We have entertaining and informative conversations about organ, tissue and eye donation & transplantation. Over 114,000 people are currently waiting for a life saving transplant. Our goal is to raise awareness about the need for the life saving gifts of organ, tissue & eye donation. You can help. Register as a donor at registerme.org. Share this podcast with your family and friends. Share your inspiring stories with us info@thegiftedlife.org or give us a call at (504) 648-3477.
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Release Date: 12/31/2021

Show Notes: Our hosts are excited to welcome Pam Cart, a long time Forensic Relations Specialist for LOPA. Pam explains her role and why having strong relationships with the coroners opens up more opportunities for donation. We also learn about Pam’s hero and inspiration, Ryan Scott Cart, her youngest son who became a donor following an accident in 1997. Ryan is one of the floragraph honorees on the 2022 Donate Life Rose Parade Float and is also the hero for the episode. Sara delves into social media and how some use it to seek reassurance.

Release Date: 12/17/2021

Show Notes: Ever wonder if the donation process is different in other countries? We learn first hand how things are done in Canada when we talk with Jamie Hitch, a Canadian altruistic living kidney donor. Sara talks about the power of saying no in our Moment for Mental Health, then we honor this episode’s donor hero, Josh Hicks.

Release Date: 12/03/2021

Show Notes: Glaucoma is a disease we usually associate with older patients. In this episode, we learn there is a congenital form of glaucoma, and the treatment is a corneal transplant. We talk with two experts on the subject, Kyle Mavin from Southern Eyebank and Delarrie Dunlap whose daughter Ari received a cornea transplant as a toddler. Sara discusses an antidote to stress in our Moment for Mental Health and we honor Joseph Francis as our donor hero.

Release Date: 11/19/2021

Show Notes: 37 million people suffer from chronic kidney disease in the United States. We welcome Monica Fox, a previous guest on episode 110 and Director of Outreach for National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. Monica is the host of a new podcast, The Journey Continues. The podcast is committed to promoting kidney health and organ donation through powerful stories. Monica also shares an exciting update about the Honor the Gift campaign. Then we talk about some of the effects of microaggressions and honor hero Terry Byrd on episode 174.

Release Date: 11/05/2021

Show Notes: November is Eye Donation Month, and we are celebrating with two guests to this episode. First, Eye Bank Association of America's President and CEO, Kevin Corcoran joins the conversation to detail how COVID has impacted eye donation and transplantation in the last year. Then, Melissa St. Pierre, cornea recipient and volunteer for Baton Rouge Regional Eye Bank, shares her story of sight restored. Finally, we chat about tips for accepting help and honor hero Brenda Myers.

Release Date: 10/22/2021

Show Notes: On this episode we welcome Heather Thomson, an adored reality star from the hit Bravo Network reality series, The Real Housewives of New York City. She is also a successful entrepreneur, podcaster and has a son who is a liver recipient. Her son, Jax, received his gift of life at the tender age of 3 months old. Heather gets raw and real, sharing her powerful story about gratitude that continues to inspire people to become organ, tissue and eye donors. Then Sara teaches us a quick exercise in mental strength, we answer your question and honor hero Christie Melancon.

Release Date: 10/08/2021

Show Notes: How does COVID-19 impact donation? Can I still be a donor if I've had COVID-19? We welcome Dr. Jonathan Hand, who is the Medical Director of the Transplant Infectious Diseases Program at Ochsner Medical Center and LOPA’s Associate Medical Director. Dr. Hand breaks down all things related to COVID: vaccines, the best sources for accurate information, how transplantation has adapted due to the pandemic, and how lives are continuing to be saved. Then we take a mental health moment, focusing on uncertainty and honor this episode’s donor hero, Myles Soileau.

Release Date: 9/24/2021

Show Notes: Paul Cardall is a Dove Award winning pianist with 11 Billboard #1 albums and over 3 billion streams globally. He was also born with only half a heart. Paul had several near-death experiences and eventually was able to receive a heart transplant in 2009. He is a survivor that infuses his music with a vibrant appreciation for life and a desire to share his story with honesty and authenticity. Sara discusses the importance of human touch and how the pandemic has impacted our ability to physically interact with each other. We honor Joseph “Joey” Dupuy as our donor hero this episode.

