Build a Better Future for Pediatric Donation
It is because of a compassionate decision and a series of miracles that Zamya Noriega is alive today. The 16-year-old shared the incredible story of her liver transplant to a room full of pediatric donation partners at the Pediatric Symposium on Aug. 24, 2018. Her story is one of many, and with the cooperation of pediatric specialists, there will continue to be stories of faith, hope and healing.
“Build a Better Future for Pediatric Donation” was the theme surrounding this year’s pediatric symposium. Lego blocks and colorful décor welcomed nurses, social workers, child life specialists and more individuals who play a part in saving lives.
Hope Through Tragedy
The day began with the story of a mother who experienced the sudden, tragic loss of her 4-year-old daughter, Addie. Addie was a seemingly healthy little girl, but undiagnosed diabetes caused her brain to swell and hemorrhage, leading to brain death. Micki Parker and her husband Darrell were asked if they would like their daughter to be an organ donor. At the time, Micki worked in health care, so she knew the importance of donation and didn’t think twice. She and her husband “absolutely” agreed for Addie to be a donor. She has written several letters to the recipients that Addie helped, and hopes that they are living full, happy lives. Through the gift of life, Micki has also been able to experience the joy of young Grant, the boy who received Addie’s liver.
“The love I have for Grant, I can’t put into words,” Micki said. “Grant gives me hope that Addie lives on and her life mattered.”
Micki shared her story to emphasize the importance of pediatric organ donation. She also encourages nurses and pediatric partners to do their part to ensure the gift of donation in viable patients.
Addie Parker gave life through donation.
Building a Strong Foundation
The day was broken up by individual sessions that focused on the building blocks in pediatric donation. Nationally-recognized speaker Dr. Thomas Nakagawa gave a noteworthy presentation on the brain death declaration process for pediatric donors. A panel of experts explored the donation options available in cases that involve medical examiner offices. Renowned doctors Imad Haddad, Mudit Mathur and Daniel Velez also provided insights to improve the world of pediatric donation.
Throughout the event, a video walked the audience through the entire donation process, from a tragic car accident to DNA’s family support after donation. The moving video educated pediatric donation partners and showed the important roles that they play in the donation process. DNA department staff also hosted learning tables for attendees to learn more about transplantation options in pediatric patients and what donation means for donor families.
Zamya Noriega shared her story of a liver transplant and a second chance.
In closing, Zamya thanked health care professionals and the role they played, and continue to play, in her second chance at life.
“Someone exactly like you saved my life,” Zamya said. “I hope you’ll keep in mind and share my story with your friends and family to honor the little boy who saved my life — and to inspire yourself and your colleagues to keep doing the work you do. It makes a huge difference.”
Transplant Games of America
The bright blue sky makes it hard to distinguish the path of a small, white golf ball, but liver recipient Steve Whitehead watches attentively until he sees the ball bounce onto the green in the distance. Steve and his teammate, Jim Manning, hop into their golf cart and speed off to complete the hole.
Jim and Steve have something more in common than a love for golf. They are both liver recipients, and are competing in Transplant Games of America with every swing. After 18 holes, Transplant Team Arizona competitors pull up at the clubhouse and await the results of their game. The process of displaying points is traditionally done by hand in calligraphy, so the players pass the time by chatting with other teams.
Everyone here has a story and most have a transplant journey to share. Steve and Jim have both attended the games since 2004, though Steve missed the games in 2012 because of his second transplant.
A Growing Community
Every other year, hundreds of transplant recipients and living donors compete in 21 different sports and activities as part of Transplant Games of America. Donor families and supporters of organ, cornea and tissue donation can also attend to cheer on the athletes. The 2018 Transplant Games took place in Salt Lake City, Utah, from August 2-8. This year 40 teams attended, including international teams from Australia, Brazil and India.
Competitors at the games truly represent the entire transplant community. From the youngest at 3 years old, to the oldest at 89, there is a sport for everyone. One of the youngest competitors, 3-year-old Daisy from Transplant Team Arizona, showed off her skills in the Youth Olympiad, cornhole and track and field events. Thanks to her heart transplant, Daisy can run, play and earn medals for her team.
