We are pleased to introduce our 2011 Tournament of Roses Donate Life float rider 

In 2006 Parker Simpson was an active teenager, ambitious academically and involved in a number of sports including football, lacrosse and wrestling. It was that year, as a high school sophomore, that a sports injury to his ankle soon landed him on the doctor’s table. Parker discovered that he had developed osteomyelitis, a staph infection of the bone, in his tibia and fibula. But he couldn’t have foreseen that this was the beginning of a trying medical journey that would test the resolve of both him and his family for years to come.

Parker was faced with possible amputation of his leg several times as a result of the infection. A successive back injury was further complicated due to the existing illness in his bones. He underwent numerous operations to combat the ankle and back afflictions, resulting in a fused ankle and foot, and yet his young body was just beginning its battle to survive.

In 2008, Parker developed pain in his shoulder that he thought was the result of too much weight lifting or lugging a heavy backpack. Doctors performed an MRI and identified a tumor that they presumed to be a result of Parker’s previous osteomyelitis.  Dr. Ross Wilkins of The Denver Clinic for Extremities at Risk told Parker and his family that the tumor required immediate operation. Following the surgery, news got worse.

The tumor was not staph related, but actually osteosarcoma. The bone cancer was Stage 4 when discovered, and had taken hold of Parker’s shoulder joint and moved into both lungs. Within a matter of days, Parker had gone from relative recovery from his previous conditions and a normal teenaged life to intense chemotherapy treatments. “It was like whiplash,” he said.

So Parker’s struggle continued, and he could not have imagined that next the generosity of a tissue donor would lead to the ultimate survival of his arm and his active life.

In order to save his arm, Dr. Wilkins had to remove the cancer-infected shoulder and a large part of his humerus, which he then replaced with an allograft bone transplant from a deceased donor. AlloSource, one of the nation’s largest non-profit providers of skin, bone and soft tissue allografts, provided the limb-saving allograft. Parker’s shoulder was reconstructed with a metal alloy ball joint.

Parker’s recovery was daunting. The osteosarcoma also infected his lungs and the intense chemotherapy required to kill the cancer was the ultimate test of patience and physical strength. But thanks to a community of support from doctors and friends, and his own determination, Parker has today been cancer free for more than 18 months, and is currently a sophomore at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

“Parker had the wisdom and spirit to conquer this,” said his mother, Alice Casey.

With the knowledge that he’ll have to be hyper diligent about monitoring his health for the rest of his life, Parker is anxious to seize each day. He is inspired by Boulder’s majestic beauty and has taken up rock climbing, much to his mother’s chagrin. His interests for the future run the gamut from aeronautics to mechanics.

“I know I have endless possibilities now.”

The theme of this year’s 27^th annual meeting of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) was Focus on the Future.

The Tissue Council Meeting headed up the agenda on day one. The Tissue Council membership is made up of representatives from many different OPOs and tissue banks across the country.  The highlight of the council meeting was a panel discussion held between attendees and senior representatives from the major tissue processors in the US.  The panelists discussed the changing landscape of tissue banking and what they foresee the course of tissue transplantation will be in the future, including cells/live cell grafts as the future of tissue donation. 

Several presentations and discussions were held on first person consent/donor designation and state-based donor registries.  Across the country OPOs are doing innovative things to increase public awareness of their state registries and increasing the numbers of people registered as organ, tissue and eye donors.  It was pointed out that when a donor family knows that their loved one wished to be a donor, it makes the donation process much easier.  Thus, OPOs are encouraging registered donors to share their wishes with their families.

One of the highlights of the meeting was the ceremony of the Crystal Heart Award, which is presented to a donor family dedicated to donation and transplantation.  This year the award was presented to Jill Stephenson.  Her son, Cpl. Ben Kopp, was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan.  Ben’s mother was approached about organ donation.  While facing the loss of her only child, she made the courageous decision to say yes.  Read more about this amazing story in the Washington Post here. “It helps my sorrow; it eases my pain. It really does,” Jill told the Post of knowing that Ben’s donation helped others. “I know that Ben wanted to help save lives . . . and it really prolongs Ben’s life and honors his memory so much and honors me in that we could save other lives.”

Thanks to all those who participated this year.  After attending, I am sure that the future of donation is bright. 

-          Heather Luders, Donor Field Services Representative

If passed, this law would be the first of its kind in the nation. What do you think about the opt-out bill?

Five years ago, we were fortunate to meet Chen,  an internationally recognized martial artist and Tai Chi instructor and a truly inspiring person.  Chen risked losing her career following a severe knee injury, but has experienced a remarkable recovery following a transplanted allograft from AlloSource. Chen has returned to martial arts competition with great success and has become a friendly advocate of tissue donation. (Chen represented AlloSource as a float rider aboard the 2009 Donate Life float in the Tournament of Roses Parade.)

Congrats, May!

What do you think about the Chinese approach to regenerative medicine? What, if any, are the implications for the US?

When helping was critical, the AlloSource team sprang into action.

AlloSource is one of the largest suppliers of allograft skin for burns in the nation. Burn skin is central to our mission and helps us play a part in saving people’s lives each and every day.

We service major medical centers in our core communities as well as in other communities across the nation and AlloSource is first to get the call when a crisis event happens. On January 26 we got the call again.

U.S. Air Force C-130 airplanes landed in Tampa, Florida last week with severely burned survivors of the Haitian earthquake inside. The patients were immediately transferred to Tampa General Hospital, one of our large allograft burn skin customers. The procurement coordinator at Tampa General was looking for all the skin that we could provide them to cope with their immediate and future needs. Tampa has implemented their disaster plan for burns and is now working around the clock on surgeries in the burn center.

Immediately the AlloSource team sprang into action releasing 55 square feet of skin. The medical records team, PC and quality worked to clear multiple donors which allowed us to have two major shipments to Tampa general on Wednesday and Thursday to help them through their weekend surgeries. Customer service and distribution did incredible work picking the orders and getting them to Tampa in a timely manner. Operations is looking at their capabilities and is ramping up to be able to process the additional donors that we hope to receive. Medical records, PC and quality are looking at system changes to be able to release skin ahead of the rest of the donor. We are also exploring the ability to release skin under an “emergent need” basis, much like we release fresh skin or cartilage. In short, the AlloSource team once again put our mission into action doing everything we could for people in dire need.

None of this could have been possible without our OPO partners jumping on board as well. Thank you for your immediate response to this crisis. It has saved lives. We will continue to call on you to help us with the situation as it progresses. For the next 30-60 days please send all shipments of split thickness burn skin to AlloSource to continue to help with this humanitarian crisis.

AlloSource and our committed OPO members met our mission objectives we were able to positively help some of the victims of this terrible crisis. We continue to stay very close to the people at Tampa General regarding their allograft skin needs and remain ready to assist them in any way possible. We will keep you posted on the situation.

For a third consecutive year, Donate Life was among the Rose Parade float award winners. This year’s “New Life Rises” entry won the prestigious Theme Trophy for Excellence in Presenting the Parade Theme, “A Cut Above The Rest.”

Additionally, ABC conducted a text-message poll allowing their millions of viewers to select their favorite float. The winner: Donate Life!

Check out the FOX story here: http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-donatelife-120609,0,5087399.story