Pop sensation Justin Bieber increases organ and tissue donations while helping a young girl in need
While awaiting a lung transplant, 20-year-old Helene Campbell decided to take action and increase donor awareness. Campbell and friends focused on a Twitter campaign with a specific goal in mind: getting Justin Bieber to take notice and spread the word to his 16-million followers.
Well they got Justin’s attention, and with his support via Twitter, a Canadian organ registry received more than 500 new registrants within just a few days. Check out the full story here.
Congratulations to Donor Alliance, the federally-designated organ procurement organization serving Colorado and Wyoming, which this week reported that it increased driver’s license office donor registration in 2011. This maintains Colorado’s position as one of the highest donor designation rates in the country. (At the close of 2011, 67 percent of Colorado’s licensed drivers and ID card holders had joined the registry. Similarly, Wyoming’s registry remained at a strong 59 percent donor designation rate.)
The organization also recovered more bone and joint restoration tissue grafts, allowing roughly 48,000 people to regain mobility and active lives after disease or trauma last year.
Donor Alliance has also launched Donate Life Colorado and Donate Life Wyoming Facebook pages, where it will bust myths surrounding donation, and answer questions from the public.
“Ryan died April 7, 2007. My head knows this as fact, but my heart is still waiting for my boy to come home.” Ryan’s mother Pat cries for him every night. They shared a special closeness and a love of people, especially small people.
Ryan never met a stranger and his friends said his constant smile was their favorite part about him. They could be having a down day, but after being with Ryan they felt good. He would introduce his mother to his friends this way: “This is my Mom. She’s cool!” He was fun, funny and never used dark humor to run someone else down. He was comfortable in his skin, confident and okay with himself and who he was.
Ryan Joseph Landers was born in Louisville, KY, March 24, 1988. He was the middle child, younger brother to Chris and older brother to Kelly. He was 6 when the family moved to Cape Girardeau, MO. Three years later the family settled in Springfield, IL. It wound up being the place Ryan called home for the longest period in his life, although Louisville was always home and he’s buried there in Resthaven Cemetery about a mile from where the family lived the first six years of his life.
Ryan excelled in art and later his teacher told him when he was graduating from high school that he should consider a degree in art education. He was great with kids and one of his part-time jobs was a monitor in the after-school program at a private church school.
His passions began with skateboarding, followed by guitar lessons and several guitars and amplifiers, and ultimately cars. At various times Ryan owned up to 7 cars. He would make modifications on them regarding air flow and exhaust systems. He repainted the interior trim on his ’98 Hyundai Tiburon, which still sits in the family driveway. His project car was “Delores”, an ’89 Honda Civic, and it was his primary commuter car to work and school. His pride and joy was the 2000 Honda Civic SI, with the V-Tech engine, which he and his mother bought in December, 2006, and he had his accident in 4 months later. (more…)
“Participating in the Donate Life Rose Parade Float as a float rider was an amazing time. It was awesome decorating the float with all the other participants. After spending time with the donor families who participated, I decided to pen a thank-you letter to my own donor family. At first I was intimidated but they quickly made me feel comfortable. Hearing their stories convinced me that writing my letter was the right thing to do. All who had received letters from their recipients were happy to have them, and another woman told me that it had been many years since her deceased son had given the gifts of life, but she had never received a single letter and it made her very sad.
“This experience has overwhelmed me with emotion. I can’t wait to get more involved with the cause of organ and tissue donation, and look forward to potentially assisting with an awareness program for my community’s high schools. Maybe seeing a face with a story of recovery and hope will encourage kids to check that donor box when they get their licenses! Thank you to my sponsor AlloSource for all the magic you’ve exposed me to!”
- Susan Cossabone, cellular bone transplant recipient. Read Susan’s story here.
The following story about Rose Parade float rider and tissue recipient Susan Cossabone has been published more than 600 times by newspapers and regional television networks’ websites throughout the country. Additionally, NBC40 in New Jersey produced this segment on her story. Great media visibility promoting the possibilities of tissue donation!
How a woman’s leg was saved by donated tissue
The gift of donated human tissue meant that Susan Cossabone was able to avoid leg amputation and return to her passion of horseback riding following a devastating accident.
Cossabone will join 27 other float riders from around the country Jan. 2 on the Donate Life float in the Tournament of Roses Parade. The float, now in its ninth year, is a tribute to the millions of people touched by organ, tissue and blood donation. (more…)
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