In the News

In the News

CONTENT

2015
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WINDSOR
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PATCH
Help LifeChoice ECHO the choice to be an organ donor
HARTFORD COURANT
For organ recipient, donor family, Father’s Day has special meaning
WINDSOR PATCH
LifeChoice Donor Services relocates and unveils new logo
NEW MILFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY
LifeChoice Donor Services quilt on display
CHARLOTTE HUNGERFIELD HOSPITAL
LifeChoice Donor Services Thanks CHH
HAMLET HUB EAST WINDSOR
Walk or run LifeChoice’s Blue and Green 5k for organ donation May 2
HARTFORD COURANT
Enfield teens share stories of organ and tissue donation
NORWALK HOUR
National Donate Life Month celebrates lives saved by organ donation
NORWICH BULLETIN
Special flag raising in Colchester
THE RECORDER
Conway farmer saved by double lung transplant
WEST HARTFORD PRESS
Editorial: A lifesaving choice
HARTFORD COURANT
Annual Blue & Green Walk/Run for organ, tissue and eye donation
GLASTONBURY PATCH
Organ donation organization hosts fundraiser at Bertucci’s
NEW HAVEN REGISTER
Milford mother recalls late son’s gift of sight during Eye Donor Month
HAMLET HUB HARTFORD
Hartford man dedicates his life to helping others after organ transplant
WEST HARTFORD PATCH
“Criminal Minds”: Primetime TV episode perpetuates myths
Flip book design: Carol Latter of Edit2e

2014
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MYRECORDJOURNAL.COM
Southington family gives the gift of life
THE REGISTER CITIZEN
Plymouth man recalls life-changing event
MASS LIVE / THE REPUBLICAN
Pastor calls attention to need for minority organ donations
MASS LIVE / THE REPUBLICAN
Wilbraham mother makes decision to lower her cancer risk
WTNH CHANNEL 8
More minority organ donors needed in Connecticut
MASS LIVE / THE REPUBLICAN
Breast Cancer Awareness Month: LifeChoice Donor
Services tissue recovery helps with breast reconstruction
THE RECORDER
Sister gets her life back with brother’s kidney donation
HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Alum speaks out on organ donation
THE MIDDLETOWN PRESS
Organ donation measured the true meaning of friendship
CNN iREPORT
CT to send team of athletes to National Transplant Games
MERIDEN RECORD-JOURNAL
Father finds comfort knowing son’s organs helped many
COURANTPLUS.COM
Organ donation is the best Father’s Day gift of all
HARTFORD COURANT
First walk/run for organ donation raises $90,000
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT POST
LifeChoice hosts first annual walk/run for organ donation
CHARLOTTE HUNGERFORD HOSPITAL
CHH and LifeChoice raise donation awareness flag on campus
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT POST
LifeChoice unveils new, interactive website on National Donor Day

2013
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THE DAY
Through organ donation, Don Preece’s generous spirit lives on
WEST HARTFORD NEWS
LifeChoice: Organ, tissue donors can save a life
SOUTHINGTON CITIZEN
Family remembers man who saw the benefits of being an organ donor
WEST HARTFORD NEWS
Tissue donation offers hope to women treated for breast cancer
THE HARTFORD COURANT
Connecticut DMV drives an increase in organ donor registration
MASS LIVE
Prestando una mano durante el mes de la Herencia Hispana
MYRECORDJOURNAL.COM
Young man changed by a new heart
THE HARTFORD COURANT
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services honors LifeChoice
THE CONNECTICUT BUSINESS NEWS JOURNAL
LifeChoice Donor Services names David Shapiro, MD, associate
medical director
BRIDGEPORT NEWS
A father’s gift
WEST HARTFORD NEWS
In death, Connecticut mom, organ donor shares the gift of life
THE NORWICH BULLETIN
Donate Life flag to fly over Colchester Town Hall
CONNECTICUT BY THE NUMBERS
Flags fly across Connecticut during Donate Life Month
THE JOURNAL INQUIRER
To save a life: East Hartford to raise awareness of organ donations
THE HARTFORD COURANT
East Hartford residents urged to become organ donors
THE HARTFORD COURANT
Hartford Hospital’s 2013 Black & Red Gala benefits Donate Life

MEDIA GUIDE
WELCOME!
Thank you for your interest in LifeChoice Donor Services. We are the federally designated, non-profit
organ and tissue procurement organization (OPO) for six counties in Connecticut and three counties
in western Massachusetts, with a combined population of 2.3 million people.
Our OPO serves 23 acute care hospitals for organ and tissue donation, and two organ transplant
hospitals: Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT and Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a member in good standing of the United Network for Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and accredited by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO).
STORY CONTACTS
Members of the media may reach out to Caitlyn Bernabucci, Public Education/Community Relations
Specialist for LifeChoice Donor Services. She will be happy to answer any questions you may have, and
provide story contacts and background information. You may call her at 860-286-3120 or email her by
clicking here.
PREFERRED TERMINOLOGY
When writing a story about organ donation, it’s important to be sensitive to families who have lost a
loved one, yet chose to help others by donating their family members’ organs. Language also plays an
important role in the misconceptions and fears about organ, tissue and eye donation. For example, a
person who is brain dead can’t be on “life support.” Instead, the organs are perfused with oxygen for
several hours by means of a ventilator or mechanical support.
In May 2005, specific terminology was approved by the Association of Organ Procurement
Organizations (AOPO) Donor Family Council. The council reasoned that avoiding words and phrases
that cause concern among donor families and the general public will increase both understanding and
acceptance of the donation process.
These terminology updates are unanimously supported by the American Society of Transplantation
(AST) and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS), and have been adopted by the
American Journal of Transplantation. We thank you for using words and phrases in a sensitive
manner when reporting on the topic of donation and transplantation.
INSTEAD OF
“Harvest organs” or “Harvesting organs”
“On life support” when someone is brain dead
“Removed life support” when someone is brain dead
“Cadaver” or “Cadaveric donor”
“Progressing to brain death”
“Declare brain death”
“Body parts”
PLEASE USE
“Recover organs” or “Recovering organs”
“On a ventilator” or “On mechanical support”
“Removed the ventilator” or “Removed mechanical support”
“Deceased person/individual” or “Deceased donor”
“Deteriorating to brain death”
“Determine brain death”
“Organs, eyes and/or tissues”
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LifeChoice OPO

LifeChoice Donor Services teams with
pro golfer Erik Compton at youth event
ABOVE: Donor families, transplant recipients and representatives from LifeChoice Donor
Services joined PGA TOUR golfer and two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton at a
2012 youth event held at The First Tee of Connecticut’s facility in Cromwell. Kids and their
families who have been affected by organ donation were the special guests.
Roxanne:
Made possible by an organ donor
Thanks to her heart donor, Roxanne got a second chance at
life and health. Kellen got his mom back, and the world
got something more—a powerful duo who are saving
lives every day as committed donation advocates. You
can save lives, too. Join more than 100 million organ,
eye, and tissue donors and leave behind the gift of life.
Imagine what you could make possible.
organdonor.gov
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
Scan this code with your
smartphone for how
to sign up, more about
Roxanne, and other stories.

Help LifeChoice E.C.H.O. the
Choice to Be an Organ Donor
Windsor Patch
July 9, 2015
The Association for Multicultural
Affairs in Transplantation
and Donate Life America
have joined forces to create a new
nationwide observance called
Donate Life ECHO, which stands
for Every Community Has
Opportunity.
Designed to reach multicultural
communities, the new observance
from July 12th – 25th has two
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objectives: one is to focus on the
power of sharing one’s personal
decision to register as an organ,
eye and tissue donor with members
of one’s community; the second
is to encourage registered
donors to ask members of their
personal networks and extended
communities to talk about donation
and register as donors.
Locally, LifeChoice Donor Services,
the non-profit organ procurement
organization (OPO) for six
counties in Connecticut and three
counties in Western Massachusetts,
is supporting the observance
by launching a social media
campaign.
LifeChoice encourages people to
share photos of themselves with
the reason they are donors on
their Facebook page or other
LifeChoice OPO

ECHO underscores the critical need for people from
diverse communities to register their decision
to donate life as organ, eye and tissue donors.
platform with the goal of increasing
the number of registered donors
in both states. An ECHO banner
to paste directly onto a photo
is available at www.donatelife.net/
echo.
“When people share the life-affirming
message of donation within
their community, more lives will
be saved and healed,” said Caitlyn
Bernabucci, Public Education Specialist
for LifeChoice.
Additionally, on Tuesday, July 14th
and Tuesday, July 21st from 1:00 –
4:00 p.m, CT residents renewing
their driver’s license at the Department
of Motor Vehicles in Wethersfield
can get information from
onsite LifeChoice and Donate Life
Connecticut staff and volunteers
about registering as a donor.
Residents can also have their picture
taken in the Donate Life ECHO
photo booth to share with their
social networks and to be a part
of the Donate Life ECHO! Everyone
can enter for a chance to win a
$100 Amazon gift card (giveaway
sponsored by LifeChoice Donor
Services).
“Since most people register as a
donor at the DMV, we have trained
volunteer ambassadors working
with each DMV office to answer
any questions and provide materials,”
said Bernabucci. “We really
appreciate the CT DMV’s support
of the Donor Registry.”
Multicultural communities play a
critical role in America’s transplant
system. They save and heal lives as
donors of organs, eyes and tissue,
need life saving kidney transplants
in disproportionately high numbers,
and serve patients and families
as healthcare professionals.
ECHO underscores the critical
need for people from diverse communities
to register their decision
to donate life as organ, eye and tissue
donors. It’s important to note,
organs are not matched according
to race or ethnicity. People of different
races often match one another.
However, there is a higher probability
of a match when received
from someone of the same ethnicity
because compatible blood
types and tissue markers—critical
qualities for donor and recipient
matching—are more likely. Ultimately,
a greater diversity of donors
will increase access to organ
and tissue transplantation for everyone.
In Connecticut, only 43% of state
residents over the age of 18 are
included in the Donor Registry,
which is below the national average
of 48%. Summer is a great
time to consider joining the
Donor Registry and while the registry
protects your decision to be
a donor, it is important to tell your
family. The decision to be a registered
donor does not impact the
quality of care you will receive in a
hospital or emergency situation -
the ultimate goal is always to save
your life. It is important for people
of all ages, races and ethnicities to
consider giving the gift of life and
many common illnesses and ailments
do not make people ineligible
to donate.
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc. is
the federally designated, non-profit
organ procurement organization
(OPO) for six counties in Connecticut
and three counties in Western
Massachusetts with a combined
population of 2.3 million people.
The OPO serves 23 acute care
hospitals for organ and tissue donation
and two organ transplant
hospitals, Hartford Hospital in
Hartford, CT and Baystate Medical
Center in Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and is accredited by the
Association of Organ Procurement
Organizations (AOPO). For more
information about LifeChoice and
to join the Donor Registry, please
visit www.lifechoiceopo.org or call
1.800.874.5215.
In The News 11

For Organ Recipient, Donor Family,
Father’s Day Has Special Meaning
June 21, 2015
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Jim Hodrinsky did not expect
to be around for this Father’s
Day — or the last one, or
the one before that. Diagnosed
with cardiomyopathy in 2005,
Hodrinsky, 69, spent years in poor
health, losing 65 pounds, undergoing
six open heart surgeries in
10 days, spending a two-month
stint in an induced coma and, on
one occasion, being defibrillated
29 times.
But in what Hodrinsky calls “a miracle,”
he will spend Sunday in Mansfield
with his family — his son,
daughter and three grandchildren
— thanks to a heart transplant he
received in 2011.
Hodrinsky was determined to do
“everything that they told me I
needed to do, and then some”
so he could get that transplant.
When he was out of the hospital,
he worked steadily to improve his
fitness and prepare himself for the
surgery he would need.
Hodrinsky received his new heart
on Aug. 25, 2011, in a surgery
made even more uncommon because
of his rare O positive blood
type. Hodrinsky calls the surgery
day his “rebirthday,” and each
year his family celebrates it with a
picnic.
LifeChoice OPO

