all eternity the words of compassion for which America is known.  If Medicaid dies so do those words on the Grand Lady in the Harbor that inspired so many millions who came to these shores.

As our economy worsened the costs of health care and health insurance continued to rise.  Millions of Americans whether employed or not have found themselves with little or no coverage even if their conditions were life threatening.  A good number of these people were critically ill, jobless, had exhausted their financial resources and could only turn to Medicaid for help (Medicaid is partially funded by the U.S. Government but administered by the individual states)

Across the width and breadth of the United States many officials were elected on promises of tax and spending cuts so as budget deficits grew tax increases were out of the question, they were considered political suicide.   Unlike the federal government the law does not allow states to end the year with a deficit.  In every state, legislatures meet shortly after election day so the lawmaker’s immediate top priority was budget slashing — often indiscriminate and cruel in its nature.   

The top revenue eaters in all states are education and Medicaid.  While there have been some cuts in education most of the emphasis in the new year has been on Medicaid and the cuts and proposed cuts have been both dramatic and life threatening.  While several states like California, New York and Florida are considering huge Medicaid cuts, Arizona took the first step by eliminating the program’s coverage of most organ and tissue transplants.  The move immediately affected 98  pre-approved Arizona citizens who were promised that Medicaid would cover their procedures. 

Experts agree that anyone who is approved to be on the transplant list has a life-threatening disease that requires treatment beyond what standard medical procedures and treatments can provide.  In the great majority of cases that means tissue and/or organ transplants which are highly effective albeit expensive will not be available unless you are insured or very wealthy.   A person can only be “listed” if a physician who specializes in their disease is convinced there is no other way to save the patient’s life.  Then, that same expert must convince a hospital transplant committee, also made up of experts, that the patient’s name should be submitted for listing.  At that point the name and condition of the patient is forwarded to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in Richmond, Virginia for placement on the national waiting list.  UNOS coordinates all organ and tissue transplants in the United States.  Currently there are over 110,000 people on that list. 

When Arizona decided to break their promise to the 98 patients they knew that without the promised transplants every one of these terminally ill people would die. Two have passed on already and a Phoenix transplant surgeon says as many as 30 more may die in 2011 – and that’s just in Arizona and  just transplant patients.. 

To make matters worse, the Arizona legislature and Governor Brewer used outdated and erroneous data to justify the action saying “Transplants are Cadillac options and aren’t very effective anyway.”  The truth is that the only option to a transplant is death; there are no other medical remedies for these patients.  And — organ and tissue transplants do work.  Hearts have a 90-95% success rate (this writer is one of them) kidneys have an 85-90% success rate and lung transplants are successful about 75-80% of the time.  The American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the American Transplantation Society and UNOS have together protested the use of incorrect information and have provided the Governor and the legislature with the latest data which shows beyond a doubt that the procedures are not only successful but save money in the long run. http://www.a-s-t.org/news/new-ast-asts-unos-review-concludes-az-medical-data-shows-eliminated-transplants-work  (You can also go the Website of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons web page and click on the first item, December 9, 2010 Arizona Transplant Cuts Based on Flawed Data http://www.asts.org/thesociety/positionstatements.aspx) Governor Brewer and the Legislative leadership have ignored that information and continue to use the same old incorrect data to justify their inhuman action.  Is this any different from perpetuating a lie?  

The Arizona lawmakers insist that the transplant cuts will save $5 million but the state’s own research indicates the figures are lower — $800,000 in 2010 and $1.4 million in 2011.  Governor Brewer has $30 million in discretionary federal stimulus funds that she could use to save these lives.  She says the money is spoken for but won’t say where it’s going.  In the meantime she found $2 million to conduct algae research and another nearly $2 million to fix a roof. 

Steven Daglas a 30-year-old Republican from Illinois studied the Arizona budget carefully and found 26 ways to cover the cost of the transplants without raising taxes and without negatively affecting other programs.  Respectfully he offered his findings to Governor Brewer and the legislature.  He, too, has been ignored.

Now Arizona wants to cut almost 300 thousand people from Medicaid which will cause a hike in the cost of healthcare and insurance while penalizing hospitals at the same time.  If this legislation is passed and spreads to other states and a flood of patients of Noah’s Ark proportions hits hospital emergency rooms the death toll will mount  into the hundreds of thousands if not millions and health care and insurance costs will rise until only the ultra-rich will be able to afford them.  That’s the scenario friends.  You can deny my hypothesis, you can call it exaggerated and sensationalized but the fact remains that cutting Medicaid to the bone or eliminating it altogether as Texas would like to do, will cause a major financial and health disaster unlike anything America ever seen. 

