Fascinating news published this week by CNN. Full story here.
Says the article: “If you are on dialysis like approximately 400,000 other Americans, then your life could change for the better in the next couple of years thanks to some new biomedical engineering.
“The technology, announced this week at an American Heart Association conference on emerging technology, enables engineers to grow sheets of human cells in a laboratory, and then synthesize them into tubes, mimicking human blood vessels. Alternatively, the human cells, which come from skin cells, can be made into threads and then woven into the form of blood vessels.”
April is National Donate Life Month and features an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to become organ, eye and tissue donors. As it comes to a close this year, I am pleased to say that it’s been a great month!
Organ Procurement Organizations and hospitals around the country held events to promote donor registration and honor donor families. Media coverage has been overwhelming, including fantastic stories on Oprah and ESPN (the latter you can check out right here on our website.)
At AlloSource, we spent the month focusing on sharing the stories of donor families and tissue recipients. It is through personal anecdotes like these that the gift of tissue donation and the possibilities of tissue transplantation can be better understood. We continue to make this important education an ongoing mission.
Scroll down for numerous posts about the media coverage and donation activities from Donate Life Month. We hope April has inspired and invigorated you as much as it did us.
It was the holidays in 2005 and Sarah Tomicich was a young professional excited about her new job in the finance department of a large Denver company. Fun-loving and outgoing, Sarah was happy to offer up her talents for the playful “Stupid Human Tricks” competition at the company’s annual year-end party.
Sarah’s trick was a squirm-inducing move she’d been doing since she was a little girl: rising up on her tip toes, she would rotate her feet until her toes were pointing straight behind her body, with her legs still together. But the trick didn’t go smoothly this time.
“My ankle popped; I thought I broke it,” Sarah said. “The pain was so bad. It was horrible.”
During an initial trip to the doctor, Sarah’s injury was misdiagnosed as a sprain. She went home hoping it would heal on its own. For the next several years Sarah tried to deal with the pain, but her ankle was never the same. The injury began to take a serious toll on her active lifestyle: she could no longer do the things she loved, including skiing and running. She would push herself to play team sports like kickball, but be miserable from the pain for days afterwards. (more…)
We are honored to share this video blog from donor parents Pat and Jay Landers of Springfield, IL. Here Pat and Jay remember their son, Ryan, who was killed in a car accident and became an organ and tissue donor. So far, Ryan’s gifts have impacted 61 recipients in at least 12 states and Korea through 2 organ, 54 tissue and 5 vascular transplants.
Pat and Jay share in their own words what it has meant to them to be a donor family.
We were so pleased to meet this brave donor family via the Gift of Hope organ procurement organization.
Every March 4, family and friends of donor Jake Thompson gather for a day of snowboarding in honor of Thompson, who was an avid snowboarder and was killed in an accident on March 4, 2009. Today is the second annual Shred for Jake Day and is being held at Keystone Ski Resort from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
We are pleased to announce that we have launched an AllograftPossibilities Facebook page. Click here to check it out. Our goals for the page are threefold: grow the online awareness of tissue donation, provide updates on tissue donation and transplantation in social communities where people are spending time and introduce new people to the educational AllograftPossibilities site.
Those of you who are on Facebook, we would appreciate your support in “liking” the page. Please invite your friends and family to do the same. For those of you without Facebook accounts, don’t worry, you can still view our Facebook at any time, as it is a public page.
Tending to her garden, church activities and spending time with her husband of 28 years, two daughters and six energetic grandchildren are some of the most important parts of Debby Spidel’s life. However, several years ago a worsening spinal condition threatened to overshadow her time doing these things that are most dear.
Debby, a 50-year-old senior human resources generalist from Lebanon, IN, had for several of years suffered from a degenerative arthritic condition in her spine that resulted in constant neck pain. While she saw a chiropractor weekly and the therapy would provide momentary relief, nothing fully eradicated the problem.
As her condition progressed her back pain began taking a greater toll on her body. “I was having numbness in my arms and hands. I had headaches all the time,” said Debby.
Her doctor referred her to an orthopedic surgeon, who gave Debby some serious news: it wasn’t a matter of if she was going to need spinal surgery, but when. Two of Debby’s discs were protruding and pushing on her spinal cord. The surgeon warned her that waiting much longer to have surgery would lead to permanent nerve damage. (more…)
As you may know, every year we sponsor a float rider on the Donate Life Float in the Tournament of Roses Parade. The float features organ and tissue transplant recipients, living donors and family members of deceased donors from around the country, joined together in celebration and remembrance of the spectacular gift of life. It is a great opportunity for us to continue telling the story of tissue donation and transplantation.