Almost four years ago, Hodrinsky
sent a letter to the family of his donor,
telling them how grateful he
is for their loved one’s sacrifice and
assuring them he won’t let it go to
waste.
“I want you to know that your
loved one’s heart is residing in
someone that has spent his entire
adult life helping others. You can
be certain that I will continue to
pursue that path,” he wrote. “I am
getting stronger every day, slowly
resuming a more normal life, with
a whole new appreciation for the
little things that really matter.”
‘Something Good’
Maurice Davies understands well
the power of organ donation.
This Father’s Day, like the last two,
he will mark the day without his
beloved daughter at his side. Chelsea
Davies died of meningitis on
Dec. 26, 2012.
Chelsea was an organ donor,
aware her decision would mean
others — like Jim Hodrinsky —
would get a second chance at living.
That knowledge buoys Davies
when he remembers how Chelsea
went out of her way to make Father’s
Day special, one year filling a
toolbox with lottery tickets and his
favorite candies, giggling for days
in advance about the gifts she
planned for him. Her parents also
fondly remember her faithful — if
unspectacular — efforts to cook
him breakfast each year.
And after seeing the results of organ
donation — “a bad situation
turned into something good for
someone else down the line” —
Maurice Davies registered as a donor
himself.
Always a giver, Chelsea was training
to be a teacher before she
died. She was close to finishing
the first leg of her degree at Tunxis
Community College, and planned
to transfer to Central Connecticut
State University. Less than a week
before her death, Chelsea had delivered
goods to Sandy Hook Elementary
School, which was reeling
from its own tragedy.
It helps Maurice and his wife,
Jammy, that they have so many
memories of Chelsea. The Davies,
who also have four sons, have always
traveled “as a pack,” they said.
They can recall with ease family
moments from every year of Chelsea’s
life, and their Bristol living
room is filled with family photos.
It also helps the Davies that they
have a relationship with the recipient
of their daughter’s liver, with
whom they have forged a close
bond over the past few years. They
see in him Chelsea’s quickness to
laughter and tears, and her cheerfulness.
They were pleasantly surprised
to learn one of her favorite
songs is one of his as well.
Before Chelsea died, Maurice
wasn’t an organ donor. He hadn’t
even known his daughter was
a registered donor, but he and
his wife immediately knew they
would heed her wishes. It was the
perfect culmination of her life of
giving, they said.
‘Heartfelt’
The Davies and Hodrinsky all advocate
for organ donation education
and registration through
the LifeChoice Donor Services
organization, the organ procurement
service for six counties in
Connecticut and three in western
Massachusetts.
The Davies are active volunteers,
donating their time to causes such
as breast cancer, blood drives, and
homeless shelters. But their work
with LifeChoice hits closest to
home.
“Everything is heartfelt,” Maurice
Davies said. “But this really has a
special meaning to us.”
Each year, the Davies participate
in the Blue & Green Walk, an annual
fundraiser for LifeChoice,
which raised nearly $100,000 this
year. The Davies themselves raised
nearly $1,500; next year, they’re
hoping to improve on that. Jammy
Davies has also made several radio
appearances to advocate for the
organization.
“We jumped in head first, learning
more about it and advocating to
pretty much everybody we know
how important it is to be an organ
donor,” Maurice Davies said.
For his part, when he left the hospital,
Hodrinsky offered to help
his caretakers in any way possible;
since his transplant, he has addressed
medical students, donor
families and soon-to-be organ recipients.
A former teacher, Hodrinsky is
comfortable in the role of public
speaker. And he understands its
significance.
“My goal is to give back —
[speaking] is a great opportunity
for me to give back,” Hodrinsky
said. “I’ve had a very lucky life …
Totally amazing. Much beyond
coincidence.”
In The News 13

Windsor Patch
LifeChoice Donor Services
Relocates and Unveils New Logo
June 17, 2015
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc.,
the non-profit organization
that coordinates the donation
of organs and tissue for transplant
for most of Connecticut and
part of Massachusetts, has helped
thousands of people begin a new,
healthy chapter in their lives.
Now LifeChoice is making a fresh
start of its own by combining its
relocation to a larger office space
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with the launch of a redesigned
logo to commemorate the milestone
reached on May 19, 2015
of 500,000 organ transplants coordinated
by the United Network
for Organ Sharing (UNOS) from
deceased donors in the United
States since its inception in October
1987.
More than 250,000 recipients of
these transplants are estimated to
be surviving. Of those transplant
procedures, the majority at 49%
were kidney transplants, followed
by liver at 29% and 12% for hearts.
62% of the organ recipients were
male.
“We adopted similar colors of the
national Donate LifeTM logo to
make the connection that we are
part of a national system that all
works together to save lives every-
LifeChoice OPO

day,” said Deborah Savaria, Chief
Executive Officer of LifeChoice
Donor Services. “While this is a significant
accomplishment, there is
work to be done with the support
of everyone who commits to donation.”
LifeChoice worked with Melissa
Boehm of ARTfx in Bloomfield,
CT for help with the design of the
logo. The focus is on the word
LifeChoice, which is how most
people identify the organization,
and the logo has a more contemporary
look. The logo is available
in 2 formats – one with just the
LifeChoice name and the other
incorporates the national Donate
Life logo.
Savaria notes the new corporate
location at Griffin Center Business
Park in Bloomfield, CT was chosen
for its proximity to their two transplant
programs at their largest
donor hospitals, Hartford Hospital
and Baystate Medical Center, along
with ease of access to the highway.
The office is 12,300 square feet
compared to the 10,000 sq. ft. at
their previous space in Windsor.
The office also includes a larger
break/lunch area, a better defined
and organized clinical work space,
as well as more storage space. The
single story building has a private
entrance and easier access.
“We needed more functional space
to accommodate our staff that has
grown from 18 people when we
began in 2002 to 34 employees
currently,” said Savaria. “The open
concept design includes common
meeting areas available to everyone.”
Savaria and her staff work tirelessly
to increase the number of registered
organ, tissue and eye donors
in Connecticut and Massachusetts
to help the more than 123,000 people
waiting for a life-saving transplant
today. In recent years, the
pace of transplants has quickened.
In 2014, more than 23,700 transplants
were performed nationwide
involving deceased donors,
more than double the number
performed each year when the national
transplant allocation system
was established in the late 1980s.
A number of factors have contributed
to this trend, including an increase
in organ donors and organs
recovered per donor, new forms
of transplantation introduced in
recent years, and improvements
in systems and policies that have
increased the efficiency of organ
placement.
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc.
is the federally designated,
non-profit organ procurement organization
(OPO) for six counties
in Connecticut and three counties
in Western Massachusetts with a
combined population of 2.3 million
people. The OPO serves 23
acute care hospitals for organ and
tissue donation and two organ
transplant hospitals, Hartford Hospital
in Hartford, CT and Baystate
Medical Center in Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and is accredited by the
Association of Organ Procurement
Organizations (AOPO). For more
information about LifeChoice and
to join the Donor Registry, please
visit www.lifechoiceopo.org or call
1.800.874.5215.
About the OPTN and UNOS
The OPTN brings together medical
professionals, transplant recipients
and donor families to develop
national organ transplantation
policy. United Network for Organ
Sharing (UNOS) serves as the Organ
Procurement and Transplantation
Network (OPTN) by contract
with the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Health Resources
and Services Administration,
Division of Transplantation.
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the Donor
Registry, visit www.lifechoiceopo.
org or call 1-800-874-5215.
In The News 15

LifeChoice
Donor Services
quilt on display
New Milford Public Library May 7, 2015
During May 2015, New Milford
Public Library is displaying
panel number one of
Loving Squares, a quilt sponsored
by LifeChoice Donor Services, the
organ procurement organization
serving counties in Connecticut
and Massachusetts.
Each square on the quilt was
hand-stitched by local families to
commemorate the lives of their
loved ones who gave the gift of
life through organ and tissue donation.
Started in 2002, the local quilt gives
families a meaningful way to memorialize
their loved ones. The last
stitch on each panel of the quilt will
remain open, as the quilt will never
be finished. Each square tells a
personal story: you will find lyrics
to songs, birth and death dates,
photographs, drawings, and remnants
of clothing, all held together
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to share this important message
with our community---that one decision
can save lives!
The gift of life can save the lives
of eight people and dramatically
improve the lives of as many
as fifty more. And the families of
organs and tissue donors often
say that the decision to help others
through donation has helped
them heal. Today more than
120,000 Americans are waiting
for lifesaving organ transplants
and many more wait for donated
tissues. Last year alone, organ donors
saved more than 28,000 lives!
This amazing gift of life makes
each and every donor a hero.
The quilt now on display here at
the library includes the memorial
square of one such hero, Joseph
Wohlschlaeger. Joey was an eleven-year-old
boy when he died.
Active in our community, he was a
library user, Boy Scout, and youth
baseball player. His Mom, Janis,
describes him as “all boy.” He saved
the lives of four people, truly a gift.
http://www.lifechoiceopo.org/
Quilt/index.html#28
In Connecticut only about 40%
of adults are committed to organ
and tissue donation, a number
below the national average. More
education, information, exposure,
and outreach are needed in our
state to bring us beyond average.
We hope that you will stop in to visit
the Loving Squares quilt on display
here at the New Milford Public
Library through the end of May.
Take a moment to view the memorial
squares from every hero. Information
on becoming an organ
and tissue donor is available at the
library, and feel free to register at:
http://donatelifenewengland.org/
register/
LifeChoice OPO

Life Choice Organ
Donor Services
Thanks Charlotte
Hungerford Hospital
May 6, 2015
http://www.charlottehungerford.org/
(Torrington, CT) – Springtime is
a perfect time for Charlotte Hungerford
Hospital and LifeChoice
Donor Services to come together
to celebrate those who have participated
and registered in this lifesaving
organ and tissue donation
program.
CHH staff and LifeChoice representatives
held a special ceremony recently
to raise a new “Donate Life”
flag on the hospital’s main campus
flagpole, honor past donors, and
promote donor awareness and
participation.
During 2014, seven individuals
were tissue donors at CHH, changing
the lives of so many who need
transplants in Connecticut.
The Donate Life flag will fly on
the CHH campus along with the
American and Connecticut State
flags. Charlotte Hungerford is one
of only 400 hospitals nationwide
to be recognized for their participation
in the 2014 Workplace
Partnership For Life Campaign.
Through the combined efforts of
these hospitals, the campaign resulted
in adding 327,659 enrollments
to state donor registries.
“It is a very meaningful program
and we are so pleased to partner
with our colleagues at LifeChoice
Donor Services to help fulfill the
wishes of individuals and family
members who want to make lifesaving
donations to those in need.”
said Teresa Fuller, Administrative
Director, Nursing Services and
Pharmacy at CHH.
Lifechoice is an Organ procurement
organization (OPO) that facilitates
the organ and tissue donation
process for CHH.
OPOs are responsible for honoring
an individual’s decision to
donate when they have joined a
donor registry and providing compassionate
support to families.
OPOs also evaluate potential donors
for medical suitability, assist
with the placement of organs for
transplant, and facilitate the recovery
of both organs and tissues.
“Every day people across the U.S.
make a special effort to celebrate
the tremendous generosity of
those who have saved lives by becoming
organ and tissue donors
and to encourage more Americans
to follow their fine example.” said
Ann Marie Blanco of LifeChoice
Donor Services.
To join the donor registry, individuals
can sign up at the DMV at the
time of their license renewal or can
register online at Donatelifenewengland.org.
The online registry
allows individuals to document
their specific wishes regarding organ
and tissue donation.
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital is a
109 bed, general acute care hospital
located in Torrington, Connecticut,
that serves as a regional health
care resource for 100,000 residents
of Litchfield County and Northwest
Connecticut. CHH offers personalized
attention from an expert
team of caregivers and physicians
that utilize advanced technology
and clinical partnerships in a convenient,
safe and comfortable patient
environment. One Thousand
Caregivers, One Job, Your Health.
Visit www.charlottehungertford.
org for information.
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the Donor
Registry, visit www.lifechoiceopo.
org or call 1-800-874-5215.
In The News 17

Walk or Run LifeChoice’s Blue and Green 5k
for Organ Donation May 2
April 30 2015
This Saturday, Jane Andrews
of East Hartford will once
again lace up her sneakers
with determination, pride and
gratitude for the body that allows
her to move forward.
On May 2, she will lead a team of
friends and supporters at the 2nd
Annual LifeChoice Blue & Green
USATF Certified 5K in her quest
to help raise awareness about the
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need for more registered donors.
After all, she wouldn’t be alive to
walk in this event if it wasn’t for
someone else’s decision to donate
an organ.
“After managing juvenile diabetes
for 35 years, my kidneys began to
fail, and it was clear that without a
new kidney and pancreas I would
have no future,” said Andrews. “It
is only because a grieving family
generously donated their son’s
organs that I got a second chance
at a healthy life. I am one of the
lucky ones.”
Also walking is mother Beth
Ballard, in memory of her son,
Brian Wynne, whose corneal donation
gave two men a second
chance at sight. “Even though
Brian is no longer living, I feel that
his spirit lives on because of his
LifeChoice OPO