Other state legislatures are meeting now, too, and most of them are watching Arizona very carefully to see what the Grand Canyon State is going to do.  If we allow Arizona to balance its budget by refusing to treat the first 98 critically ill patients and then cutting another 300 thousand from Medicaid roles, the green light will be seen from California to New York and the disaster will have begun.

Many of us in Organ Transplant Initiative and other organizations believe that allowing the critically ill to die in order to balance a budget is wrong.  This is a civil and human rights issue and no elected official(s) should have the right to decide who lives and who dies.  In the case of Medicaid those who die will be mostly poor who have exhausted all other alternatives.  We can find absolutely no justification for this cruel and unconscionable action.  Politicians who pander to base selfishness and allow people to die are really no different from the street thug who maims and even kills an innocent citizen for their money.

Please view our 7 minute video “A Promise Broken” on www.savethearizona98.com.  Also…there is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues.  We would love to have you join our Facebook pages, ORGAN Transplant Initiative  and The Dream of Life Coalition  The more members we get the greater our impact on increasing life saving organ donation

Please comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org.  And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors.  There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance.  If you convince one person to be a donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives.  Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Two of our Allies, Transplant Recipients International (TRIO) and The FAIR Foundation have thrown their significant weight behind this effort and they are having a huge impact.  

Visible cracks in the Brewer administration foundation are appearing daily.  Arizona legislative leaders are now saying they want to review the decision, even Governor Brewer has indicated she might, might be willing to discuss the issue but that will only happen if they really feel the pressure.

To this point Governor Brewer has defended her decision by using inaccurate and, in some cases, totally false data but it is being challenged daily by prominent physicians, medical associations and even, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) which usually steers clear of controversial subjects (UNOS coordinates all organ transplants in the United States). 

All of the Television networks, have been reporting on the issue as have newspapers and radio stations.  Our Video, “A Promise Broken” which was released yesterday January 6, 2011 has been watched by thousands from all over the world but we are just getting started.  We need to continue to build the pressure the Arizona politicians are beginning to feel. 

“A Promise Broken” is a powerful six minute PowerPoint slide show that exposes the misinformation campaign that has resulted in the deaths of two Arizonans already.  You can view this compelling presentation at www.savethearizona98.com  or on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq5cGoRMne4  Permission is granted for appropriate use of this production to advance the cause of reversing the Arizona decision to deny transplants. 

On You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq5cGoRMne4 you can find it under “Save the Arizona 98” but because we have little in the way of financial resources we had to upload an evaluation copy created by some free internet software so please be patient as you watch it if it slows down a bit. 

As noted we have no funding to promote this video and we won’t make any from its release because it viewing is free, that’s why we need your help to make it viral.  Please view it and if you like it pass on the URL to others. Post it wherever you can because every time you do we get one step closer to saving lives. 

Because of the Arizona decision to deny organ transplants to Medicaid patients two people have already died.  The longer it takes to change the law, the more deaths we will see.  That’s just not acceptable, so join the cause, and make “A Promise Broken” viral.  Do it now, the lives you save could be someone near and dear to you.  If Arizona gets away with this, it will begin to happen in other states.  The video should become viral…not the program that causes the deaths.

Please help, now.  Your fellow Americans are counting on you. www.savethearizona98.com.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq5cGoRMne4

If you go to www.savethearizona98.com you’ll find some links on the left side of the page that not only take you to the video but also offer you an opportunity to buy T-shirts and other products (all the profits go to the National Transplant Assistance Fund (NTAF) or there’s a link where you can contribute directly to NTAF and purchase nothing. 

When you click “Play” on “A Promise Broken” let it roll.  The slides will change automatically.  When you’ve finished viewing it you are invited to tell others about it. No permission is needed for it to be used in a manner appropriate to the cause.  Also, we’d appreciate if you returned to Bob’s NewHeart and commented about what you’ve seen.

Please visit and join my Facebook site, ORGAN Transplant Initiative http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=152655364765710  OR — my Facebook home Page http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=10150094667020070#!/ . 

 The more members we get the greater our impact on increasing life saving organ donation

Please comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org.  And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors.  There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance.  If you convince one person to be a donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives.  Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Early this morning I finished production on a six minute slide show called “A Promise Broken — Life Denied.  It tells the story of how the 98 found themselves without promised Medicaid coverage for the life saving transplants they so desperately need.

