Health & SafetyYou have the Power to Donate LifeBy Carol Marshall, RNApril is Organ DonationAwareness Month. On average,18 people die each day from thelack <strong>of</strong> available organs fortransplant. Organ, eye and tissuetransplants <strong>of</strong>fer patients a newchance at healthy, productiveand normal lives.Last year more than 8,000deceased donors made possible more than 22,000 organtransplants. In addition, there were nearly 7,000transplants from living donors. There are also 30,000tissue donors and 40,000 cornea donors annually,providing more than one million tissue and corneatransplants. More than 100,000 men, women andchildren currently await lifesaving organ transplants.Transplantation is one <strong>of</strong> the most remarkable successstories in the history <strong>of</strong> medicine and YOU have thepower to be an organ or tissue donor.As a donor, you can save and enhance the lives <strong>of</strong>more than 75 people. Donated organs include heart,intestines, kidneys, liver, lungs and pancreas. Donatedtissues include bones, corneas, heart valves, skin,tendons and veins. Organs are distributed based uponmedical information, including blood type, body sizeand tissue matching through a national computernetwork operated by the United Network for OrganSharing (UNOS). Tissue is distributed based on patientneed, availability and medical criteria.People <strong>of</strong> all ages and medical histories shouldconsider themselves potential donors. Your willingnessto donate will not interfere with your medical care.Organ, eye and tissue donation only becomes an optionafter all lifesaving efforts have been made. Your medicalcondition at the time <strong>of</strong> death will determine whatorgans and tissue can be donated. Consent for donationis confirmed and your family is asked to participate inthe process by providing medical history. If you havedocumented your decision to donate, your wishes canbe honored without requiring additional family consent(except for minors). However, it is important to tellfamily members that you have decided to become adonor so that they will help support it. There is no costto the donor’s family or estate for organ or tissuedonation.Essential StepsAccording to research, 98 percent <strong>of</strong> all adults haveheard about organ donation and 86 percent have heard<strong>of</strong> tissue donation. Ninety percent <strong>of</strong> Americans saythey support donation, but only 30 percent know theessential steps to take to be a donor. In <strong>Nebraska</strong> youcan become an organ, eye, and tissue donor in one <strong>of</strong>three ways:1) By signing up on the <strong>Nebraska</strong> Donor Registry atwww.nedonation.org.2) By consenting to become an organ, eye and tissuedonor at the <strong>Department</strong> <strong>of</strong> Motor Vehicles whenapplying for or renewing your driver’s license orstate identification card.3) By signing an organ donor card.It is also possible to donate life to others as a livingkidney or partial liver, lung, intestine or pancreas donor.Contact the <strong>Nebraska</strong> Donor Registry if this issomething you would like to consider.If you are not an organ, tissue or eye donor, now isthe time to consider doing so. Family members <strong>of</strong> organand tissue donors <strong>of</strong>ten find solace and comfort inknowing that something good came out <strong>of</strong> their tragicloss. Recipients <strong>of</strong> organs, eyes and tissues have a newchance at healthy, productive and normal lives. Thiswould not be possible without someone like you givingthe gift <strong>of</strong> life.Correspondents KeepPulse on NewsTwenty-seven individuals perform therole <strong>of</strong> tracking newsworthy activities<strong>of</strong> over 2,200 NDOR employees. Theygather news for the Roadrunner’s All in theFamily section, including births, deaths,weddings, and graduations along withother newsworthy items. Please supportyour correspondents in their efforts toprovide timely, accurate information.Bridge..................................................Lori LarsonBusiness Tech Support ..................Trish SanchezCommunication.................................Linda WilsonConstruction....................................Agnes MasekController ..........................................Brenda HainDirector’s Office ..............................Verneda KellyHuman Resources .........................Diane HolthusLegal.....................................................Twila AveyLocal Projects.......................................Cindy BellMaterials & Research.........................Barb TraudtOperations ........................................Liz SalisburyPlanning & ProjectDevelopment....................Sandra KnippelmeyerLinda LangdaleProgram Management..........................June RostRail & Pubic Transportation..........Charlie BowlbyRight-<strong>of</strong>-Way...................................Jan BerrymanRoadway Design .......................Sandra SchuelkeTraffic Engineering ............................Bobbi OlsonHwy. Safety Section ..............Ardelle BoardmanDistrict 1..........................................Linda PieningDistrict 2.........................................Connie DiblasiDistrict 3 ....................................Judy SchoenfeldtDistrict 4.....................................Esther ShepherdDistrict 5.............................................Cindy VergilDistrict 6 ............................................Carrie KlockDistrict 7 ..............................................Jan CollinsDistrict 8 ................................................Erin Allen18 Roadrunner ◆ April/May 2010
HEALTH & WELLNESSWELLNESSJim McGeeHighway Program Administratorn the fall <strong>of</strong> 2008, Jim was diagnosedwith prostate cancer and had surgery justbefore Christmas. He wasn’t experiencingany health problems at the time. He wassimply undergoing a routine physical examwhen the cancer was detected.Jim had always been health conscious and hadroutine health screenings for colon cancer andprostate cancer. A screening 10 years agoresulted in early detection <strong>of</strong> colon cancer,which was successfully treated.Since his prostate cancer surgery, Jim hashad help and support from a physical therapistand surgeon. He has some common postoperative problems that will be addressed inanother surgery, but he feels it is a fair swap—He doesn’t have cancer and he will be okay.The support <strong>of</strong> Jim’s family and friends hasbeen amazing, especially in the weeks followinghis surgery. His wife, a home health care nurse,and daughter, a physician, have helped agreat deal, as well as his son, a graduatestudent at UNO.Jim hasn’t really made any big lifestyle changes,but continues the health habits he has followedfor many years. He walks at least a mile eachday and is very conscientious about his weight.He also believes that a positive attitude isimportant.Since men are generally less talkative abouthealth issues and might be hesitant to thinkabout their health until there are symptoms,Jim urges wives and others to encourage themto take advantage <strong>of</strong> health screening for colonand prostate cancers. Screening provides achance for intervention before these cancersbecome dangerous.Jim’s advice… “I can’t say enough about thevalue <strong>of</strong> screening. Without screening, I’d bewalking around unaware that I had cancer.About one in six men will develop prostatecancer. There’s no need for anybodyto die from either prostate or coloncancer. Screening can addyears to a life.”Roadrunner ◆ April/May 2010 19
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