LEFT: Last year, more than 600 friends and supporters created teams to celebrate the precious gift of life and raise
awareness about organ donation at the LifeChoice Blue Green 5k nd 2 Mile Walk/Run.
double donation,” adds Ballard. “I
was and will always be so proud to
be his mom.”
At last year’s inaugural event, more
than 700 friends and supporters
created teams in tribute to those
who donated and to celebrate the
precious gift of life.
Many teams walked in remembrance
of a loved one, carrying
photos and posters, wearing
custom shirts and even butterfly
wings. The teams raised more
than $90,000. This year’s goal is
$100,000.
“The turnout was unbelievable. We
honestly did not anticipate that
many people for our first year.” said
Caitlyn Bernabucci, Public Education
Specialist at LifeChoice Donor
Services and event organizer.
“This year’s event will be even bigger
and will feature a USATF-Certified
5K complete with prizes!”
A USATF-certified course is a road
race course whose distance has
been certified for accuracy.
Courses must be certified for any
road running performance to be
accepted as a record or to be nationally
ranked.
Participating in a race on a
certified course allows runners to
accurately compare their time to
performances run on other certified
courses. No one can truly
establish a personal best if the
course distance is not accurate.
You, too, can make a difference on
Saturday, May 2 by signing up to
walk or run the Blue & Green.
Funds raised from the event will
be used for donor family support
and to educate the public and
healthcare professionals about
the critical need for more people
in Connecticut and Massachusetts
to join the Donor Registry.
Registration for the event is $25,
adult; $10, child 17 & under; and
$15 for family members of all
organ, tissue and eye donors.
All registrants will receive a Donate
Life t-shirt and a light breakfast.
The event will also feature a Kids
Run and kids tent, local food trucks
and the popular Wall of Hope.
The race takes place at 21 Griffin
Rd. North in Windsor, from 7:30
a.m to 11 am.
The LifeChoice Blue & Green 5k
is sponsored by Hartford Hospital’s
Transplant Program, Baystate
Health, Organ Recovery Systems,
Shipman & Goodwin LLP, and
Alliances by Alisa Media Relations.
Media sponsors are Hartford Courant,
FOX CT and Connoisseur
Media. John Voket, On-Air Personality,
Journalist and Public Service
Director for Connoisseur Media’s
102.9 The Whale will serve as
emcee for the event.
There are many sponsorship opportunities
still available. For more
information and to register as an
individual or a team, visit www.
bluegreenwalk.org.
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc. is
the federally designated, non-profit
organ procurement organization
(OPO) for six counties in Connecticut
and three counties in Western
Massachusetts with a combined
population of 2.3 million people.
The OPO serves twenty-three
acute care hospitals for organ and
tissue donation and two organ
transplant hospitals, Hartford Hospital
in Hartford, CT and Baystate
Medical Center in Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and is accredited by the
Association of Organ Procurement
Organizations (AOPO).
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the Donor
Registry, visit www.lifechoiceopo.
org or call 1-800-874-5215.
In The News 19

Enfield Teens Share Stories Of
Organ And Tissue Donation
April 30, 2015
Enrico Fermi High School
freshmen William Carlander
and Mark Quinn have different
stories to tell about organ and
tissue donation.
But both stories these longtime
friends share meet at the same
place of advocating for more people
to become organ donors. The
two were at Asnuntuck Community
College on April 22 trying to
20
convince others to opt in to be an
organ donor.
Carlander, better known to his
friends and family as Skipper,
has an older brother, 17-year-old
Jacob Carlander, who in 2010 was
diagnosed with liver cancer. Later
that year he received a liver transplant
that saved his life.
His family’s story, he said, shows
how important organ donations
can be.
“I went through him getting the
donation,” William Carlander, 14,
said. “I want more people to become
donors to help save other
people’s lives.”
Quinn’s story shares the importance
of organ and tissue donation
from another point of view.
LifeChoice OPO

LEFT: Mark Quinn, left, and William “Skipper” Carlander, right, are Enrico Fermi High School students who
are raising awareness for organ donation. Carlander’s brother, 17-year-old Jacob, was the recipient of a new liver
in 2010. Quinn’s father, Edward, died in 2002. Edward’s bone, vein and tissue donations have helped nearly 100
people since. Quinn is holding a photo of him and his father. (Michael Walsh, The Hartford Courant)
“It means more people are going to help and
do what my dad did — to donate whatever
they can to help save lives. We can create a
chain reaction.”
He was only two years old when
his father, Edward, died in 2002
from an enlarged heart that went
undetected.
But because his father was a donor,
his death meant that nearly
100 people of all ages living in all
parts of the country benefitted
from his bone, vein and tissue donations.
“It’s a blessing in disguise,” Quinn,
15, said. “Since it happened, many
people benefitted and it made a
bunch of other people stronger on
the inside.”
The two were at the college to
promote organ and tissue donor
awareness for LifeChoice Donor
Services along with a student
group from the college headed by
21-year-old Enfield resident Jocelyn
Thompson.
Their goal was to get as many
Asnuntuck students, faculty, staff
and visitors to become organ
donors if they aren’t already. The
project also helps fulfill community
service requirements for their
upcoming confirmations.
“It means more people are going
to help and do what my dad did
— to donate whatever they can
to help save lives,” Quinn said. “We
can create a chain reaction.”
Quinn, holding onto a letter that
specifies the ages and locations of
people helped by his father’s donations,
said knowing that information
has helped him deal with
his father’s death.
“It helps cope with the pain,
knowing he helped other people,”
Quinn said.
These are people like his lifelong
friend’s brother, Jacob. Since the
transplant in 2010, Jacob has
been doing better, but the cancer
has returned to his new liver and
he’s currently undergoing more
chemotherapy while waiting for a
second transplant.
Annkera Carlander, mother of
William and Jacob, said the news
that her son was eligible for a liver
transplant in 2010 was uplifting
news for her family. She’s now
waiting to receive that news again.
“This is so important,” she said
about what her son and his friend
were trying to accomplish that
day. “This saves so many lives and
it can touch a lot of people.”
Quinn’s mother, Kim, said it was
impressive to see her son and his
friend participating in organ donor
advocacy.
“It makes me so proud,” Kim Quinn
said. “Because of what they’ve
been through they are mature beyond
their years.”
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the Donor
Registry, visit www.lifechoiceopo.
org or call 1-800-874-5215.
In The News 21

National Donate Life Month Celebrates
Lives Saved by Organ Donation
April 28, 2015
Join LifeChoice Donor Services
in recognizing National
Donate Life Month this April,
a month-long celebration commemorating
those who have received
or continue to wait for
lifesaving transplants and remembering
those who have given
through donation.
Evelyn Harris of Hartford is one of
the 124,000 people counting on
22
someone to give her the life-saving
gift she desperately needs.
At the age of 14, Evelyn was diagnosed
with a kidney disease called
Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
(FSGS), a rare disease that
attacks the kidney’s filtering system
causing serious scarring. It’s
a condition she has lived with for
decades until she needed hemodialysis
since 2008.
“I go to the hospital three times a
week. I’m on the machine for three
hours,” said Harris. “My experience
on dialysis is one that cannot be
defined in two or three sentences.
But to pick one word to sum it up
— difficult!”
She has now been on the waiting
list for a new kidney for four years.
Harris does her best to remain patient,
but the wait is excruciating
LifeChoice OPO

and the dream of a new, healthy
life is what keeps her going.
“For one, I would not be on dialysis.
No more hospital. No more fluid
restriction. And no more feeling
like someone drained the energy
right out of my body,” she said.
“You’re always on a tight schedule.
Rules need to be followed, directions
need to be heard loud and
clear or the outcome may be fatal.”
Every year since 2003, April has
been filled with stories to spread
the lifesaving message of donation
in order to motivate people
to register as organ, eye and tissue
donors. You can become a donor
by registering online at www.
lifechoiceopo.org.
“While increasing the number
of registered donors that save
and heal lives is part of our daily
work, this month serves, not only
to honor the lives of those who
have given and received, but also
as an opportunity to renew our
commitment to saving lives ,” says
LifeChoice Public Education Specialist
Caitlyn Bernabucci.
LifeChoice held many community
awareness events scheduled
around Connecticut and Massachusetts,
including:
4/9 Town Hall Donate Life
Flag-raising ceremony beginning
at East Hartford, CT Town Hall at
11:30 a.m.
4/14 Donate Life Flag-raising
at Westfield, MA Town Hall at
4:00pm.
4/17 Colchester Town Hall
Flag-raising at 9am.
4/17 National Blue and Green
Day; wear blue and green in support
of organ and tissue donation.
This Saturday, 5/2 is the Second
Annual Blue & Green USATF Certified
5K Walk/Run in Windsor.
Additionally, several hospitals
across Connecticut and Western
Massachusetts will be hosting donor
registry drives throughout the
month, including:
4/7 Baystate Mary Lane
4/10 Day Kimball Hospital
4/14 Hartford Hospital
4/15 Saint Francis Hospital and
Medical Center and Hartford
Hospital
4/17 Baystate Medical Center and
Windham Hospital
4/22 Asnuntuck Community
College in Enfield
4/27 Mercy Medical Center
4/29 William H. Backus Hospital
Approximately half of the U.S.
adult population is registered as
donors. Still, the number of people
in need of transplants continues to
outpace the number of donor organs.
On average, 21 people die
each day because the organs they
need are not donated in time. Registering
your decision to become a
donor is the most effective way to
ensure you can save lives through
donation and serves as a sign of
hope to those like Evelyn who continue
to wait.
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc. is
the federally designated, non-profit
organ procurement organization
(OPO) for six counties in Connecticut
and three counties in Western
Massachusetts with a combined
population of 2.3 million people.
The OPO serves 23 acute care
hospitals for organ and tissue donation
and two organ transplant
hospitals, Hartford Hospital in
Hartford, CT and Baystate Medical
Center in Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and the Association of Organ
Procurement Organizations
(AOPO).
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the Donor
Registry, visit www.lifechoiceopo.
org or call 1-800-874-5215.
In The News 23

Special flag-raising in Colchester highlights
importance of organ donation
April 17, 2015
This year’s ceremony to raise
a flag in Colchester honoring
organ donation had special
meaning for those who knew Tim
York.
York, the North Stonington man
who served as Colchester’s building
official, died in a motorcycle
accident last June in New London.
But he was able to help another
person after his death by being an
24
organ donor.
Peter Kupczak, the Colchester man
who started the ceremony to display
the Donate Life flag in town
five years ago, said York was wellliked
and respected throughout
town.
“I knew Tim, and had personally
interacted with him on building
projects I was doing,” Kupczak
said after the flag ceremony Friday
morning in front of Town Hall.
“He donated both of his corneas to
give someone the gift to see.”
A father and grandfather, York was
a building official in Colchester for
20 years, was a big fan of the Boston
Red Sox, and liked to fish.
“This is a very special day,” Kupczak
said.
LifeChoice OPO

LEFT:Colchester Public Works Director Jim Paggioli, left, and Peter Kupczak raise a Donate Life Flag Friday
morning in front of Colchester Town Hall. Aaron Flaum/ NorwichBulletin.com
He also honored his daughter,
Jessica Marie, 24, who was declared
brain dead after an asthma
attack in 2002.
Her heart, both kidneys, her liver
and pancreas went to four strangers,
two men and two women,
Kupczak said.
“The gift of life is the most unselfish
act one human being can give
to another,” he said.
Representatives from LifeChoice
Donor Services, Connecticut’s
organ procurement organization
based in Windsor, were on
hand, as well as First Selectman
Stan Soby, Public Works Director
James Paggioli and Town Engineer
Salvatore Tassone, who passed
along a message of gratitude from
York’s widow, Janet, who was in
Washington state.
It was LifeChoice that asked
Kupczak to reach out to Janet York
and share his story.
“Organ donation is an extremely
sensitive situation and people
need help, and that’s where the
connection came from,” he said.
April is National Organ Donation
Awareness Month. Kupczak spoke
at the kickoff ceremony April 10
in Hartford, attended by Lt. Gov.
Nancy Wyman and other state
officials.
Organs that may be donated after
death include the heart, liver,
lungs, kidneys, pancreas, and small
intestine, according to LifeChoice.
Tissues that can be donated
after cardiac death include
corneas, skin, bone, heart valves,
connective tissue and blood
vessels.
According to the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services,
each day an average of 79 people
receive organ transplants.
However, an average of 21 people
die each day waiting for transplants
that can’t take place because
of the shortage of donated
organs.
Kupczak said the easiest and most
common way for people to become
donors is through the state
Department of Motor Vehicles.
“It’s the greatest source to get people
to register, when they either
renew their license or get a license
for the first time,” he said.
“We register more people to donate
through the DMV than any
other way.”
Soby said York, too, gave the
ultimate gift for someone else.
“You hear the stories of how out
of tragedy comes some benefit for
multiple individuals and their families,”
he said.
“To make people aware of it and
encourage people to consider being
a donor is an important thing
for all of us to do.”
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the Donor
Registry, visit www.lifechoiceopo.
org or call 1-800-874-5215.
By the Numbers
Number of people receiving organ
transplants daily:
79
Number who die each day waiting
for transplants:
21
2013 living donors:
61 percent women
39 percent men
2013 deceased donors:
41 percent women
59 percent men
Number of donors in U.S.:
More than 120 million
Source: U.S. Dept. of Health and
Human Services
In The News 25