Daisy isn’t the only one who earned medals this year. As the tallying wraps up, it becomes clear that Steve and Jim have placed first in their age group. None of the Transplant Team Arizona competitors would be here today without the generosity of their donors who gave them a second chance at life.
“It’s about honoring your donor, not about the medal count,” Steve says. “It’s about taking time to appreciate the moment and spend time around people who know what you’ve been through.”
Jim Manning (l top) with Steve Whitehead (r top) as they placed first in golf for their age group.
Breaking A Record
On the final day of the Transplant Games, competitors gathered to make one more powerful statement in honor of their donors. Recipients stood together and held up signs with the type of transplant they received. They cheered as they broke the previous Guinness World Record for largest gathering of organ transplant recipients. The number to beat is now 540 people.
Transplant Team Arizona made the journey home with 41 medals and, more importantly, a renewed sense of community. To view more photos from the games, click here and here.
August is MVD Saves Lives Month!
[Photo: (l to r) Alexa Citro, public relations supervisor at DNA; Tim Brown, president and CEO at DNA; Claudia Flaherty, MVD specialist at DNA; Eric Jorgensen, MVD director; Jennifer Richards, stakeholder relations manager; Sara Pace Jones, vice president of Development and Communications at DNA; Maddie Carbajal, driver license specialist; Irma Molina, executive assistant; Mike Cryderman, field operations administrator]
Did you know that a simple trip to the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD) could save lives?
Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) partners with ADOT MVD to help Arizonans register as organ and tissue donors. When receiving or renewing your license with the MVD, you have the option to check the box to become a registered donor. You even get the donor heart insignia on your license when you register.
DNA celebrates MVD Saves Lives Month every August to recognize our cherished partnership with ADOT MVD and honor all those who work hard to save and heal lives.
Donation comes full circle
One person who celebrates this partnership all year long is Jimmie Willis, a customer service representative for ADOT MVD. Jimmie is a heart recipient who knows firsthand the impact that checking the box can have on someone’s life. As a mother, Jimmie worried she was running out of time to spend with her family before she received her lifesaving transplant.
Now, thanks to a donor’s generosity, Jimmie lives a life she loves, while encouraging others to check the box and save lives.
More accessible now than ever before
ADOT MVD has recently expanded opportunities for Arizona residents to register as organ and tissue donors. Arizonans now have the option to register on DonateLifeAZ.org after they renew their vehicle registrations on ServiceArizona.com. This option began in October 2017, and DNA has seen over 10,000 registrations.
Claudia Flaherty, DNA’s MVD specialist, works closely with MVD employees to make the most of life.
“We are very fortunate to have an incredible partnership with ADOT MVD,” Claudia says. “Throughout the years, ADOT MVD has worked together with us to make it easier for Arizonans to register as an organ, eye and tissue donors.”
Over 95 percent of Arizona registrations come from the MVD, and each year the generosity of registered organ donors saves hundreds of lives. We are thankful for our special partnership!
Jimmie and her fellow colleagues at Southwest Mesa MVD.
ECHO the Message of Donation
Mariachi band players welcomed guests with vibrant tunes. Families snapped photos with blow-up microphones and miniature guitars. This musical theme tied together individuals from all communities as they gathered to share stories of hope and shed tears of remembrance.
This was all to celebrate ECHO (Every Community Has Opportunity), Donate Life America’s annual campaign. This campaign encourages members of all communities to learn more about donation and register as donors.
On July 11, Donate Life Arizona held an ECHO luncheon to promote organ and tissue donation registration throughout all communities. With the theme of music, this luncheon emphasized that donation is universal and has the power to impact lives and unite people of all communities.
The event featured a panel of distinguished leaders in the African American, Hispanic, Native American, religious, health care and LGBTQ+ communities. They helped lead the discussion about common misconceptions surrounding donation within their communities and helping people make informed decisions.
The mariachi band who played joyful music throughout the day also payed tribute to one of their former members, Victoria Arias. Victoria was a member of Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson during high school. Her parents shared her story at the ECHO luncheon, which took place the week of the one year anniversary of her death. They celebrated the four lives Victoria saved through donation and honored her memory.
A panel of distinguished leaders from various communities answered commonly asked questions about donation.