Release Date: 9/10/2021

Show Notes: Mark Scotch rode a bicycle across the US to raise awareness for living kidney donation and registration as an organ, tissue and eye donor, and now he's right here on episode 169 to share the details of his journey. We welcome Mark along with his wife, Lynn, and his kidney voucher recipient, Hugh Smith, to hear their update. Sara leads a conversation about how pessimism can deter motivation. Then we honor this episode’s hero, Rachelle Leger.

Release Date: 8/27/2021

Show Notes: We welcome the Executive Director of The Alliance, Kerri Hobson-Pape, to learn about their 'All Teach, All Learn' style of collaboration to facilitate the sharing of professional best practices related to organ donation and transplantation. Sara leads us through a discussion on the myths of happiness. We honor Ivana Butler and answer your question on episode 168.

Release Date: 8/13/2021

Show Notes: We welcome Brandi Zofkie, a director with Lung Bioengineering, for a fascinating discussion about their lung perfusion system and the personal passion that fuelled founder Martine Rothblatt. Hear how their focus on lung transplantation innovation and technology is striving to change the culture of the transplant world. Sara explores how to stop overthinking during our moment for mental health, then we honor hero Shelia Dupar.

Release Date: 7/30/2021

Show Notes: Our hosts have a fun and informative conversation with Lana Stevens. Lana is a community educator for LOPA and the co-host for NOLA Hawts, a podcast focused on Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) and all that goes with it. Lana was inspired to use the podcast medium after seeing how The Gifted Life helped educate and inspire the donation & transplantation community. She and her co-host Susan Aucoin have down to earth conversations about CHD and resources available to people who are affected by CHD. You can find NOLA Hawts on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, and Spotify (among others). Sara talks about how to use self doubt to your advantage in our moment for mental health. Camryn Harness is our featured donor hero in this episode.

Release Date: 7/16/2021

Show Notes: We welcome Diane Jackson from The Slone Group for a conversation about the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in organ donation policy as well as in the culture of organ procurement organizations. Nila Schwab, a Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor, offers some advice about the resistance to change and how to recognize when you are being resistant to it. And, we honor hero Dolphie Alexie, Jr. on this episode of The Gifted Life Podcast.

Release Date: 7/02/2021

Show Notes: We welcome back Howl the Owl author Brenda Cortez, we first spoke with her in episode 115. Brenda has written a new book, Because of Donation, which is a curated collection of inspiring stories about organ donation. She is joined on this episode by Brittany Elliser, mom to liver recipient Briggs. Their family’s story is one of 25 stories featured in the book. Then we learn about expressive arts and how it can improve your mental health and we honor hero Kara Rodgers on episode 164 of The Gifted Life Podcast.

Release Date: 6/18/2021

Show Notes: The gift of life can inspire and motivate people to reach for the stars. In this episode, we connect with musician Althea Grace, whose toddler daughter Lennon is not only a liver recipient, but also her songwriting inspiration. We learned about their story on American Idol, where Althea was a contestant and are excited to share their journey. Then we give tips for conquering post-pandemic exhaustion and honor hero Austin Richards.

Release Date: 6/04/2021

Show Notes: In episode 162, we welcome a young man who's transplantation journey has become his professional inspiration. Liver recipient, William Porter, tells us about his road to receiving the gift of life and how it influenced his career path and inspired the creation of Operation Impact. Then we offer some tips for coping with despair, answer your question and honor hero Jonathan Catoir.

Release Date: 5/21/2021

Show Notes: Organ and tissue donation for medical research is a way for heroes to contribute to innovation and the search for treatments and cures. On this episode, we welcome Carolyn Hare from Autism BrainNet who shares how donors and their families are paving the way for greater understanding of the biological causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Then we offer tips for being more self-compassionate, answer your question and honor hero, Jonathan Daly.

Release Date: 5/07/2021

Show Notes: We connected with Mark Scotch from Wisconsin, whose chance meeting during a leisure trip to Louisiana, saved another man's life through the living kidney donor voucher program. You don't want to miss this remarkable story and how it led to the creation of The Organ Trail. Then we chat about what true mindfulness is and honor hero Cameron Dice.

Release Date: 4/23/2021

Show Notes: Joey Gase is honoring NASCAR Hall of Famer, Davey Allison, on his car in the Talladega races April 24th and 25th. Davey became a donor on April 28th, 28 years ago, and his race car number was 28. Joey knows the importance of sharing the stories of donors and encouraging families to talk about their wishes, he made the decision for his mom to be a donor when he was just 18. Liz Allison, Davey’s widow, also joins us and shares what this race means to her and what she hopes fans will take away from Davey’s example. Sara shines a spotlight on loneliness during our mental health moment, and we honor donor hero, Timothy Jarreau.