Conway farmer saved by double lung transplant
April 15, 2015
John Wholey relied on a oxygen
concentrator to breathe and
a walker to move. His lungs
were destroyed after years on his
dairy farm, Wholey Cow Farm in
Conway, and from chronic bronchitis.
His daughter, Emily, moved
back home after living in Australia
to help take care of her father.
The lively, jocular farmer needed
two lung transplants or he would
die.
26
Wholey was diagnosed with bronchiectasis
in 1996 and it got progressively
worse until 2011, when
he needed a transplant.
His condition involved damaged
airways that can be caused by lung
infection or severe pneumonia.
In August 2012, Wholey started the
transplant procedure at Brigham
and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
The 59-year-old underwent testing
to make sure he was fit enough
to handle the surgery and began
taking anti-rejection drugs so his
body wouldn’t reject new organs.
On Jan. 12, 2013, he received a bilateral
lung transplant. Two days,
later Wholey was walking.
Last Tuesday morning, his daughter
gave birth to her first son,
LifeChoice OPO

LEFT: John Wholey of Conway, a volunteer at Baystate Franklin Medical Center poses for a portrait in the facility’s
gym where he assists patients with the equipment as well as taking their blood pressure. Wholey underwent a
bilateral lung transplant. Recorder/Matt Burkhartt
Jasper Owen Sweet, at Baystate
Franklin Medical Center.
Wholey now volunteers at the Pulmonary
Rehabilitation Clinic at
Baystate Franklin, where he helps
set up exercise machines for patients
and takes blood pressure
readings.
“To be able to breathe without an
oxygen tank after all these years
...,” Wholey said. “Within a week, I
would have been dead.”
The waiting list
In Massachusetts, 3,400 people
are on the organ transplant waiting
list. About 134,000 are waiting
for transplants nationally. On
average, 21 people die each day
because the organs they need are
not donated in time.
While approximately half of the
American population is registered
as donors, the number of people
in need of transplants continues
to outpace the number of donor
organs, according to LifeChoice
Donor Services.
To remember those who have
given a donation and to
commemorate those who have
received lifesaving transplants,
LifeChoice Donor Services is holding
several area events this month
— National Donate Life Month.
LifeChoice Donor Services is the
federally designated, nonprofit organ
procurement organization for
Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden
counties and parts of Connecticut
with a combined population of 2.3
million people. It serves 23 acute
care hospitals for organ and tissue
donation and two organ transplant
hospitals, including Baystate
Medical Center in Springfield.
One organ donor can save eight
other people. A tissue donor can
save 50 more recipients, said Chas
MacKenzie of LifeChoice Donor
Services. “It’s a tremendous legacy
to leave behind to have your last
act on Earth to be that of saving
other people,” said MacKenzie.
In Massachusetts, 2.2 million people
have registered their decision
or about one-half of licensed drivers
in the state, which is low compared
to other states, Mackenzie
said. Other states have an average
55 to 75 percent registration rate.
“We could definitely have room to
grow,” Mackenzie said. One of the
most common reservations people
have in registering as an organ
donor, he said, is they believe the
emergency room staff won’t work
as hard to save them. “Everything
will be done to save your life,”
Mackenzie said. “It’s only after that
a donation is ever explored as an
option.”
It is rare to actually become an organ
donor, Mackenzie said. It usually
takes someone who is healthy
who has a sudden traumatic brain
injury that is not recoverable, but
organs are maintained. If the heart
stops, the organs stop and the organs
can’t be transplanted.
There are 25 hospitals in the
country that do lung transplants.
Massachusetts General Hospital
and Brigham and Women’s Hospital
in Boston serve the New England
region.
How to become a donor:
People can register to become a
donor through the Registry of Motor
Vehicles or at:
www.donatelifeNewEngland.org.
To register, individuals must be at
least 18 years old.
In Massachusetts, 16-year-olds
can designate their wish to be an
organ donor with a parent’s signature
but it doesn’t become legally
binding until age 18.
Receiving a transplant is a gift and
an adjustment for some.
Post-surgery life
When Wholey first woke up after
his surgery, his nose was running
and he tasted phlegm. He quickly
realized the mucus wasn’t his, a
surreal, odd feeling. After surgery,
many experience strong emotions
due to the intense drugs.
For six months, organ procurement
organizations do not tell recipients
anything about their donors
until they have adjusted.
Wholey wrote to the family of his
donor to thank them — though
they haven’t written back. “I consider
that person to be the best
friend I’ll ever meet,” Wholey said.
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the Donor
Registry, visit www.lifechoiceopo.
org or call 1-800-874-5215.
In The News 27

West Hartford Press
April 10, 2015
EDITORIAL: A Lifesaving Choice
People die every day in the
United States waiting for an
organ transplant, but every
single person has the chance to
reduce that number greatly.
While many people equate organ
donation with checking a box on
one’s driver’s license application,
it is important to remember that
there are numerous faces and
stories related to that stroke of a
pen: the faces and stories of people
who would not be alive had
someone not made the choice to
become a donor.
According to information from
LifeChoice Donor Services (a federally
designated, non-profit organ
procurement organization
for six counties in Connecticut
and three counties in western
Massachusetts with a combined
population of 2.3 million people),
90 percent of the nation’s population
supports organ and tissue donation,
but only 35 percent have
documented their decision.
Every day, 18 people die because
there are not enough organs
available.
One donor can save eight people
28
with a necessary organ transplant,
including the heart, liver, kidneys,
pancreas and lungs, and more
than 50 people through tissue and
eye donation.
The choice to donate an organ is
not simply a selfless decision that
will change a stranger’s life.
It is a choice that one person makes
to – once their life has ended –
restore a mother, father, sis- ter,
brother, husband, wife or friend
back to health and back to the
family that has fearfully watched
them fight to live.
Making the decision to be an organ
donor is a noble one, but it is
also only the first step. Education
is the next step to helping save
lives that need not be lost.
This month is National Donate Life
Month and in over 100 Connecticut
towns, hospitals and organizations
are flying Donate Life Flags
to increase awareness as part of
Flags Across America.
When you see a flag flying, take a
moment to reflect this month on
the lives of donors and re- cipients
this month.
More than 121,000 people are
waiting for a transplant, including
1,400 in Connecticut.
To lose a loved one is tragic, but to
know one death saved another’s
life can bring great comfort to the
grieving.
Donor recipients, their families and
the fam- ilies of donors will come
together May 3 for the LifeChoice
Blue & Green 5k and 2-Mile Walk/
Run in Windsor to educate the
public and celebrate life.
For more information and to
register for the walk, visit
bluegreenwalk.org.
Also in May, the Noah Webster
Library in West Hartford will
display a panel of Loving Squares,
a quilt, sponsored by LifeChoice,
that is comprised of hand-stitched
squares made by families to
commemorate loved ones who
gave the gift of organ and tissue
donation.
These events serve as reminders of
how one choice can change lives.
Visit lifechoiceopo.org and
DonateLifeNewEngland.org for
more information.
LifeChoice OPO

Annual Blue & Green
Walk/Run for Organ,
Tissue and Eye Donation
March 31, 2015
On Saturday, May 2, Jane
Andrews of East Hartford
will once again lace up
her sneakers with determination,
pride and gratitude.
On this day she will lead a team of
friends and supporters at the 2nd
annual LifeChoice Blue & Green
USATF Certified 5K in her quest to
support LifeChoice Donor Services
and help raise awareness about
the need for more registered
donors. After all, she wouldn’t
be alive to walk in this event if it
wasn’t for someone else’s decision
to donate.
“After managing juvenile diabetes
for 35 years, my kidneys began to
fail and it was clear that without a
new kidney and pancreas I would
have no future,” said Andrews.
“It is only because a grieving family
generously donated their son’s
organs that I got a second chance
at a healthy life. I am one of the
lucky ones.”
Also walking is mother Beth
Ballard in memory of her son, Brian
Wynne, whose corneal donation
gave two men a second chance at
sight. “Even though Brian is no longer
living, I feel that his spirit lives
on because of his double donation,”
adds Ballard. “I was and will
always be so proud to be his mom.”
At last year’s inaugural event, more
than 700 friends and supporters
created teams in tribute to those
who donated and to celebrate the
precious gift of life. Many teams
walked in remembrance of a loved
one, carrying photos and posters,
wearing custom shirts and even
butterfly wings. The teams raised
over $90,000. This year’s goal is
$100,000.
“The turnout was unbelievable.
We honestly did not anticipate that
many people for our first year,” said
Caitlyn Bernabucci, Public Education
Specialist at LifeChoice Donor
Services and event organizer.
“This year’s event will be even bigger
and will feature a USATF-Certified
5K complete with prizes!”
A USATF-certified course is a road
race course whose distance has
been certified for accuracy. Courses
must be certified for any road
running performance to be accepted
as a record or to be nationally
ranked. Participating in a race
on a certified course allows runners
to accurately compare their
time to performances run on other
certified courses. No one can truly
establish a personal best if the
course distance is not accurate.
You, too, can make a difference
on Saturday, May 2 by signing up
to walk or run the Blue & Green.
Funds raised from the event will
be used for donor family support
and to educate the public and
healthcare professionals about the
critical need for more people in
Connecticut and Massachusetts
to join the Donor Registry. The
event will feature a Kids Run and
kids tent, local food trucks and
the popular Wall of Hope. All registrants
will receive a Donate Life
t-shirt and light breakfast.
The race takes place at 21 Griffin
Road North in Windsor, CT
from 7:30 - 11 am. Registration
is $25 adult, $10 child 17 &
under and $15 for family members
of all organ, tissue and eye donors.
The LifeChoice Blue & Green 5k
is sponsored by Hartford Hospital’s
Transplant Program, Baystate
Health, Organ Recovery Systems,
Shipman & Goodwin LLP, and
Alliances by Alisa Media Relations.
Media sponsors are the Hartford
Courant, FOX CT and Connoisseur
Media. John Voket, on-air
personality, journalist and public
service director for Connoisseur
Media’s 102.9. The Whale will serve
as event emcee. There are many
sponsorship opportunities still
available. For more information
and to register as an individual or
team, visit www.bluegreenwalk.
org.
In The News 29