Sharing the Story of Second Chances
Having experienced both sides of donation, Norian Reese shared her family’s story and a song with the guests at the luncheon.
When her son, O’esha Reese, passed away unexpectedly in November 2010, Norian and her family were devastated. A 35-year-old basketball fan, professional chef and loving father, O’esha had certainly made his mark on the world. With his family’s generous decision for O’esha to become a donor, he helped heal and improve the lives of at least 27 people through his gift of his corneas and tissue.
Just a few years later, O’esha’s parents were touched by the same generosity and selflessness of organ and tissue donation. Norian’s husband, Samuel, received a bone marrow transplant and Norian received a kidney transplant. Seeing donation come full circle helped the Reese family recognize the impact it has on so many lives.
Norian Reese sings a sweet song in honor of her donor son, O’esha.
“The greatest gift I got was knowing my son lives on, and the compassion of someone giving me and my husband a second chance at life,” Norian says.
O’esha’s legacy lives on not only through the recipients he helped, but through his family, as well. In addition to celebrating O’esha’s life on his birthday each year, the Reese family is closely involved with Donate Life Arizona and participates in the volunteer program.
When it comes to organ and tissue donation, every community had the opportunity to make a difference. How will you “echo” the message of donation?
A Father and a Fighter: Lifesaver gets a new chance at life
As a Phoenix firefighter, Dave Wipprecht firmly believes in miracles. In 2014, that faith was tested when Wipprecht began having difficulty breathing. Although doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia, his breathing problems persisted so he checked into Banner Thunderbird Medical Center.
An echocardiogram revealed that his heart was four times its normal size. Wipprecht was given heart medication, but shortly afterward his leg began to hurt. Doctors found blood clots throughout his body, due to his heart only functioning at 10 percent.
Rushed into emergency surgery and then transferred to Mayo Clinic Hospital, Wipprecht was placed at the top of the waiting list for a new heart.
Journey of Faith
Throughout his three-and-a-half month stay at Mayo Clinic Hospital, hooked up to IVs and taking medication daily, Wipprecht maintained an optimistic attitude for his wife and three young sons.
In June 2015, his doctor told Wipprecht that they had exhausted all their options and predicted he only had nine days to live. Still, Wipprecht’s positivity never wavered. He continued to show strength and bravery, even amidst adversity, as any proud father would.
“I knew I’d get through this, knowing that I had to stay alive for my family,” Wipprecht says.
His faith was rewarded when, six days later, he received news that a new heart was available. Wipprecht says that he woke up smiling after the successful surgery.
“I could breathe normally,” Wipprecht says. “I felt new again.”
The Gift of New Life
Back at home just nine days later, Wipprecht took care of his new heart. After celebrating his two-year transplant anniversary, Wipprecht wrote a letter to his donor’s family and hopes to meet them someday.
Even before his transplant experience, Wipprecht had always been a registered donor. Now donation has even more meaning. At the fire department, he and his fellow firefighters always did everything they could to save someone’s life. On the sad occasion when that person might not make it, their efforts could still help save someone else’s life through donation. Wipprecht proudly displays a Donate Life license plate and shares his story with others.
“I would encourage others to stay positive and tell them there’s a reason for everything,” says Wipprecht. “And if it’s my time to go, then it’s my time to help others.”
Thanks to the generosity of others, Wipprecht can continue to be a father and a fighter, and for that he is forever grateful.
A New Family Through Organ Donation
Bagpipes broke the silence of an early April morning at HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center. Hospital staff gathered around the flagpole to witness strangers become family, bound by a person important to each of them but in very different ways.
On Friday, April 27, 2018, Mike and Sydney Duke addressed the crowd who gathered at the front of the hospital, only feet away from one of people their son saved as a donor. They told the story of their son, Samuel Duke, and his generous gift of organ and tissue donation after he passed away in April 2016.
A Life Renewed
Morgan Cheney, before Samuel’s passing, was struggling with every breath she took. Doctors diagnosed her with cystic fibrosis when she was only 2 years old, and she developed a cough in 2015 that kept getting worse.
“I was literally dying, I could feel it. I didn’t know what was happening. I couldn’t shower, I couldn’t eat. I was helpless,” Cheney says, explaining what life was like before she was hurled into the process of getting a surgery she didn’t even know she needed, a double lung transplant. Samuel’s generosity gave her and four others a second chance at life.