Also included in the slide show are the criteria for qualifying for an organ transplant and why these 98 needed Medicaid to help them because they had already used up all their resources to stay alive.

You’ll find another section “Arizona – 100% Fact Free”  which clearly shows how the claims made by Governor Jan Brewer have been distorted.

Finally you’ll find some suggestions on what you can do to help.  There really is no need for anyone else to die because of lack of  money.  

If you go to www.savethearizona98.com you’ll find some links on the left side of the page.  Click on “A Promise Broken” slide show and let it roll.  The slide will change automatically.  When you’ve finished vieweing it you are invited to tell others about it.  I did not copyright the show so no permission is needed for it to be used by others.  Also, we’d appreciate if you returned here to Bob’s NewHeart and wrote a comment about what you’ve seen.

Please visit and join my Facebook site, ORGAN Transplant Initiative http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=152655364765710  OR — my Facebook home Page http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=10150094667020070#!/ . 

 The more members we get the greater our impact on increasing life saving organ donation

Please comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org.  And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors.  There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance.  If you convince one person to be a donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives.  Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

“Save the Arizona 98″ is a two fold program.  1) to work to reverse the decision to disallow Medicaid payment for transplants and 2) to raise money for the transplants in case the decision is not reversed.  If the decision is reversed the money raised can go to other transplant patients in need.  Please read my blogs about the issue and use the links provided below  to join our group. Here’s Jay’s story in his own words.

Jay Robare’s story
Waiting for a Kidney

By the time that I was approved for Medicare, I had gone through all my savings and my limited insurance coverage. I had to quit working because my endurance was gone and because I was not working, I could not afford my apartment anymore and I had to start living with others that helped me out. I lost all my furniture and most of my art equipment.

I finally got disability insurance and was qualified for Medicare but not Medicaid since I was making too much money from disability; I got enough to pay rent and had some money for paper products, which costs a lot. I have to dry my hands on paper towels to stay sterile.

I was blessed with $200 in food stamps last year but that has been decreased too; I am out of food by the third week of the month. I keep asking for rides to the various food banks but people are too busy. I am not the only one going through this; most people just can’t understand the magnitude of what we are going through in our lives and in our bodies. I know everyone is having problems for I hear that al the time but when I got sick and started working to get on the waiting list, all my doctors and nurses treated me like I was given a special gift which it is…the gift of life but many people would rather worry about their financial or relationship problem that they will outlive. We won’t outlive our problems, they are literary killing us.

I didn’t even talk about having to do dialysis every night. The type of dialysis that I do is called Peritoneal Dialysis where I store 2,500 milliliters of sugar saline solution for 2 and a half hour cycles 4 times which is all carbohydrates. I have gained 30 Lbs and I look very well fed; my fried Dirk said I looked like I had a beer belly…my last beer was a Heineken last Christmas. One nice thing about PD instead of hemo dialysis is that I have no liquid restraints. On hemo, I could only have 60 Oz a day or I would risk cramping and THAT was a bitch. Cramps formed in muscles that I thought I never had and the pain was so bad it made me yell out for Jesus…made my tech laugh at me.

Speaking of techs, I had clowns that would not listen to me and do the treatment their own way ending up hurting me. For you on Hemo, THIS IS YOUR TREATMENT AND YOUR BODY, don’t take any crap from these people; make sure that your nurse knows and the director knows that you do not want this person touching you again. Another thing that I like about PD is that it is robbing my body of potassium and this lets me eat things that hemo would never let me eat like bananas, mashed potatoes, spinach, hummus, vegetables and fruits. I do have to take something called a binder every time that I eat something. This medicine absorbs all the phosphorus in the food. The binder can be nasty at times, it is very dry and tastes like I am eating chalk. The chalk does a good job but sometimes it is difficult to take. The meds are a chewable but I think they are coming out with a powder soon.

Another med that I have to take because of PD and a bad parathyroid, caused by ESKD is a drug called Zemplar and Sensipar. Both keep my calcium land my PTH levels down. The only problem is that Sensipar has made me nauseous for the last 4 years; I have been throwing up every time I took this drug for 7-8 months. I guess my body has had enough. The doctors, dietitians and I have been playing games for years. I have finally decided to have a perthyroidectomy. After this surgery, I will need to start taking calcium supplements, including eating more pizza and lasagna…LOL I

I get extremely tired sometimes during the day from either walking to the bus stop and going to Publix to get some noodles or walking from the bus stop to my Davita dialysis clinic to get labs done every Monday or Tuesday; I need to send a vile of blood to my transplant hospital every week so they can keep an aye on my health and changes in my DNA.