Beth Ballard lost her only chil
in 1998 to Duchenne muscu
lar dystrophy, but to this da
Ballard said she finds comfort i
knowing two men have sight be
cause she donated his corneas fo
transplant. Her son, Brian Wynn
only 15 when he died, didn’t know
his corneas would be donated
but it’s something he would hav
loved because he was such a giv
ing person, Ballard said.
Milford mother r
gift of sight durin
LifeChoice Donor Services, the
non-profit organ procurement
organization for six
counties in Connecticut, will host
a Dining for Dollars fundraiser at
Bertucci’s in support of organ, tissue
and eye donation. Bertucci’s
will donate 15% of every dining
purchase made on Wednesday,
March 25 from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. to
the organization. Simply present
the Dining for Dollars flyer with
the LifeChoice coupon when placing
an order for Dine in, Carry out
or Delivery. Bertucci’s is located at
2882 Main St. in Glastonbury.
Funds will be used to educate the
public about the critical need for
registered organ donors. More
than 121,000 candidates are on
the national organ transplant
waiting list. Largely due to the
30
Windsor Patch
March 19, 2015
LifeChoice Hosts Fundraiser at
Bertucci’s on March 25
rarity of donation opportunities,
only about 28,000 organs are
transplanted each year. As a result,
21 candidates die each day for lack
of a donor. A single organ donor
can save the lives of eight people
through organ donation, while a
single tissue donor can save and
heal 50 others. Therefore, increasing
the number of registered organ
donors is crucial.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and the Association of
Organ Procurement Organizations
(AOPO).
To register for the Blue & Green Walk/
Fun Run or to join the Donor Registry,
please visit www.lifechoiceopo.
org or call 1.800.874.5215.
“He wanted people to smile an
have a good life,” Ballard said. “H
saw the world as a wonderfu
place,” and was usually the one t
cheer up others, she said.
Since Brian’s death, Ballard ha
stayed involved as an advocate fo
organ and tissue donation — an
although the grief is always ther
that has helped stem the hurt, sh
said. Ballard is a member and o
the board of Team Connecticut fo
the Transplant Games of Americ
a way of showcasing the restore
health of children and adults wh
were given a second chance at lif
through donation.
Ballard also will volunteer agai
at LifeChoice Donor Services’ Sec
ondnd Annual Blue & Green US
ATF Certified 5K and 2 Mile Walk
Fun Run May 2 to gather the com
munity in support of organ an
tissue donation and transplanta
tion. Funds raised from the even
will be used to educate the publ
about the need for more peopl
in Connecticut and Massachusett
to join the Donor Registry and t
LifeChoice OPO

ecalls late son’s
g Eye Donor Month
March 24, 2015
d
-
y,
n
-
r
e,
,
e
-
d
e
l
o
s
r
d
e,
e
n
r
a,
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o
e
n
-
-
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-
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-
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o
support donor families. The event
will take place in North Windsor.
To learn more, visit www.bluegreenwalk.org.
“It fills my heart with joy to see
these healthy people out there full
of life because of the selfless act of
donation,” Ballard said.
Referring to Brian, Ballard said,
“He’s the one who keeps me going.
Every day I think about him. I
was given a very special gift.” She
said Brian “really did enjoy his 15
years to the fullest,” including volunteering
to help others.
But they both knew the eventual
outcome. “He and I tried to stay
positive every day and looked at
his illness as a way of conquering
anything that comes your way.”
Even at 15, he reassured his mom
that dying was OK. “He said, ‘I’m
looking forward to going home,’ ” a
reference to the afterlife, she said.
Brian’s organs shut down due to
the muscle degeneration caused
by his terminal illness, but his corneas
could still be donated because
they are tissue.
Ryan Cady, director of the Connecticut
Eye Bank and Visual Research
Foundation Inc., through
which Brian’s corneas were donated,
said 1,150 corneas are donated
in Connecticut annually and
90,000 nationally. The cornea is the
clear covering of the eye. March is
National Eye Donor Month.
Rejection rates are low, Cady said,
and the transplants are usually
one eye at a time, which is why Brian
gave two people sight. He said
the stories of those who receive
transplants are heartwarming. In
many cases, younger people who
receive them because of corneal
disease are able to carry on in their
careers and those who are older
experience delights such as being
able to see their grandchildren
for the first time. “We have an immediate
impact on people’s lives,”
Cady said.
The annual family gathering this
year May 1, done in conjunction
with Life Choice Donor Services
and New England Donor Bank, is
a time to honor organ and tissue
donor families like Ballard. Cady
said they are always told by donor
families that the “lasting gift”
of donation helps them deal with
grief and provides some “closure.”
A single organ donor can save the
lives of eight people, while a single
tissue donor can save and heal
50 others through needed heart
valves, corneas, skin, bone, and
tendons that mend hearts, prevent
or cure blindness, heal burns
and save limbs, according to Life
Choice Donor Services officials.
Brian loved taking trips to Florida
and he loved sports, especially
watching UConn women’s basketball
and his favorite football team,
the Green Bay Packers. He also
adored his cat Frisky and “brought
light” into his school, West Shore
Middle School, Ballard said.
“My hope is that whoever received
his corneas sees the world as Brian
did — a beautiful place,” Ballard
said. “Even though Brian is no longer
here, I know his spirit lives on.”
LifeChoice partners with the CT
Eye Bank, the local affiliate of Tissue
Banks International, for the
recovery, evaluation, and distribution
of ocular tissue for transplant.
The CT Eye Bank participates in
community outreach efforts, such
as hosting an Annual Donor Family
Recognition Event and providing
a Family Services Program for
donor families.
For more information, visit www.
tbionline.org/location/hartford-ct
or call 860-223-2020.
In The News 31

Hartford Man Dedicates His Life to
Helping Others After Organ Transplant
January 20, 2015
Gary Kureczka of Hartford is
a man others in need often
look to for support. Specifically,
he helps people battling
alcohol and drug addiction. It’s a
career path he ventured down later
in life.
“I got to go back to college in my
50’s and become a drug and alcohol
recovery counselor,” said Kureczka,
now 65.
32
“I did a clinical practicum in a subacute
psychiatric hospital and got
hired as a counselor. I found my
niche and people grew to respect
and love me. I am truly blessed
and have had an amazing life.”
However, Kureczka had a difficult
journey that led him to this work.
He had his own demons to battle
first. He served his country in the
U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam for
two years and returned home a
chemically dependent person. He
suffered combat PTSD along with
an addictive family history. Those
risk factors, combined with the
culture of the late ‘60s all led to his
battle with addiction.
He got sober in December 1984
but the damage had been done.
Thirteen years later, a hospitalization
for severe pain and fatigue
LifeChoice OPO

LEFT: Gary Kureczka’s life was saved by a liver transplant. He had since dedicated his life to helping others.
lead to his diagnosis of Hepatitis
C and Stage 4, End Stage Liver
Disease.
“I was flabbergasted, as I had been
living a normal life with a wife
and family. I told the doctors I was
clean and sober for 14 years,” said
Kureczka. “They said, ‘Go see Hartford
Transplant and try to get a
liver transplant.’ Shock was a mild
term to use as I had no idea I had
Hepatitis C or liver disease until
then.”
The next six months brought a
battery of tests and screenings
that would eventually lead to Kureczka’s
name being added to the
wait list for a new liver. He was
extremely lucky and his wait only
lasted one week. He got the call
to stand by because there was a
liver available for him and it was a
perfect match.
“I could speak forever on how the
transplant has changed my life,”
said Kureczka. “The major ways are
learning what is important in life,
starting with helping and living
my life to help others. I am grateful
every day and gained the role
of spiritual seeker.”
Most importantly, Kureczka’s life
altering experience has given him
a brand new perspective on how
he wants to live his life...all because
he was given a second chance.
Once suffering from addiction, he
is the now the counselor who leads
others out of addiction and into
sobriety. He hopes to inspire others
to make the commitment to
register to donate. It’s a decision
that can save many lives.
“Everyone can put on their driver’s
license that they are a donor. The
chances of it happening are very
small and you get credit for your
intention to help others,” he said.
“If you truly became an organ and
tissue and eye donor your legacy
could be that you improved
or gave life itself to more than 50
people. Now that’s a true hero.”
Kureczka is now retired, recently
remarried and volunteering as
an Addiction Counselor. He also
lends his time to LifeChoice Donor
Services.
“I began volunteering for
LifeChoice in 2000, and this
helped my values change to helping
others in any way I can. I have
done many events, public education,
speaking commitments, and
health fairs to spread the message
and put a face on organ donation.”
In this country, 21 people die each
day waiting for a lifesaving organ.
A single organ donor can save the
lives of eight people, while a single
tissue donor can save and heal
50 others through needed heart
valves, corneas, skin, bone, and
tendons that mend hearts, prevent
or cure blindness, heal burns
and save limbs.
On Saturday, May 2nd, LifeChoice
Donor Services is hosting the 2nd
Annual Blue & Green 5K and 2 Mile
Walk/Fun Run to gather the community
in support of organ and
tissue donation and transplantation.
Funds raised from the event
will be used to educate the public
about the critical need for more
people in Connecticut and Massachusetts
to join the Donor Registry
and to support donor families. The
event will feature entertainment,
local Food Trucks, the Wall of Hope
and all registrants will receive a
Donate Life t-shirts. Through this
event, LifeChoice strives to inspire
the local community to give life to
its neighbors in need.
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc. is
the federally designated, non-profit
organ procurement organization
(OPO) for six counties in Connecticut
and three counties in Western
Massachusetts with a combined
population of 2.3 million people.
The OPO serves twenty-three
acute care hospitals for organ and
tissue donation and two organ
transplant hospitals, Hartford Hospital
in Hartford, CT and Baystate
Medical Center in Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and the Association
of Organ Procurement Organizations
(AOPO). For more information
about LifeChoice and to join
the Donor Registry, please visit
www.lifechoiceopo.org or call
1.800.874.5215.
In The News 33

West Hartford Patch
Primetime TV Episode Perpetuates
Myths about Organ Donation
January 20, 2015
CBS’ Blockbuster TV Series
“Criminal Minds” will air an
episode this Wednesday
with a potentially damaging storyline
that perpetuates myths
about organ and tissue donation,
saying “a donor card becomes a
death warrant”.
While the show is fictional,
LifeChoice Donor Services
wants to dispel any myths and
34
misconceptions about donation
protocol that might prevent people
from registering as donors or
perhaps even remove their names
from the Donor Registry.
It is critically important to only circulate
factual information about
organ and tissue donation as
countless lives depend on it. On
average, 21 people die each day
from lack of available organs for
transplants and over one million
benefit from the gift of tissue each
year.
Too often, the mission of organizations,
such as LifeChoice Donor
Services, is diluted by myths.
Some of the more popular myths
include:
MYTH: If I’m in an accident and
the hospital knows I’m an organ
LifeChoice OPO

The truth is that doctors, nurses and
paramedics will do everything that they can
to save your life. ... No organs will be r
ecovered until brain death has occurred.
Brain death is the complete and irreversible
cessation of all brain function.
donor, the doctors won’t try to
save my life.
TRUTH: The truth is that doctors,
nurses and paramedics will do everything
that they can to save your
life. In fact, an individual must be in
a hospital, on a ventilator and pronounced
dead in order to donate
organs. An Organ Procurement Organization
is not notified until all
life-saving efforts have failed.
MYTH: If I’m a donor my organs
may be removed before I’m really
dead.
TRUTH: No organs will be recovered
until death has occurred.
Brain death is the complete and
irreversible cessation of all brain
function. It can occur following a
catastrophic brain injury such as
a cerebral hemorrhage or trauma
to the head. In such cases, the
heart and lungs can continue to
function temporarily with artificial
respiratory support, allowing the
organs to remain viable for donation.
Standards for the determination
of brain death are very strict,
and death based on the absence
of brain function is legally recognized
in every state as an accepted
medical and ethical principle.
MYTH: Organs can be bought and
sold on the black market.
TRUTH: These stories are untrue
and have become harmful urban
myths. Due to the complexity of
transplantation, the necessity of
involvement from highly trained
medical professionals, the process
of matching donors with recipients,
the need for modern medical
facilities and the support necessary
for transplantation make
it impossible for this to actually
happen. The buying and selling
of organs and tissues is illegal,
as stated in the National Organ
Transplant Act.
When receiving or renewing a
state driver’s license in Connecticut
or Massachusetts, people have
the opportunity to register as an
organ and tissue donor. All New
England residents can also register
to donate at www.DonateLife
NewEngland.org.
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc. is
the federally designated, non-profit
organ procurement organization
(OPO) for six counties in Connecticut
and three counties in Western
Massachusetts with a combined
population of 2.3 million people.
The OPO serves 23 acute care
hospitals for organ and tissue donation
and two organ transplant
hospitals, Hartford Hospital in
Hartford, CT and Baystate Medical
Center in Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and the Association of Organ
Procurement Organizations
(AOPO).
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the Donor
Registry, visit www.lifechoiceopo.
org or call 1-800-874-5215.
In The News 35

The gift of life provided by the Kapral family of Southington
after the death of their daughter Stephanie, left, improved
the life of a woman who received one of Stephanie’s kidneys.
Southington family gives the gift of life
By Farrah Duffany, Record-Journal staff December 26, 2014
Most people like to receive
gifts during the holiday
season. Heide Kapral
wants people to think about
giving the gift of life.
In May, her daughter Amanda
Kapral, died at 26. The family
never discussed organ donation
with Amanda, but decided
to donate her liver and
kidneys.
36
“It’s letting her spirit and her life
live on…it’s the best gift that you
could give anybody, a chance at
life,” Kapral said. “I did receive a
letter from the recipient mentioning
how grateful she was...she also
said she was doing well.”
There is a need for more organ
donors, especially in Connecticut
where only 43 percent of the population
is registered organ donors,
said Caitlyn Bernabucci, public
education specialist at LifeChoice
Donor Services. LifeChoice is a
nonprofit that works with families
to encourage organ or tissue donations.
“Locally about 1,400 people are
on the waiting list for new organs,”
Bernabucci said. “There is a need
in Connecticut for more people to
sign up.”
LifeChoice OPO

