African-American donors needed!

At this moment, there are 110,461 people on the national waiting list for organ transplants. That number will probably change many more times today; in fact, a new name is added about every 11 minutes. It’s no secret – we have a huge shortage of available organs in the U.S.

This is a particularly big problem for African-Americans, who face increased risks for diabetes and kidney disease. There are 32,343 black patients currently listed for transplants, and 93% of those individuals need a kidney transplant. This group makes up nearly 30% of the national waiting list, but in 2010, only 14% of donors were black.

Transplant success rates dramatically increase when the donor and recipient are members of the same race, so it’s critical to register more African-Americans with their state donor registries.

As we celebrate Black History Month and recognize the wonderful leaders who have changed our society for the better, please take a moment to consider becoming an organ donor.

It’s easy! Visit our Transplant Challenge page to sign up with your state donor registry today.

Auction and Hog Roast Fundraiser Raises Nearly $20,000!

Last month, an auction and hog roast in honor of NFT patient Barbara Igney was a huge success! This was the first event ever planned by chairperson Bonnie Warstler, and she was thrilled with the result.

The fundraiser, which included an auction, silent auction, 50/50 raffle, hog roast and entertainment by the band Blessed Engine raised nearly $20,000 in honor of Barbara! We are so excited for the success of this campaign.

Barbara and Bonnie at the end of the event.

Barbara being presented with a lifetime membership to the American Legion.

Upcoming Workshops from the Living Kidney Donor Network

The Living Kidney Donor Network (LKDN) is offering you the opportunity to attend their informative educational workshop that will help you pursue a successful living kidney transplant.

The workshop is not your traditional classroom lecture - but an interactive program offering personal attention, interactions and practice time for the participants. Everyone quickly realizes that they have a lot in common and can learn from one another.

This workshop educates people who need, or will need a kidney transplant so they understand the facts about living donation and will have the skills to effectively communicate the information to others. The benefits of a kidney from a living donor are indisputable. If you are apprehensive about talking to others about your situation, or would like to learn more about pursuing a living donor kidney transplant, the LKDN Workshop is for you!

Three LKDN Workshops have been scheduled for:

February 22, 2011 – March 21, 2011 – April 26, 2011
6:00 – 8:30 PM

155 N. Wacker Dr. Chicago
(Northeast corner of Wacker Dr. and Randolph St.)
2nd Floor Conference Center

FREE Parking will be provided

Class size is limited - so please register by calling 312-473-3772 or e-mailing: workshop@LKDN.org.

For more information, please visit LKDN.org.

A New You: Kelly Bradley

This week, The Commercial Appeal featured NFT patient Kelly Bradley in their weekly makeover section! We were so excited for Kelly to have this exciting opportunity. Doesn't she look great?

The following information is from The Commercial Appeal.

Who: Kelly Bradley, 51, a retired legal secretary, lives in Bartlett and has one grown son. Bradley's liver transplant gave her a new life, but she was at a loss on how to create a new image.

Issues: In January she turned 51 and celebrated both her birthday and the one-year anniversary of her liver transplant at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After three years of coping with liver disease and then with the transplant, she has gone from a size 8 to 18 and back to a size 10. Confused about how to shop for her body shape, she felt panic attacks just walking into stores.

Hair fix: Bradley's hair, thinned and dulled by medication, presented a challenge for Cindy Farr Hester, American Board of Certified Haircolorists Colorist/Stylist, at Gould's Day Spa & Salon in Olive Branch. Farr Hester gave Bradley easy-care hair starting with a soft, warm brown base color close to her natural shade so she can easily replicate it at home. She added golden highlights that would blend with her new hair growth. She cleaned her hair with thickening shampoo and cut it in layers to create an airy look with more volume. She used gel, a blow dryer and round brush to style it, finger-shaped it with styling wax and set it with Bumble & Bumble Hairspray.

Beauty fix: Lisa Byrd, makeup artist and hair stylist with Gould's, used Mirabella makeup, starting with 1 Warm for her foundation. She waxed Bradley's brows and filled them in with medium brown powder. She used a matte cream shadow all over the eye, nutmeg brown along the outer edges and crease, and a soft gold along the lash line and the center of the lid. She used dark brown liner, black mascara and bronzer instead of a blush to compliment her "warm golden" skin tone. She softened brick red lipstick with a nude lip gloss.

Fashion fix: Carolyn Bendall, image consultant and president of Fashion Academy, took Bradley to Kohl's in Cordova to create a foundation for a new wardrobe. A "warm golden's" basic neutral colors are brown, instead of black, and cream, instead of white. Bendall chose brown slacks, a brown "fly away" sweater by AB Studio, and a cream turtleneck sweater by Access. To add more color, she chose a brown and gold sequined scarf by Candies, a multistrand peach and gold necklace, orange gem bracelet, and drop off-white pearl earrings by Apt. 9.

