organrecipients

In this episode, we're diving into an important and often misunderstood topic: directed donation and paired exchange donations. These procedures involve matching willing donors with compatible recipients, facilitating organ transplants among individuals who may not be compatible with their intended recipients. Join us as we sit down with John Babbitt, whose unwavering positivity shines through as he shares his firsthand experience with paired exchanges and sheds light on the myths and misconceptions surrounding organ and tissue donation, particularly within multicultural communities. 

Faith also plays a significant role in this conversation. While we respect that faith is deeply personal, we explore its connection to the donation process and how it shapes individuals' decisions. John's journey serves as a beacon of hope, especially for men of color who may be hesitant about donation.

Tune in as we navigate through the complexities of donation, challenge common misconceptions, and strive to foster greater understanding and inclusivity in the donation community. Thank you for joining us on this enlightening journey.

Diagnosed with a rare autoimmune kidney disease at just 22 years old, Jennifer has since undergone four kidney transplants. Now, she uses her platform as Board Chair of the National Kidney Foundation in Minnesota, Donate Life America volunteer and author of Incurable Optimist: Living with Illness and Chronic Hope to advocate for organ donation and kidney disease prevention. Listen to Jennifer’s remarkable journey on this episode of Let’s Talk Hope.

Ieesha Johnson entered the organ procurement industry more than 15 years ago as a Hospital Services Coordinator and has been supporting the multicultural aspect of organ and tissue donation since. Hear how Ieesha, now the Director of Community Outreach at Infinite Legacy and President of the Association of Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT), has made it her life’s work to educate and build trust within multicultural and underserved communities and empower a new generation of leaders in the industry.

Finding out her mother was a registered organ donor upon her passing was no surprise to Taylor, “she would give whatever she could.” Months later, her partner would need a stem cell transplant. “You just have to have compassion and that passion to help somebody,” she says reflecting on the gift of donation. Listen to the full story on this episode of let’s talk hope.

The holiday season may be a difficult time for those who have lost a loved one. Renata Krzyston, manager of Gift of Hope’s Donor Family Services and a donor family herself, shares different ways you can honor the memory of your loved one during the holidays, and the ongoing support her team offers donor families during the most critical times.

The most inspiring conversations of 2022 are brought together for one powerful episode. Hear from transplant recipients and families of organ & tissue donors about their life changing experiences with donation. Stay tuned for a new season of Let’s Talk Hope starting on October 25, 2023.

Christine Ho received the call one day that any wife dreads: Her husband was in an accident.  Hear what happens next as Chicago Police Officer Jonathan Ho ultimately saves lives, through the family’s experience with organ and tissue donation.

Police officer Mark wondered if he’d ever be able to roller skate again. He’d waited for a liver transplant for nearly a decade. With less than three days left to live Mark received a life-saving donation. Now, he reflects on his journey to health and shares his story to help spread awareness about organ donation among minority communities. 

When Police Officer Tommy Butts needed a kidney transplant, his wife Sarah took to social media to find a donor. It didn’t come in time for Tommy. But Sarah’s outreach motivated a state trooper hundreds of miles away to become a donor. She inspired one person—now she wants to inspire 100. Sarah shares what it was like through Tommy’s diagnosis and dialysis, the wait, his death, his own organ & tissue donation, and what gets her out of bed every morning: the chance to encourage someone to say yes to donation.

“I’m not gonna live the rest of my life like this.” Debilitating back pain plagued Chicago CEO Tiffany Mathis for years, until spinal surgery using a donor’s bone tissue. She talks about how she took charge of her care to get there, the challenges facing Black and Brown communities, and the need to talk more about organ and tissue donation. 

After Kimberly Johnson received a lifesaving transplant, she wrote a letter to her donor’s family. She heard back six months later What she learned about her donor amazed her.  What they share goes far beyond the kidney Kimberly received. You hear people say that life imitates art. In this case, life imitates science—the science of donation.

In this reshare episode of Let's Talk Hope, Marion Shuck interviews donor-recipient Laura Barajas about life on the waiting list.

Let’s Talk Hope has put together a compilation of inspiring stories from our best podcast guests sharing their journey and connection to organ, eye and tissue donation.  

Drug addiction and depression is a debilitating illness and often bigger than the person suffering. Let’s Talk Hope talks to Terri Roman, donor mom, about her daughter Julie and shares the struggles and triumph of her illness and how donation was able to rewrite the ending to Julie’s story.

All major religions in the U.S. support donation and believe it  to be the ultimate act of love and generous. For many people, faith plays and important role in the decision to register as an donor. Michael Zedek, Rabbi Emeritus of Emanuel Congregation shares how the Judaism religion intersects with organ and tissue donation.

Sometimes the gift of donation can come to a person through love and ironically get matched by blood. Anna Valencia, City Clerk of Chicago father Joe’s transplant journey gave her the strength to run for political office. She also talked about how marginalized communities are gaining access to vital city services through the City Key program.  

Making the decision to donate a loved one’s organs is never easy, even when you work for an organ procurement organization. Shaun Martin, Director of Tissue Recovery at Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network had to make that decision when his son Matthew passed away in 2020 at the age of 15. The Martin family decided to give the the life enhancing gift of tissue an area of donation that isn’t discussed often.  

In the aftermath of George Floyd, minority communities, in particular the African American communities, continue to lack the societal resources to help them understand the inequities in the healthcare system. Dr. Dinee Simpson, transplant surgeon, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Dr. Milda Saunder, internal medicine physician, University of Chicago Medicine expose the systematic issues that plague communities of color.

Loving son, honor student, track and football star, cared for others and church youth group leader are words that describe Deveraux “2” Hubbard, Donor on a special street banner Downtown Peoria, Ill. Riverfront. Kristie Hubbard, donor mother talks about her son “2”, raising awareness about Factor V Leiden and how honored their family was to have him and other life-giving donors highlighted during National Minority Donor Awareness Month in August.