This year our float rider was 20-year-old cancer survivor and bone recipient Parker Simpson, originally from Aurora, CO. Parker went to school with my sons and I know his story of courage and perseverance on a personal level. He had an inspiring experience while in Pasadena for the parade. (more…)
Please take a moment to read this powerful story from USA Today, which focuses on the difficult decision for parents who have lost a child to donate their deceased child’s organs and tissues, and how this choice offers them comfort following the grave loss.
From the article: Donating their child’s organs not only gives parents “some sense of closure, it also allows them to know that their child is living on in a special way,” says George Mazariegos, a pediatric liver and intestine transplant surgeon at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. “That’s very healing and very powerful for them.”
We were thrilled that myriad local media took an interest in the story of Colorado Rose Parade float rider and tissue recipient Parker Simpson. It was a great way to kick off the New Year: with a reminder of the amazing possibilities of tissue donation.
Follow the links below to check out some of the coverage of this AlloSource-sponsored float rider:
Additionally, another Rocky Mountain participant, Patricia Thomas (sponsored by Donor Alliance) also received great media coverage of her participation. Patricia rode aboard the Donate Life float in memory of her daughter Kathleen, who was a tissue donor.
For the eighth year, Donate Life will sponsor a float in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade. This year, two families from the Rocky Mountain region will travel to Pasadena and ride on the 2011 Donate Life float, Seize the Day!, in an effort to heighten awareness about tissue donation. The float will include organ and tissue transplant recipients, living donors and family members of deceased donors from around the country, joined together in celebration and remembrance of the spectacular gift of life.
In memory of her daughter Kathleen, who was a Denver resident, Patricia Thomas, of Cody, Wyoming, is proud to ride the float in commemoration of her daughter’s gifts of life that included donated corneas, heart valves, as well as bone and skin grafts. Thomas’ participation in the parade is sponsored by Donor Alliance, the federally-designated, non-profit organ procurement organization serving Colorado and most of Wyoming.
Joining Thomas aboard the float will be 19-year-old Aurora, Colorado native, Parker Simpson. In 2006, Simpson was an active, athletic and academically ambitious high school sophomore when a sports injury to his ankle began a trying medical journey that would test his and his family’s resolve for years to come. Along the way infections, back surgery, possible amputation and Stage IV bone cancer in his arm overshadowed his prospects for a normal teenage life. In order to save his cancer-ridden arm, Simpson’s shoulder and a large part of his humerus were replaced with an allograft bone transplant from a deceased donor. The generosity of the tissue donor allowed Parker to resume his active life.
AlloSource, one of the nation’s largest non-profit providers of skin, bone and soft tissue allografts for use in surgical procedures, will sponsor Simpson’s participation in the parade and send along several employees to watch him and Thomas ride aboard the Donate Life float.
Check your local listings for Parade coverage, which starts at 8 AM PST this Saturday, January 1!
I recently attended the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Tissue Banks in National Harbor, Maryland. The annual meeting is a chance for the accredited tissue bank community to get together to continue efforts to improve tissue banking standards, present science and honor tissue donation. Many interesting topics are covered every year and this year was no different.
This year some of the areas of microbiological focus included:
Scientific update on AATB study of Trypanosoma cruzi (parasite that causes Chagas disease): This project is a collaboration between the AATB and the CDC and is aimed at getting a better understanding of the survivability of the parasite within procured tissues.
Pre-process bioburden testing: This presentation by MTF revolved around a new standard proposal that may give tissue banks additional options in how to culture tissue prior to processing. (more…)
Summer inspires renewal of mission, and commitment to the future at AlloSource
The last several months marked a period of invigorating collaboration with other tissue and donor organizations and served as yet another reminder to me and my AlloSource colleagues about the importance of remaining committed to our mission.
In June, we attended the annual Association of Organ Procurement Organizations meeting in Baltimore where we heard stirring news from some of the leading organizations in our industry, many of whom are doing exciting work to advance tissue transplantation for future generations. We were proud to speak with these peers about the research and development going on here at AlloSource, and our commitment to improving the possibilities of tissue transplant. (more…)
The theme of this year’s 27th 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.