Bagpipes chimed in again as the two families embraced with tears, watching the Donate Life flag being raised in honor of Samuel and all organ donors whose end-of-life wish was to help others.
Morgan Cheney (l) embraces Sydney and Mike Duke as HonorHealth John C. Lincoln raised the Donate Life flag.
Health Care for Hope
Hospitals and health care organizations across Arizona participate in Health Care for Hope each April during National Donate Life Month. This campaign increases registrations and potentially saves thousands of lives in the future through donation.
In April 2018, more than 1,040 new individuals joined the DonateLifeAZ Registry for the first time as part of Health Care for Hope.
HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center placed in the top five organizations, with St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center coming in first place, based on new registrations. More than 50 hospitals and health care organizations raised the creative bar this year as they hosted registration tables, coordinated media coverage and encouraged both staff and visitors to sign up to give the gift of life.
Not All Heroes Wear Capes: A transplant recipient makes sure her donor is never forgotten
Jessica Drey was in elementary school when doctors diagnosed her with Type 1 diabetes. From there, she suffered through complications her diabetes caused, such as heart disease, nerve damage and organ failure. She was also beginning to go blind, and her kidneys were failing.
Doctors told Jessica that she needed dialysis, since her body could no longer clean her blood by itself. For six years, Jessica went on dialysis for four hours a day, three days a week.
Jessica was exhausted. Because the dialysis machine was the only thing keeping her alive, she was no longer able to do the things she loved, like hiking, swimming, traveling or playing with her children.
Throughout these years of dialysis, blood testing and insulin shots, Jessica became severely depressed.
“I had no energy, my hair was falling out and I stopped producing urine – but the biggest impact was I had no will to live,” Jessica said.
Journey of Hope
Zakiyyah Elzy
Jessica’s doctors told her that she qualified to receive a kidney and pancreas transplant. After many tests and evaluations, she was finally placed on the transplant list. On April 29, 2015, after a year and a half of waiting and two false-alarms, Jessica finally got the call that there was a young girl – a cheerleader – who had been killed in car accident, and she was a match.
As Jessica waited in the hospital, she saw coverage of a car crash on the news. The anchor reported a car accident involving three cheerleaders from Sierra Linda High School, and that one of the girls was killed. She watched as the girl’s parents told the reporter about their daughter’s decision to be an organ donor – a decision she had made at a registration event at her high school.
“It was really strange to watch that report and somehow know that she would save my life,” Jessica said.
The young girl who saved Jessica Drey’s life was named Zakiyyah Elzy. Jessica knows it took a tremendous amount of generosity and selflessness for Zakiyyah to give her the gift of life.
Jessica refers to Zakiyyah as her “superhero.”
“For me, that means no more insulin shots, no more dialysis. I love life again. I live every day to the fullest, carrying a part of Zakiyyah with me every single day,” Jessica said.
Continuing Zakiyyah’s Legacy
Jessica with Zakiyyah’s classmates at Sierra Linda High School.
On Monday, May 14, Jessica visited Sierra Linda High School where Zakiyyah attended. She spoke to Zakiyyah’s classmates, friends and teammates about the incredible gift of life she gave to another person. The Sierra Linda cheer coach also presented Jessica with a varsity letter in honor of Zakiyyah.
Jessica emphasized the importance of registering as an organ, cornea and tissue donor to save and heal lives and give people a second chance. Jessica is using her second chance to keep Zakiyya’s legacy alive.
“Zakiyyah was born with the ability to change lives, and I promise to never forget what she did for me,” Jessica said.
A Good Heart
While most teenagers worry about school and social lives, Brett Wallick, 15, worried whether he would live to graduate high school. In December 2013, Brett visited the doctor for what his parents, Scott and Carla Wallick, thought was a severe cold. It turned out to be more serious. The doctor informed the Wallicks that Brett’s heart was enlarged and beating nearly two times faster than a normal heart.
Everything in Brett’s life changed quickly. Brett was immediately admitted into Phoenix Children’s Hospital and, just ten days later, doctors inserted a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that would help pump blood through Brett’s body and keep him alive until a new heart was available. What followed was an agonizing three-month wait for Brett to receive the gift that would save his life.