Last month I had weird liver numbers and they ordered a full set of tests including a liver biopsy which scared me. My local doctors were thinking that I had a liver disease which stored too much copper in my system; they called it Wilson’s disease. Before I got the biopsy, I thought that I was going to have to get a liver transplant as well as a new kidney…I was a wreck! The day of the biopsy came and I wanted to get knocked out but before I knew it, I herd a clink and it was done. I worried for a week but the results came back and I was clean, no Wilson’s disease. Within a week Ann, my transplant coordinator took me off hold and I was back on the waiting list.

I met Bob Aronson about 3 months ago on Facebook. I used to read all his stuff and I, being a troublemaker, would contradict the man. I soon learned that the guy not only knew his stuff but he was a good writer too, we buried the axe and became friends.

This thing with the Arizona 98 has got me drawing again; I used to be so bummed out about not having a life, I gave up drawing but thanks to Betsy, one of my very good friends and Bob, I am drawing caricatures and designing flyers again.

Life is tough sometimes but with my friends, my faith in God and His son Jesus and now that I am drawing again, I can think I can make it through the storm until I get my kidney. I hope this has helped someone.

Don’t forget the Arizona 98 campaign.  there is more information on this blogsite and you can offer futher support by visiting www.savethearizona98.com.  You can also visit and join my Facebook site, ORGAN Transplant Initiative http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=152655364765710  OR — my Facebook home Page http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=10150094667020070#!/ . 

 The more members we get the greater our impact on increasing life saving organ donation

Please comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org.  And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors.  There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance.  If you convince one person to be a donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives.  Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Normally my blogs go into some detail on an issue but this time the posting will be short because the link I provide will give you all the information you need and you can personalize it for your individual needs.  Pro Publica Journalism in the Public Interest, got this information through diligence and patience. 

 This is one of the most important stories to come out in a long time and so far it has been virtually ignored by the mainstream media. 

Please visit this link and comment.  http://projects.propublica….org/dialysis/ 

And…don’t forget the Arizona 98 campaign.  there is more information on this blogsite and you can offer futher support by visiting www.savethearizona98.com.  You can also visit and join my Facebook site, ORGAN Transplant Initiative http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=152655364765710  OR — my Facebook home Page http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=10150094667020070#!/ . 

 The more members we get the greater our impact on increasing life saving organ donation

Please comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org.  And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors.  There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance.  If you convince one person to be a donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives.  Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

That isn’t the only mischaracterization the Governor has made. She has received over $1 billion in federal stimulus funds, $30 million of which is discretionary; she can use it any way she wants to. She says all the money is spoken for, but she refuses to tell anyone what she will spend it on, she won’t even talk to the media. Strangely she found $2 million to study algae and another nearly $2 million to repair a roof. Voters even approved nearly $100 million for a spring training facility for the Chicago Cubs. By cutting the Medicaid funds that would have paid for these people’s transplants the state will save between $1.4 and $4.5 million out of a nearly $9 billion budget.

Governor Brewer has fudged on other issues as well. She says transplants don’t work, that they are optional. Well, I can testify that they work and so can thousands of other people. As to it being optional the only option for someone who needs a transplant is death. You cannot be certified to be listed for a transplant unless a physician who specializes in your particular illness convinces a hospital transplant committee that you will die unless you get a transplant. Brewer also says the state still covers liver transplants but that, too, is not true. They Don’t. One of the 98, Francisco Felix, was on the operating table being prepped for a liver transplant donated by a relative when the order came that the state wouldn’t pay for it. He was awakened, sent home and his relative’s liver was given to someone else. Can you think of anything more cruel?

Several well known, highly respected transplant experts have contacted the governor telling her that the information she used to make the decision was outdated, erroneous and incomplete but she has refused to acknowledge them and continues to use the same wrong information as she did just recently on Fox news with Greta Van Susterin.

The Arizona Legislature meets on January 10 to reconsider the action and while Republicans have an overwhelming majority some GOP leaders have suggested that perhaps they were wrong and should reverse their previous decision, so there is a good chance of reversal even though the Governor refuses to change her mind. That means that we must put pressure on the legislature to pass a veto-proof bill that will return the transplant coverage to the Arizona 98. All we are asking for is that the state honor its promise.