“It’s letting [Stephanie’s] spirit and her life live on. It’s the
best gift that you could give anybody, a chance at life. I did
receive a letter from the recipient mentioning how grateful
she was ... she also said she was doing well.”
- Heide Kapral, donor mother
Nationally. about 1.5 million
people receive organ or tissue
transplants, including skin grafts,
heart valves, corneas, each year.
Kapral said she made the right
decision to donate her daughter’s
organs to help others. She
recalled Amanda’s love of adventurous
activities, like hiking, water
skiing, mountain biking and
sky diving. Amanda also enjoyed
Geocaching to find hidden
treasures.
Eddie’s
Grandmother:
Made possible by
an organ donor
A 2005 graduate of Southington
High School’s vo-ag program,
Amanda was also artistic. She
loved music, drawing, and vocal
lessons. Animals were also a passion.
She rescued a dog and cat.
“She loved life,” her mother said.
Nationally, about 121,000 people
are waiting for donations, Bernabucci
said, adding that “one person
can help more than 50 people.”
Anybody can agree to become an
organ donor when renewing their
license or by signing up at www.
donatelifenewengland.com, Bernabucci
said.
Thanks to her heart donor, Amalia got more than a second chance at life. She lived to see her grandson
Eddie, and to help raise a beautiful, strong family with her husband Eduardo. Amalia’s donor transformed many
lives. You can, too. Join more than 100 million organ, eye, and tissue donors, and leave behind the gift of life.
Imagine what you could make possible. organdonor.gov
“This would be a great way to pay
it forward,” said Kapral. “Become
an organ donor for the holiday.”
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
Scan this code with your
smartphone for how
to sign up, more about
Amalia, and other stories.
In The News 37

Plymouth man recalls life-changing event
Special to The Register Citizen December 9, 2014
The holiday season should be
enjoyed spending time with
the ones you love and reflecting
on all the blessings in your
life.
This time of year is always especially
meaningful for Donald
Ray of Plymouth. Three
years ago in December, his wife
gave him the ultimate gift of a
life-saving kidney.
38
In 1990, when he was 29 years
old, Ray was diagnosed with the
kidney disease IgA nephropathy
that doctors said he had
since birth. He was shocked at
the diagnosis, because he had always
been healthy and felt great.
He was an athlete all of his life
and was in very good physical
condition.
However, over the next 20 years,
Ray would get more and more
tired as his kidney function
deteriorated. His three brothers
and three sisters all said they
would be willing to help and donate
a kidney to him. But one
by one they were eliminated for
wrong blood type or their own
health issues.
He was placed on the long
transplant waiting list in 2010
LifeChoice OPO

LEFT: Stephanie Kapral became an organ donor after her death at age 27.
when his kidney function was
only 10 percent. His wife, Tina Ray,
knew he was running out of time.
After it was confirmed that she was
a match, Tina donated a kidney to
her husband on Dec. 15, 2011.
“My new kidney is still going
strong,” Ray said. “I am healthy, active
and I enjoy life every day.”
Ray said his relationship with
his wife is at a level few can
understand. “We are able to travel
and do anything we want together,”
he said.
“I can play golf, exercise and enjoy
life to its fullest. I am so thankful
to everyone who has helped me
through this process and, most importantly,
to my wife, who made a
tremendous sacrifice for me.”
Heide Kapral of Southington also
chose to give someone the gift of
life after the death of her 27-yearold
daughter, Amanda.
Although Amanda had never had
any conversations about organ
donation with her mother, Heide
felt the best way to honor Amanda
was to share her spirit for life,
knowing that a part of her life was
able to live on.
“Amanda loved life, especially any
outdoor adventure,” said Kapral.
“In addition to sky diving, horseback
riding, mountain biking at
Mount Killington, hiking and skiing,
she was very into Geocashing
— a worldwide treasure hunt.
Most importantly, she was a giving,
kind, non-judgmental person
who was always helping others
out.”
Kapral wanted to donate
Amanda’s heart, liver and kidneys,
but ultimately one kidney was
able to be donated. A month later,
Kapral received a thank you letter
from the female recipient of her
daughter’s kidney.
“She expressed extreme gratitude
for saving her life,” Kapral recalls. “I
wrote back a letter in August and
included a photo of Amanda. I let
her know Amanda would be happy
knowing that she got to live on.”
Now an organ and bone marrow
donor herself, Kapral said. “Organ
donation is the greatest gift that
you can give another human being
since your life just keeps going.
Losing a child is a pain no one can
ever fully recover from, but I have
found some peace knowing that
she gave a person a chance at life. ”
Ray said the hardest part of
organ donation is taking the
first step. “Thinking of someone
else’s health is not on the top of
anyone’s ‘things to do today’ lists,
but you don’t have to know the
person to be a donor,” Ray said.
“It takes a very special person
to be a living donor. I have a sincere
admiration for people who
are willing to give up part of their
body to someone they don’t know
and have never met. I have met a
few of these people and they are
remarkable.”
In this country, 21 people die each
day waiting for an organ donation.
A single organ donor can save the
lives of eight people, while a single
tissue donor can save and heal
50 others through needed heart
valves, corneas, skin, bone, and
tendons that mend hearts, prevent
or cure blindness, heal burns
and save limbs.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
federally designated, nonprofit
organ procurement organization
for six counties in Connecticut
and three counties in Western
Massachusetts with a combined
population of 2.3 million people.
The OPO serves 23 acute care
hospitals for organ and tissue
donation and two organ transplant
hospitals – Hartford Hospital
in Hartford and Baystate Medical
Center in Springfield, Mass.
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the Donor
Registry, visit www.lifechoiceopo.
org or call 1-800-874-5215.
In The News 39

Springfield pastor Mark Baymon calls attention
to need for minority organ donations
October 29, 2014
Nearly 60 percent of patients
waiting for organ transplants
are minorities, even
though they account for just 36
percent of the total population.
The Rev. Mark Baymon, pastor
of the Church of God in Christ
in Indian Orchard, is living a full
life thanks to organ donation
and serves as a spokesman of
sorts about the benefits of organ
donation.
Baymon’s kidneys failed in 1999,
and he underwent dialysis for two
years before a kidney became
available for him.
40
“Before the transplant, I was really
tied to dialysis,” he said.
“I couldn’t travel. I couldn’t do
much of anything, and I was always
weak. But after the transplant,
it really allowed me to have
that freedom, to really feel like doing
things. I felt like I owed a big
thank you to the person who gave
this chance at life to me.”
Baymon said after he received his
transplant, he met a woman at a
Kansas City church who had failing
kidneys. She was afraid of dialysis
and didn’t understand that there
would still be a chance for her to
get her health back with a transplant.
“I was in Kansas City this year, and
I met with her,” he said. “She received
a kidney transplant, and
she’s doing really well.”
Baymon said he works hard within
his own congregation and in the
community as a whole to dispel
the myths about organ transplant
among minorities.
“I’ve noticed that in the African-
American community, there’s really
a fear of organ donation,” he
said. “They think maybe they won’t
LifeChoice OPO

“I’ve heard testimonies of people who have received their
sight as a result of a cornea (transplant).”
– Mark Baymon, kidney recipient and donation advocate
get the best care, (or that the medical
professionals) would not fight
for their lives, but there’s nothing
further from the truth. They do everything
they can to preserve life.”
In fact, medical professionals do
not know who is a donor while
they are providing them care.
“LifeChoice is not called until the
doctors have made a decision (to
discontinue lifesaving efforts) and
they find out later that person is a
donor,” he said.
LifeChoice Donor Services is the
non-profit organ procurement organization
serving the Springfield
area and Baystate Medical Center.
Baymon shared his story through
LifeChoice Donor Services to help
raise awareness about organ donation
within the minority community.
The month of August was
designated as National Minority
Donation Awareness Month.
Organs are not matched
according to race or ethnicity,
and people of different races often
match one another. However,
there is a higher probability of a
match when received from someone
of the same ethnicity because
compatible blood types and tissue
markers, which are critical qualities
for donor and recipient matching,
are more likely.
Baymon said since his transplant,
he has learned about all the ways
transplants have enriched the lives
of people who receive them.
“I’ve heard testimonies of people
who have received their sight as
a result of a cornea (transplant),
(and) people who have had the
ability to use their limbs as a result
of donations,” Baymon said.
“What I have found is that those
who have received transplants are
very very serious about making
sure they do something with their
lives that makes a difference.”
Baymon said the families of
those who donate often feel
good about being a part of organ
donation.
“(It’s about) making sure the legacy
of that person who has gone
on continues to live in others, and
it really gives a kind of peace and
solace to their families,” he said.
“They’re still helping someone after
they’re gone.”
Caitlyn Bernabucci, public education
and community relations specialist
for LifeChoice Donor Services,
said minorities are especially
in need of organ donations.
“Conditions that lead to end
stage renal disease, including
high blood pressure and diabetes,
impact minorities at higher
rates,” Bernabucci said. “While race
and ethnicity is not a factor in organ
matching, if there are more
donors from every race and
ethnicity, more lives will be saved.”
Bernabucci said everyone should
consider donating. All people
should consider themselves able
to donate, regardless of medical
conditions and age, since age and
most medical conditions do not
disqualify people from donating,”
she said. “It’s also important for
people to know that all major religions
support donation as the ultimate
act of charity.”
There are currently about 3,200
people waiting for a kidney in all
of Massachusetts, Bernabucci said.
Those interested in learning more
about organ donation can call
(860) 286-3120 or to online to
LifeChoiceOPO.org.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and is accredited by the
Association of Organ Procurement
Organizations (AOPO). For more
information about LifeChoice and
to join the Donor Registry, please
visit www.lifechoiceopo.org or call
1.800.874.5215.
In The News 41

After losing her mother to breast cancer,
Wilbraham mother Dena DeForge makes
decision to lower her risk
By Anne-Gerard Flynn October 6, 2014
In June of 2013, two months
after she lost her 64-yearold
mother to breast cancer,
Wilbraham resident Dena
DeForge, 38, underwent a double
mastectomy. She does not
have breast cancer, but, like her
mother, tested positive for a
known BRCA gene mutation.
42
Such a mutation, in one of two
BRCA genes, whose normal function
is believed to suppress tumor
growth, puts an individual at increased
risk for both breast, as well
as ovarian cancer.
Her mother tested positive for
the mutation, after a diagnosis of
breast cancer that, despite medical
and surgical treatment, as well
as a the removal of her ovaries and
fallopian tubes, eventually spread
to other organs.
“When I got my result back (of
testing positive for the known mutation),
there wasn’t really a lot of
LifeChoice OPO

LEFT: Wilbraham resident Dena DeForge, 38, lost her mother to breast cancer in 2013, and tested positive for the
BRCA gene mutation known to increase a woman’s risk for developing breast cancer. (Photo by Dave Roback)
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Wednesday, October
15 is BRA Day, or Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day. LifeChoice
Donor Services explains how tissue donors are helping improve the
lives of breast cancer survivors after having mastectomies.
thought process,” said DeForge,
whose son, Declan Kelly, was 3 at
the time.
“I made my decision. The alternative
was to use a drug (Tamoxifen).
I did not know the long-term
effects of that, if I wanted to have
another child,” she said.
“Having a double mastectomy
pretty much seemed like the better
solution for me. It might not be
the solution everyone would go
with, but everyone in my family
was very supportive, as were my
friends and co-workers. Especially
after everything that happened
with my mom.”
She added, “I felt if I can do something
preventative, then I better
do it. I removed my breasts to reduce
my changes of getting breast
cancer, because I did not want my
son to lose his mother at his young
age.”
DeForge had the same surgeon,
Dr. Steven Schonholz, who had
operated on her mother, when
he was medical director at the
Breast Care Center at Mercy Medical
Center. Now breast surgeon
and director of the Center for
Comprehensive Breast Health,
at Noble Hospital in Westfield,
Schonholz teamed with area
plastic surgeon, Dr. Melissa
Johnson, as DeForge had elected
to have breast reconstruction.
“Dena underwent bilateral nipple
sparing mastectomies with
immediate reconstruction. This
means that the breast tissue under
the skin and on top of the muscle,
were totally excised, while saving
all the skin and nipple. A temporary
expander was introduced
at the time the breasts were removed,”
Schonholz said.
“The surgery was performed under
a nerve block with sedation.
There was no general anesthesia
and no breathing tube was required.
She went home the next
morning. When our patients go
home from the hospital we always
arrange for visiting nurse to come
out daily to check the incision and
the dressings.”
DeForge, who returned to
her work at an area insurance
company four weeks later, had
follow-up surgery five months
later to replace the temporary
implants, which had been gradually
inflated with saline injections, to
enlarge the reconstructed breast
mounds for insertion of permanent
implants.
Schonholz said by having such
“risk reduction” surgery, DeForge
greatly lessened her risk for inherited
breast cancer, and, if she elects
to have her ovaries and tubes removed,
something DeForge plans
in the future, she will similarly reduce
her risk for ovarian cancer. It
is estimated that hereditary breast
cancer accounts for five to 10 percent
of breast cancers. The known
genetic mutation in the BRCA
gene also puts men who test positive
at risk for the disease.
“The removal of the breast tissue
reduces the risk of breast cancer by
96 percent,” said Schonholz of the
option for women with the known
genetic mutations in their BRCA
genes. “Removal of the tubes and
ovaries would also reduce the risk
of ovarian cancer by 96 percent.”
DeForge’s choice of risk reduction
mirrors what actress Angelina
Jolie, with a similar family history,
did that same year. Schonholz
added another choice for women,
with the BRCA gene mutation, is to
consider regular screening, “which
would identify a cancer early. “
“Screening for breast cancer would
start at the age of 25,” Schonholz
said of women who test positive.
“This would include mammograms
every year, self breast exams
monthly, a physician’s exam
every six months and yearly MRIs.
Screening for ovarian cancer is
much more difficult, and this
would include blood tests, pelvic
exam and ultrasound.”
In The News 43