“We watched him basically die a little bit every day for the first five to ten days,” says Scott.
The Call That Saved His Life
In late March, the call the family had been waiting for finally came: a donor heart was available for Brett. Scott and Carla were excited but mindful of the fact that another family had just experienced a tremendous loss. The surgery went off without a hitch and Brett woke up the next morning with a new lease on life.
That same day, Scott began writing a letter to the family of the donor. He promised to make the most of the life that Brett was given and expressed the hope that the Wallick family could someday hear about their loved one. Surprisingly, Scott’s request had already been fulfilled. Among the information that the hospital had been given about Brett’s donor heart was a letter written by the donor’s family.
The letter, simple yet heartfelt, stated that Brett’s donor was a son, a brother and a father who always wanted to help others. That letter now hangs in a frame in Brett’s closet and is the first thing he sees each morning when getting dressed.
“I think about him every day, no matter what I’m doing,” says Brett. “Everything I do, I make sure I’m doing it for my donor and his family.”
Today, Brett focuses on living his life to the fullest in honor of his second chance. The Wallick family are now lifelong supporters of organ donation.
“Check the box, become a donor, 100 percent,” says Scott.
High School Heroes Challenge Results
High School Challenge is an annual campaign to register high school students as organ and tissue donors to show you can be a hero at every age. In October 2017, Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) partnered with local HOSA – Future Health Professionals chapters for this campaign. The challenge focuses on students taking ownership of registration drives and encouraging their peers. This year was themed “High School Heroes” to recognize registered donors as heroes among their classmates.
With 28 chapters participating, DNA received 2,302 registrations and reaffirmations, with many more students pledging to register when they are old enough!
The winners of the challenge were determined based on school size. There is a first, second and third place based on number of registrations, including online registrations.
Congratulations to the winning schools!
Large Schools:
1st place: San Luis High School
2nd place: Sierra Linda High School
3rd place: East Valley Institute of Technology
Medium Schools:
1st place: Central Arizona Valley Institute of Technology
2nd place: Gila Ridge High School
3rd place: Chino Valley High School
Small Schools:
1st place: West-MEC HOSA Chapter 39311
2nd place: West-MEC HOSA Chapter 39345
3rd place: San Tan Foothills High School
Additionally, the social media winner is: Gila Ridge High School – Breanna Kempton’s post.
Thank you to all of the schools that participated this year. You helped save and heal more lives than you know!
Celebration of Life
Isabel Dominguez (back, second from left) honored her big brother’s legacy with her family at the Celebration of Life.
On Sept. 17, 2017, donor families from across Arizona attended the Donation Celebration of Life. This outdoor, family-friendly event created a space to share stories and celebrate loved ones who selflessly gave life to others.
Isabel Dominguez attended in honor of her older brother George Louis Bernal III, who passed away in a car accident at the hands of a drunk driver in 1999. It has been 18 years since 22-year-old Bernal became a donor and gave the gift of life and healing to at least two others. Dominguez and her family keep his memory alive every day.
As Dominguez grew up she realized how much it would mean to meet the man her brother’s heart saved.
“I struggled to put my words together because I wanted it to be perfect, but eventually I wrote the letter,” Dominguez says. “I wanted validation that my brother did something amazing and gave someone another 16 years of life.”
Hearts Reunited
Despite her fears, Dominguez received a call a month later from Gene Johnston, the man who is alive today thanks to her brother. Their families finally met in 2016 and are still in constant communication.
The touching reunion allowed Dominguez and her family to ask Johnston about his life now that he was given a second chance. He told them that his heart was still her brother’s heart, that he was just borrowing it. Dominguez also bonded with Johnston’s wife and talks to her every day.
“Now my goal is to keep his memory alive. We’ve had a lot of closure this year and we want to maintain my brother’s memory,” she says.
The family’s first event with Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) was a luncheon last year. Since then they have met countless other families impacted by donation. Everyone came together at the Donation Celebration of Life to honor their loved ones and take comfort in the company of others who know a similar journey.
“You meet all these people and you know it took a tragic event for them to be there, but you’re a family.”