Upstate New York Transplant Services is getting creative with its latest blood drive. In conjunction with the release of the wildly popular, vampire-themed Twilight movies, the organ procurement organization is holding a blood drive at a mall in Buffalo. Inspired by other successful Twilight-themed blood drives across the country, organizers hope to tap into the massive crowds expected to attend the premiere. Read more here.
Ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors at AlloSource? Take a quick behind-the-scenes look at tissue banking R&D, with AlloSource Vice President of R&D, Simon Bogdansky.
A short tour of the leading laboratory where AlloSource develops new life-saving and life-enhancing tissue allografts
Discover the laboratory where AlloSource ensures the safety of its allografts
Take a look inside AlloSources cutting-edge stem cell laboratory, where the company is developing new types of allografts that promote tissue regeneration
AlloSource was proud to earlier this month once again be involved with the Donate Life Rose Parade float, this year entitled New Life Rises. The float is an annual tribute to the millions of people touched by organ, tissue and blood donation. AlloSource sponsored a float rider from Colorado: Manuel Salazar, a 29-year-old quadruple amputee survivor of a horrific construction site accident, who now thrives thanks to his indomitable spirit and donated allograft tissue.
Several employees accompanied Manuel and his caregiver CoCo to Pasadena. They all were touched by the emotional and inspiring event; a few of their stories:
“What a wonderful experience. The reception dinner was very emotional. I had the opportunity to meet and talk with some of the donor families. The strength and courage they have is truly amazing. Having them all gathered at a dinner was really something. You could feel the emotions in the air. (more…)
Check out the view that AlloSource employees had from the stands of the Rose Parade as they watched the incredible Donate Life float pass by and cheered for float rider and tissue recipient Manuel Salazar.
Our inspiring float rider representative for the Donate Life Rose Parade float, Manuel Salazar, has been a hit with media around Colorado. Leading up to and following his participation in the Rose Parade, Manuel was featured by FOX 31, Aurora Sentinel, Aurora 8, Broomfield Enterprise and 9News, which you can see below.
I am continually invigorated by modern science that finds new ways to use donated human tissue to treat a host of medical conditions. I am very proud to have some of this pioneering innovation happening right here at AlloSource.
Last month, we shared two important new products with the world’s leaders in spinal care at the North American Spine Society (NASS) conference. These products, AlloStem Stem Cell Bone Growth Substitute and AlloWrap Natural Wound Cover, will provide new solutions for surgeons to form bone and cover wounds. You can read more about AlloStem further in the newsletter and on our blog. (more…)
In this edition I want to share with you some exciting news regarding our accomplishments in developing and commercializing bone allografts containing adult mesenchymal stem cells.
A little more than a year ago we undertook the development of an adult stem cell technology platform with the goal of combining it with allografts to produce products with enhanced tissue regeneration capabilities. We took a road less traveled with respect to the source of the cells. Traditionally the focus has been on using bone marrow derived cells. But limitations in quantity and recovery difficulties resulted in our choosing adipose tissue (fat in everyday parlance) as the source of cells. (more…)
At AlloSource we are lucky to be inspired by the donor families and patients whose lives we touch and whose stories provide us with the ultimate meaning to our work. We are also blessed to live and work in areas of the country that provide inspiring vistas and landscapes. Many of us spend our personal time and even some of our window-gazing at work being inspired by these panoramas. We asked employees to capture images of the scenes that inspire them, and we received hundreds of photos. We hope these images inspire you, too.
The Times They are a Changin’
This rings true for me on a daily basis. I use all kinds of alternative communication methods to stay in touch with friends and colleagues around the country instead of using a landline phone. I can no longer keep up with remembering the names of all the children born to AlloSource employees in a given year. And after raising three boys, my wife Cyndy and I are actually on the final countdown to being empty nesters. Life is all about change!
Change is constant, and for those of us in the tissue donation and processing industry, the last 18 months have meant a wide scale re-tooling of how we do business. For the first time in my nine years at AlloSource, we have seen enough of a significant increase in available tissue donors that our supply actually outweighs the demand. This increase in donors is a strong testament to the work of our organ recovery agencies that help donor families in their time of need and encourage others to pass on their gifts. (more…)
In this edition I want to share with you some exciting news regarding our accomplishments in developing and commercializing bone allografts containing adult mesenchymal stem cells.
Newsfeed