Debra DeForge with mom Vicki
Schonholz, who has done research
into BRCA gene mutation, said his
goal is to identify more women
who should consider genetic testing,
based on risks in their family
history, so those who test positive
can be counseled on their options,
and what this means for other
members of their family.
“One of the most important things
about Dena is that she was identified
before she developed breast
cancer. This has been our goal
at the Center of Comprehensive
Breast Health at Noble Hospital,”
Schonholz said.
“When we review statistics, it is
noted, that out of all the women
with breast cancer, only 20 percent
of patients, with the BRCA
44
mutation, had been identified,
leaving 80 percent unidentified,”
he added.
“This 80 percent are at an increased
risk of developing a second breast
cancer or ovarian cancer, and do
not know it. They may have even
presented with ovarian cancer
and do not realize they are at an
increased risk for breast cancer. Of
the women who do not have cancer,
and have the mutation, only
5 percent had been identified.
This means that 95 percent of the
women with the mutation remain
unidentified.”
Schonholz added, “When we review
the statistics at Noble Hospital,
of those whom we have identified
for testing, 88 percent of the
women do not have cancer, while
the remaining 12 percent have
had a diagnosed of cancer.”
“The point of screening is to identify
those who have the mutation,
before they developed cancer, as
well as identifying the patients
with cancer, so they can have the
appropriate surgical therapy, prevent
future cancers and implement
appropriate screening protocols,”
he said.
DeForge and her husband, John
Kelly, are expecting their second
child, a girl, on Oct. 20. She said
her husband told her he “wanted
me to be around, and to do what
was best,” and that she has no
regrets.
“When my mom (Vicki DeForge)
was diagnosed (in 2009), we
LifeChoice OPO

started asking questions about
family history. Her father died of
lung cancer 20 years ago,” DeForge
said.
“Her family indicated there was an
aunt who had breast cancer early
and we found out there was ovarian
cancer.”
She said when the BRCA testing
came back positive, “it changed
my mother’s treatment. Instead of
a lumpectomy, she had a bilateral
mastectomy, and chemotherapy.
Most of this was done in 2009,
and 2010, and finished with reconstruction
the following year.”
Vicki did quite well for some time,
but she started to have stomach
pains in the fall of 2012. “She went
for an ultrasound. A biopsy was
done on her liver, and it showed
the breast cancer had come back.
It was advanced. She had some
chemotherapy, but it did not work
very well. We thought we had
nipped it in the bud, but it came
back and we were devastated. “
DeForge got tested for the
BRCA gene, back in 2010, when
Schonholz had discussed the testing
with her mother. However, she
was pregnant at the time, and after
the birth of her son, her “little
boy was first in her mind.”
She said her mother knew of her
plans to have a double mastectomy.
“After she passed away, I decided
to do it, just to not worry about it,
and it was a relief to me and my
family. What was hard is that I had
not emotionally healed from my
mother’s death in making that decision.”
DeForge said.
DeForge, a runner who has
participated in Baystate Health’s
Rays of Hope: A Walk and Run Toward
the Cure of Breast Cancer,
said her mastectomy and reconstruction
have not “stopped me in
doing anything.”
DeForge’s advice to other women
on breast health issues? “I think
that the more you know, the better
decision and different options
you have. You just have to have
faith in your decision, once you
have made it, and to realize the
same situations are not right for
everyone. However, you can’t be
incorrect if you are doing something
about it,” said DeForge.
“Do your research, find a medical
team you are comfortable and
confident in, make the best decision
for you, surround yourself
with supportive people and reach
out when you need support. Be
confident in who you are as a person
the way you look, and the decisions
you make. “
A 1998 federal law, the Women’s
Health Care and Cancer Rights Act,
requires most group insurance
plans that cover mastectomies to
also cover reconstructive surgery.
DeForge’s plastic surgeon, Dr. Melissa
Johnson of Pioneer Valley
Plastic Surgery in Springfield, said
most of her patients for reconstruction
surgery are breast cancer
survivors.
“Sometimes we do immediate
reconstruction at the time of the
mastectomy, but sometimes patients
need to undergo additional
chemotherapy or radiation in
which time there’d be a delayed
reconstruction, but usually we find
something that fits each patient,”
said Johnson.
Johnson said 7 out of 10 women
don’t know their options for reconstructive
surgery after having
a mastectomy. She said she hopes
to raise awareness of those options
that have statistically proven
to reduce depression after this
major surgery. She said 75 percent
of women who have a mastectomy
but no reconstruction surgery
suffer from depression. However,
only 25 percent of women who
have reconstruction surgery also
have depression.
Organ and tissue donors help
these women gain back their
self-confidence. Skin is the human
body’s biggest organ. Tissue
from the skin can be donated after
someone dies to help many other
people, including breast cancer
survivors.
LifeChoice Donor Services in
Windsor, CT, works with hospitals
in western Massachusetts and
Connecticut to provide organ and
tissue donations for patients in
need.
Chas MacKenzie said 225 tissue
donors will be needed this year in
greater Western Massachusetts.
“Many, many of them will be skin
donors, and one tissue donor
could have as many as 50-75 recipients,”
MacKenzie said. That’s a gift
that could help many women have
a less painful recovery after reconstruction.
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the
Donor Registry, please visit
www.lifechoiceopo.org or call
1.800.874.5215.
In The News 45

WATCH ONLINE:
http://wtnh.com/2014/10/06/moreminority-organ-donors-needed-in-ct
More minority organ donors needed in CT
By Jocelyn Maminta, WTNH Medical Reporter October 6, 2014
There is a need for more organ
donors in our state.
Connecticut is below the
national average when it comes
to the number of eligible donors
registered.
More than 120,000 people nationally
are on the list, waiting for an
organ donation. More than half
are minorities, people like Evelyn
Harris. Another year has passed
and Harris is still on the list, waiting
for a donor kidney.
“I look at this disease as you have
to, that’s the phrase. You have to –
have your doctor’s appointments,
you have to – take your prescriptions,”
she said.
Harris’s kidneys failed when she
was 14 years old. She received a
donated kidney 8 years later but
that failed as well. “I’ve had high
blood pressure all of my life.”
She is among the 57 percent of
minorities waiting for an organ nationally.
46
“A couple of reasons why there
is a large need is because of high
incidences of diabetes and uncontrolled
blood pressure that ultimately
leads to end stage renal
failure,” Caitlyn Bernabucci with
LifeChoice Donor Services explained.
She added, “People with a similar
ethnic background may provide a
better match.” But few minorities
sign up.
“We want people to know there
is such a high need in minority
communities,” said Bernabucci,
“and that if we increase the overall
number of people who are willing
to save lives through donations,
then we can help everyone who
needs a transplant.”
An old myth that medical personnel
will not make saving their own
life a priority, is a major obstacle.
Bernabucci stressed, “not until after
the patient has either died or
everything has failed to save that
person, then they are mandated to
call the organ procurement organization
and we check the donor
registry.”
Meantime, Harris relies on dialysis
and pays attention to her health.
“Nothing really changes except
for trying to stay healthy for that
kidney, trying to be ready for that
kidney, it takes a lot to stay healthy
and just to get to that point.”
Only 43 percent of us in the state
are registered to donate. That’s
well below the national average of
about 50 percent.
The Department of Motor
Vehicles makes it easy to sign up.
You can also go to the LifeChoice
Donor website.
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the
Donor Registry, please visit
www.lifechoiceopo.org or call
1.800.874.5215.
LifeChoice OPO

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: LifeChoice
Donor Services tissue recovery helps with
breast reconstruction after mastectomy
By Anne-Gerard Flynn October 3, 2014
Caitlyn Bernabucci is public
education and community
relations specialist for
LifeChoice Donor Services, the
federally designated, non-profit
organ procurement organization.
The organization serves Hampden,
Hampshire and Franklin counties,
in Western Massachusetts,
and six counties in Connecticut. It
provides organ and tissue donations
to nearly two dozen acute
care hospitals, including Baystate
Medical Center, which does organ
transplants.
Donor skin is used in breast reconstruction,
following a mastectomy,
something the organ procurement
organization highlights during
National Breast Cancer Awareness
Month, in October.
Some 200,000 women in the United
States are diagnosed annually
with breast cancer.
“Skin is recovered from deceased
donors for use in surgical procedures
to help heal and save lives
for decades,” Bernabucci said. “An
open casket funeral is still possible
after the donation of skin and other
tissues.”
According to the organization’s
website, “Organs that may be
donated after death include the
heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, pancreas,
and small intestine. Tissues
that can be donated after cardiac
death include corneas, skin, bone,
heart valves, connective tissue and
blood vessels.”
Individuals can register to become
an organ donor at Donate
Life New England:
www.donatelifenewengland.org.
Bernabucci’s answered the
following questions about
donor skin recovery.
How do you recovery skin, to be
used for others?
All deaths that are referred to
LifeChoice are evaluated as potential
tissue donors. One tissue
donor can enhance and save over
50 people. Skin is recovered from
larger surface areas, such as the
back and thighs. Skin will be recovered
as either a thin layer, or
a full-thickness graft. With full
thickness grafts the body will heal
faster and with less pain in certain
surgeries.
What is done to recovered skin,
so it can be used, and what types
of surgeries is it used for?
After skin is recovered from a donor,
it can be cryopreserved, and
stored for up to five years before
it is used. Skin for skin grafts does
not need to be matched to the recipient
as it sloughs off once the
patient’s skin regenerates.
Skin is used for burn victims and
can promote healing of the patient’s
own skin, by providing a
temporary coverage to protect
against infection and loss of fluid
and heat. Skin is also used for
breast reconstruction post-mastectomy,
and promotes rapid revascularization
and ultimately
transforms into host tissue. Skin
can also be used in hernia repairs
and for ENT (ear, nose, throat) surgeries.
Where can people obtain
information?
More information is available at
www.LifeChoiceOPO.org or by
calling (860) 286-3120.
In The News 47

Sister gets her life back with brother’s
kidney donation
By Kathleen McKiernan, Recorder Staff
August 22, 2014
F
or 13 years, Heather Shaw of
Greenfield dealt with kidney
disease — until her kidneys
finally failed and she required
dialysis.
For three days a week last year,
Shaw visited Yankee Family
Dialysis on Wildwood Avenue to
receive treatment. For three and a
half months, she experienced all of
48
the side effects including nausea,
vomiting, leg cramps, headaches
and insomnia.
Meanwhile, in March of last year,
her brother, Kenny Perkins, 24, of
Orange, agreed to donate his kidney
to save his sister’s life.
“I don’t think grateful is strong
enough of a word as to how I
feel about what he did. At first
I felt guilty that I was letting
him do this for me because of
all he had to go through,” said
Shaw. “But then I think that if the
situation was reversed, I would
do the same thing for him ... and
I wouldn’t want any thanks or
acknowledgement either.”
According to LifeChoice Donor
LifeChoice OPO