Release Date: 4/09/2021

Show Notes: Transplant patients all have to adapt to a new way of life post transplant, but there are unique challenges for pediatric transplant patients and their families. Everything from how to explain to young siblings where the new organ came from, to worrying about their ability to physically grow. Joseph Hillenburg and Melissa McQueen are both parents of recipients and share their stories and how they each recognized the gap of information and support, which led to the creation of Transplant Families. Their hope is by sharing stories of life after transplant, they can help other caregivers thrive. Sara shares techniques to help us fight loneliness, and we honor hero Gavin Chelette.

Release Date: 3/26/2021

Show Notes: “Organ donation is like life, it's about the trying. And when someone gives the gift of donation, they are giving another family a chance to try. And sometimes, it's all we get. And somehow, it's enough.” Lisa Bradshaw from the Don’t Wait Project joins us again to share her latest endeavor to promote organ donation - songwriting! The song, This Beautiful Life comes from the deepest place of gratitude she has ever ventured. We are certainly grateful to her for sharing it with us and continue to inspire others to become donors. Sara shares how focusing on mental health can build a healthy home and we honor hero Brenda McGraw. 

Release Date: 3/12/2021

Show Notes: Breast reconstruction is an important aspect of patient recovery following mastectomy. On this episode, we welcome back our friends from Bio-Aesthetics for an update on their important work to aid in the reconstruction process. Nick Pashos and Billy Heim first visited with us on episode 104, now we are thrilled to learn how their work has progressed. Then we offer tips for coping with anxiety about death, answer your question about the gift of tissue donation and honor hero, Chelsea Carriere.

Release Date: 2/26/2021

Show Notes: The Traumatic Loss Support Program is a new program adopted by LOPA to help further support the loved ones of deceased donors. Libbie Harrison, one of LOPA's Family Support staff, joins us to share some of the key aspects of the program like the 4-legged stool, the need to care for ourselves, care for others and talks about the additional resources for survivors of suicide. Then we chat about tips for being curious rather than defensive while in the midst of conflict with a loved one, and honor hero Chase Romero.

Release Date: 2/12/2021

Show Notes: Organ and tissue donation affects every race and culture. We are joined by Hedi Aguiar to learn about the inspiration behind the program she developed called, Love Thy Neighbor. She notes the challenges faced by both families and organ procurement professionals when the decision to donate needs to be made. Hear how her program contributes to bridging cultural, ethnic, and racial divides with misunderstandings about organ, tissue and eye donation through cultural humility. Then we chat about tips for keeping a new year's resolutions and honor hero Rodney Smith.

Release Date: 1/29/2021

Show Notes: Imagine the shock of hearing your doctor say, "you are dying and I need to find out what is wrong!". This is what our guest, Kathleen Gebbia, was told when she first learned her kidneys were no longer functioning. Kathleen was shocked by the news, and humbled by those who stepped up to try to get her the life-saving kidney she needed, including her daughter-in-law, Sage Cronk-Gebbia. Sara explains authentic pride and how to embrace your strengths, and we honor hero Jerry Prine.

Release Date: 1/15/2021

Show Notes: Kidneys are the most needed organ in the United States, and can be transplanted through both deceased donation and living donation. On episode 152, we welcome National Kidney Foundation's Jennifer Martin to learn about the program called The Big Ask, The Big Give. Whether a person needs a kidney or they are considering donation, hear how NKF's program helps start the conversation about living donation. We talk about EQ (emotional intelligence), what it is and how to develop it further, and honor hero Brantley Spillman. Visit srtr.org to find a transplant center near you and for more information about living donation in Louisiana, visit lopa.org/living-donation.

Release Date: 1/01/2021

Show Notes: On this special episode of The Gifted Life Podcast we begin 2021 with a New Year's tradition, honoring heroes through the Tournament of Roses Event and the Donate Life Floral Sculpture. This year's Louisiana Floragraph honoree, Shawn Elizabeth Guillot was 15 years old when she became a hero nearly 30 years ago. We connect with both of her parents to learn more about Shawn, and reconnect this family with their priest, Father Sean Sheehy, who led their family with faith through their biggest trial, losing Shawn Elizabeth, back in 1991.