Score card: "I had the time of my life and still feel like one of the pretty people," Bradley said. "My own mother, brother, friends didn't even recognize me. It's such a great experience."

Kohl's gave Bradley a $200 gift card with which she bought the entire outfit with about $30 left over. Draper's Catering of Memphis provided a sandwich platter, fruit and dessert platter, and bottled water for all at the salon, and Gould's gave Bradley a gift basket that contained Pure Fiji body and hair care products and other goodies. Fashion Academy gave Bradley free admission to its color, personality and body line shopping classes at Brow Gal in East Memphis.

If you'd like to know more about Bradley's story, check out transplants.org/donate/kellybradley.

Altruistic Donors Boost Hopes for Those Waiting for Kidney Transplant

The following article is from the Daily Herald.

Their stories amaze.

Brenda Bogue, a 44-year-old physical therapist and marathon runner who lives in Schaumburg, was inspired to donate one of her kidneys by a story she read last summer in the Daily Herald.

It was about a man in St. Charles who donated a kidney, inspired by the example of his daughter, who had signed up as an organ donor before she died at age 17 in a car accident.

Before reading the story, Bogue hadn’t realized being a living donor was an option.

“To me, it was kind of like, why wouldn’t I?” Bogue said as she was preparing to return to work a week after the laparoscopic surgery Dec. 30. She’s also signed up to run another marathon in September.

While the decision to give up a kidney might seem overwhelming, people who have done it say it really isn’t that hard and it’s incredibly rewarding.

Bogue’s donation completed the missing link in a set of matched pairs that allowed three people, including Donald Fradkin, 76, of Deerfield, and Adriane Price, 43, of Wadsworth, to get new kidneys.

For donor Scott Kalkis, 28, a casual conversation at a company Christmas party led to a donation.

Kalkis, who manages the Firestone Complete Auto Care at the Fox Valley Shopping Center in Aurora, ran into the manager of another Firestone store at the party in 2009 and thought he looked unwell.

“I didn’t know how sick he was, but you could tell he wasn’t right.”

Carlos Cerda, 57, who now manages the Batavia store, told Kalkis he needed a kidney transplant, but he thought one of his two daughters would be able to supply it.

Kalkis volunteered to step in if needed. “It was actually real easy,” he said of making his promise.

Months later, with minor health issues making his daughters ineligible as donors, Cerda recalled Kalkis’ comment and, with trepidation, asked if he was serious.

Kalkis, of Plainfield, said he was. It wasn’t until Cerda, of Lockport, brought over a stack of paperwork, though, that he realized the enormity of his promise. He didn’t waiver.

To read the full article, click here.

February Patient of the Month: Troy Golden

When he was just 15 years old, Troy was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse, meaning the valve separating the upper and lower chambers of his heart was not closing properly. Even with this condition, he had no real issues until he was in his late 20s. In 2000, doctors implanted an artificial mitral valve, but it had to be replaced in 2006, along with an aortic valve.

He now suffers from Marfan's syndrome, a genetic disorder affecting his heart's connective tissue. His brother battled the same illness and required a heart transplant 15 years ago. Troy has also been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy and cardiomegaly. Doctors say a heart transplant is critical to his survival.

Troy is participating in a clinical study and was the first person to receive a total artificial heart in his region of the country. He is only the second person in the United States to go home with the device implanted. Although his artificial heart is helping him regain his strength, it requires him to be with someone at all times, in case the device malfunctions. His new heart does not allow him to live a normal life and forces him to rely on others for every heartbeat.

To read more about Troy or to make a donation in his honor, please visit his bio on the NFT website.

Celebrate Black History Month with Nordstrom

REGISTER TO BE A BONE MARROW DONOR.

Many people are fighting life-threatening diseases like leukemia and sickle cell anemia, and they need a bone marrow transplant to survive. Donor matches are critical, especially among minority groups. Only 7% of the 9 million Be The Match Registry® members are African-American. In honor of Black History Month, Nordstrom is helping raise awareness about the need for black donors.

For every person who joins the Be The Match Registry® through nordstrom.com/bhm from February 1–28, Nordstrom will support the cost of adding a new member to the registry, up to $75,000.

For more information or to learn how to register, visit Be the Match. Donor registration information will not be shared with Nordstrom.

NFT Patients Who Received Transplants in January

We are so happy for our patients who received their lifesaving transplants last month! Many people are unaware of the lifetime of expenses related to transplants and the essential medications and follow-up care. NFT is dedicated to helping these patients continue to raise funds so they can return to a normal life without worrying about the expenses.

• Sofia Lumi Bentos (liver) at Jackson Memorial Hospital
• Jeffrey Hanna (lung) at Mayo Clinic in Florida
• Pamela Locke (kidney) at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
• Lauran Martin (pancreas) at Duke University Medical Center
• Barbara Priester (liver) at Cleveland Clinic
• Grover Strickland (kidney) at UAB Hospital
• Joseph Tomarazzo (liver) at Florida Hospital