I would ask you to do these things.

1) Write to the Arizona Senate Majority leader and the Speaker of the House urging them to restore Medicaid transplant coverage (I have no names for these people because they will be selected when the session begins).

2) Get on Governor Brewer’s Facebook page and using logic and diplomacy, urge her to change her mind.

3) Join my Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative (OTI) http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=152655364765710 The more members we have the more clout we’ll have with elected officials and other decision makers, so far we have nearly 800 members.

4) Spread the word. Tell everyone you know about the tragedy unfolding in Arizona and ask them to take action by contacting elected officials but also by telling their friends through the use of social networks, blogs, email and whatever else they can think of. .

5) If the legislature doesn’t change its mind the 98 will still need transplants so I have started a fund drive, “Save the Arizona 98″ through the highly respected National Transplant Assistance Fund (NTAF). If you go to www.savethearizona98.com you will find a link where you can purchase T-shirts and other products with the Save the Arizona 98 graphic on them. ALL profits will go to the NTAF and there are no administrative fees or expenses charged for our service. The Link also offers an opportunity to donate directly to NTAF and designate exactly who you want to help. When you enter the site you will see a large “Save The Arizona 98” sign. You have permission to download, distribute and use it in any way that will help save these lives.

Please help in this effort. Right now Arizona is the only state in the union that has denied organ transplants for Medicaid patients but other states aren’t far behind. We must send them a message that Americans won’t stand for letting our neighbors die.

If you believe in keeping promises, helping the sick, equal treatment under the law and preserving life, this cause is just right for you.

The only obligation any government has is to protect its people. It is in the U.S. Declaration of Independence and in the Preamble to the constitution. Will you help?

Thank you from the bottom of my donor’s heart.

Bob Aronson

Please comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org.  And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors.  There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance.  If you convince one person to be a donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives.  Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Also…visit and join my Facebook site, ORGAN Transplant Initiative http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=152655364765710  OR — my Facebook home Page http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=10150094667020070#!/ . 

 The more members we get the greater our impact on increasing life saving organ donation

For more information contact Bob Aronson bob@baronson.org

In early October, 2010 Bob Aronson, heart transplant recipient and founder of Organ Transplant Initiative (OTI), started a nationwide drive to reverse the Arizona decision that denies Medicaid patients vital organ transplants.  http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=152655364765710   He also has a very popular blog site devoted to donation/transplant issues with recent posts aimed at the Arizona issue http://bobsnewheart.wordpress.com.

 “Everyone on the transplant list is dying,” says Aronson, “And Governor Brewer’s claim that transplants are an optional treatment is totally without foundation.  The only option to a transplant is death. I know, I would have been dead three years ago if I had not received a new heart.” 

Aronson a former Minnesota Governor’s Press Secretary and now living in Jacksonville, Florida says, “I understand how serious budget problems can be, but you don’t solve them by killing your citizens.”  

Organ Transplant Initiative has rallied people from all over the country with their “Save the Arizona 98” campaign.  Additionally the group has a website www.savethearizona98.com where people or organizations can buy T-shirts and other products bearing the slogan, “Save the Arizona 98.”  All profits go to the National Transplant Assistance Fund and there are no administrative fees or expenses charged to the proceeds.  The site also offers the option of donating directly to the fund and designating the specific person or persons you want to help.

“Governor Brewer blames so-called Obamacare for the Medicaid problems,” states Aronson, “But Arizona approved cutting transplants before the Obama bill passed congress.”  He notes that, “While Americans have a guarantee of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, Arizona has opted to deny life and liberty in favor of the Pursuit of Mexicans, because,” he says, “The Governor has diverted millions of Federal stimulus and other dollars, to her border protection program.  Those dollars could have been used to save and enhance lives.  They weren’t.

Permission is granted to copy and use this release in any appropriate manner to help save the Arizona 98. 

From Bob Aronson

If you would like to donate money to help these Arizona patients pay for their transplants, should organs become available, you can do so through the National Transplant Assistance Fund (NTAF).  You can either call 1-800-642-8399 or make your donation on-line at http://www.ntafund.org/contribute/  

Please comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org.  And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors.  There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance.  If you convince one person to be a donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives.  Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Also…visit and join my Facebook site, ORGAN Transplant Initiative http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=152655364765710  OR — my Facebook home Page http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=10150094667020070#!/ . 

 The more members we get the greater our impact on increasing life saving organ donation