“Being on dialysis was honestly the most
awful thing I have ever had to do. I was
extremely tired and sick on the days I had to
go and it made it very difficult to be able to
do the normal tasks like cooking or cleaning.”
- Heather Shaw
Services, a nonprofit organ procurement
organization for six
counties in Connecticut and in
western Massachusetts, kidney
disease kills 90,000 Americans a
year — more than breast and prostate
cancer combined.
One in 10 American adults have
chronic kidney disease and most
don’t even know it, LifeChoice
said. According to the National
Kidney Foundation, high blood
pressure and diabetes are the two
leading causes of kidney disease.
Of the more than 120,000 Americans
currently on the waiting list
for a lifesaving organ transplant,
99,000 need a kidney.
Shaw’s kidney problems started
when she was 17 and pregnant
with her oldest daughter.
In 1999, while five months pregnant,
Shaw developed hydronephrosis,
which is the swelling of
the kidney due to backup of urine.
At 36 weeks, Shaw had a shunt
placed in her ureter. She developed
pre-eclampsia a week after
surgery due to stress and was admitted
to have her daughter.
In the first six weeks of her life,
Shaw’s daughter was in and out
of the hospital suffering seizures.
Focused on her daughter’s health,
Shaw did not pay attention to her
own medical concerns and ended
up in the ICU with acute renal
failure.
She was ultimately diagnosed
with FSGS, focal and segmental
glomerulosclerosis, a rare disease
that attacks the kidney’s filtering
system, causing serious scarring.
At the time, she was told she would
eventually need a transplant — a
prospect she imagined for her 40s.
But after three more pregnancies,
her kidneys needed serious intervention
and she went on dialysis.
“Being on dialysis was honestly the
most awful thing I have ever had
to do. I was extremely tired and
sick on the days I had to go and it
made it very difficult to be able to
do the normal tasks like cooking
or cleaning,” Shaw said.
Dialysis only makes up for 10 to
15 percent of a kidney’s function,
Shaw said.
On March 13, 2013, which happens
to be World Kidney Day, she received
the kidney transplant from
her brother. “I was really lucky,” she
says.
You can reach Kathleen McKiernan
at: kmckiernan@recorder.com or
413-772-0261 ext. 268 On Twitter,
follow @RecorderKatMcK
In The News 49

Alum speaks out on organ donation
August 20, 2014
As a nurse, Ruth Amador,
HCC Class of 2005, believes
in what she calls the “preservation
of life.” That principle has
guided her both personally and
professionally.
She works as a registered nurse
at Hartford Hospital in the medical
and infectious disease unit. At
Wing Memorial Hospital in Palmer
50
she is on the Visiting Nurses Association
hospice team. In addition,
she works as a community public
health nurse.
She holds two bachelor’s degrees,
one from Boston College (psychology)
and one from Elms College
(nursing), and a master’s degree in
nursing from Elms.
She is the co-founder of the Western
Massachusetts Chapter of the
National Association of Hispanic
Nurses.
Beyond work, in May 2013, Amador
made what many might consider
to be the ultimate sacrifice
in support of life. She donated
part of her liver to save the life of
a close friend who needed a liver
transplant.
LifeChoice OPO

TOP LEFT: Ruth Amador, HCC nursing class of 2005, during a recent visit to HCC. BOTTOM LEFT: Amador
participated in the first annual LifeChoice Blue & Green Run/Walk for organ donation in May 2014.
“I knew I was healthy enough
and I believe in life preservation,”
she said. “Because of my spiritual
beliefs and my religious beliefs
and just my humanity, I became a
living organ donor.”
Amador now considers herself a
spokesperson for organ donation
and visited the HCC campus earlier
this month in recognition of
National Minority Organ Donation
Week. Her goal is to bring more
attention to organ donation and
raise awareness about its importance
in saving lives, particularly in
minority communities.
“There are so few minority organ
donors,” said Amador, who was
born in Puerto Rico and now lives
in Springfield. “There are a lot of
misconceptions out there. A lot
of Hispanics are very religious and
a lot of people believe the body
should remain intact after death
and so you shouldn’t donate your
organs because they need to go
with you to the afterlife.”
But based on her own research
about organ donation, Amador
said, and contrary to what some
people believe, “across the board,
most - I’m not going to say all - religions
support” organ donation.
“So there is a lot of work that needs
to be done on awareness and challenging
misconceptions,” she said,
“but not a lot of people to deliver
the information.”
Her preliminary experience with
organ donation was simply as a
registered organ donor, she said.
This is something anyone can sign
up for and have noted a driver’s license.
When her friend of 20 years was
dying of cancer, she made a
life-saving decision. Fortunately,
she and her friend were a match.
“It was very unusual. It’s very difficult
to match people. What I find
so touching is that we are two
people from two different cultures.
My friend is a Caucasian. I am
Hispanic.”
After a year and a half, her friend
is still cancer free. “He has lived a
year plus and has been able to
celebrate marriage anniversaries,
holidays, milestones and events.
I’m thankful to God for that,” she
said.
Earlier this year, nearly coinciding
with the one-year anniversary of
her liver transplant surgery Amador
participated in the first annual
LifeChoice Blue & Green Walk/Run,
raising more than $2,000 for organ
donation.
“It was very therapeutic,” she said.
“I met hundreds of people who
were touched by organ donation.
People who have donated. Family
members who made the choice to
donate the organs of a loved one
who died tragically. People who
have lived and been given a second
chance at life.”
Her work as a nurse ranges from
prevention and treatment to palliative
care for people who are
dying. Prior to her attending nursing
school at Holyoke Community
College, Amador worked as a funeral
director, a career she sought
because it combined her academic
background in science and
psychology with her interest in
becoming a business owner.
She attended the New England
Institute at Mount Ida in Newton
for her degree in funeral services
and worked as an embalmer and
funeral director at Henderson’s
Funeral Home in Springfield and
La Rosa Funeral Home in Holyoke,
the latter which serves a predominately
Hispanic population, she
said.
She still maintains her license as a
funeral director and embalmer.
“I’ve been very busy in my career,
but it’s all interrelated,” she said.
Even as a funeral director, she said,
the thread of life preservation is
apparent.
“I see a connection,” she said, “because
in funeral directing there are
so many aspects to it, because you
prepare the deceased, the loved
one, but in reality the people you
work most with are the living people
who are left behind.”
“When you have a family that you
know were givers or allowed their
deceased loved one to give the
gift of life - I give lots of credit to
those family members because it’s
not an easy thing,” she said. “That’s
joyous for me, when they give
people a second chance to live.”
In The News 51

For two area
residents,
organ donation
measured true
meaning of
friendship
By Julie Anne Rancourt, The MIddletown Press
July 10, 2014
From triumph and tragedy,
two Middlesex County
residents have become passionate
about the organ donation
program.
Old Saybrook resident Bill
Sheahan became aware that his
friend Frank Malinconico was in
need of a kidney transplant when
he saw an announcement in their
church bulletin. Desperate to get
help for her husband, Sue-Ann
Malinconico explained the nature
of her husband’s illness and
urged parishioners to be tested as
possible matches. Sheahan saw
the announcement and “I put myself
in his shoes — I mean, he had
52
kids they same age as ours.”
After talking with his wife, Mary,
Sheahan went ahead with the first
step, a simple blood test. When it
was determined he was a match,
he was assigned a donor advocate
to look out for his interests, and
went through three months of
other tests, including an MRI and
meetings with a psychologist.
Throughout the testing, his identity
was kept secret from Malinconico
and he had the option of ending
the process at any time. The
system protects the anonymity of
the potential donor in case they
are not determined to be a match
or decide to back out for any reason.
Donors are also repeatedly
asked if they’re being pressured in
any way or were offered monetary
compensation for their donation.
Sheahan was surprised that he
was found to be a match, explaining
that, thanks to better testing
and more powerful anti-rejection
drugs, 20 years ago it would not
have been a suitable pairing. Once
he found out he was a match,
however, the father of three young
children said he had very few reservations
about going ahead with
the surgery.
The transplant was done at
LifeChoice OPO

LEFT: Beth Schilke Kilian watches her daughter Kathryn, 9, play in the backyard of her Middletown home. Kilian,
wife of John Kilian and mother of 9-year old twins and a 13-year old daughter, donated 40 percent of her liver to
friend Julie Fosdick. Fosdick ultimately rejected the organ and was given a second donation from a cadaver but
died within 72 hours.
Hartford Hospital in January 2009.
Malinconico started to feel better
within 24 hours, and Sheahan
left the hospital with a small scar
ahead of schedule. “I’ll never be a
bikini model,” joked Sheahan, “but
I wasn’t looking to augment my income
that way anyway.”
After the donation, Sheahan, who
works in sales of metal castings
and forgings for a small company,
returned to work as soon as
he could to drive again in three
weeks.
That was five years ago and Malinconico
is healthier than ever and
his doctors think his kidney, which
they nicknamed Shamus, should
last the rest of his life.
Middletown resident Beth Killian
has a different story to tell of living
organ donation, but one that also
has a happy ending from her perspective.
Killian donated 40 percent,
or a lobe, of her liver to her
friend Julie Fosdick in April 2012.
The two met when Killian was
pregnant with her oldest daughter,
Caroline, and Fosdick was pregnant
with twins Sarah and Christopher.
Fosdick had mentioned
to Killian that she was critically ill
and would eventually need a liver
donation. “I wasn’t aware of organ
donation at the time, but I thought
in my mind, ‘well, I’ll be her donor,’”
Killian said.“ I just understood that
was part of my future. There was a
peace in knowing that.”
The two remained close over several
years and their daughters
grew to be best friends. Then in
the fall of 2011, Fosdick was hospitalized
and it became apparent
that she would need a transplant
to survive.
In this country, according to the
Donate Life America website,
122,000 people need a lifesaving
organ donation and every 10 minutes,
another name is added to the
donation wait list. Sadly enough,
18 people die every day while
awaiting an organ transplant.
Killian started the testing process
and things fell into place very
quickly. After a couple weeks, the
work was complete and Killian,
her husband John and Fosdick’s
husband Gordon were waiting
outside Yale New Haven Hospital
for the transplant team to approve
the donation so they could tell
Fosdick.
The surgery took 11 hours and left
Killian, who works in the emergency
room there, out of work for
four months. She also was left with
a 14-inch “Mercedes” scar in the
shape of a peace sign.
“It was never about me. It was always
about Sarah and Christopher
and giving my daughter’s best
friend a chance to have a mom,”
Killian said.
Fosdick ultimately rejected the donor
liver and was given a second
donation, from a cadaver, within
72 hours. Recipients have a better
chance of recovery with a living
donation, but get moved to the
top of the cadaver donation list if
they reject a living donation. She
never fully regained consciousness
and passed away with days.
Despite the outcome, however,
Killian has started volunteering
her time with Life Choice Donor
Services and is a donor ambassador
for the Department of Motor
Vehicles. She gives her time to
do outreach for donor advocacy
events and helps set up end-of-life
plans.
In America, 90 percent of people
support organ donation, but only
30 percent know the essential
steps to take to become an organ
donor, according to Donate Life
America.
She has become a passionate advocate
for donation programs and
takes solace in the fact that she did
everything she could for her friend.
She has covered a portion of the
scar with a colorful tattoo depicting
water lilies in pink, which was
Fosdick’s favorite color, and an eagle,
representing her friend’s freedom
from illness now.
“In death, you’re able to give
life and it’s a very special gift,”
Killian said. “It has to be a gift
from one human to another.
That is the meaning of life right
there.”
In The News 53

Connecticut to send team of athletes
to National Transplant Games
By Alisa Gaudiosi July 1, 2014
When you don’t know
if you’re going to live
to see another day,
the thought of competing in a
national sporting event seems
completely unfathomable. But
for a team of more than 20
Connecticut athletes, this accomplishment
will be realized when
they compete in the Transplant
Games of America on July 12th in
Houston, TX.
54
The Transplant Games of America
is a multi-sport festival event for
individuals who have undergone
life-saving transplant surgeries.
Competition events are open to
living donors, organ transplant recipients,
bone marrow recipients,
and corneal and tissue transplant
recipients.
More than an athletic event, the
Transplant Games of America
highlight the critical importance
of organ, eye, and tissue donation,
while celebrating the lives
of donors and recipients.
One of this year’s Connecticut
team members is Kari August.
She was diagnosed with Type 1
diabetes at the age of 9 and the
passing years brought many
complications. When August was
pregnant with her first daughter,
LifeChoice OPO

LEFT: Connecticut athletes affected by organ donation, such as Gil Hayes of Broad Brook, will compete in the
Transplant Games of America on July 12th in Houston, Texas. Hayes has competed in the World Transplant
Games for many years after receiving a life-saving kidney transplant.
she faced many issues with her
kidneys not functioning properly.
The problems grew worse when
she got pregnant with her second
child.
Her kidney function had diminished
to less than 10% and soon
she was undergoing dialysis.
“I was on dialysis for a total of six
months. I was told I was a candidate
for kidney and pancreas transplants,
but I had a lot of testing to
do,” said August. “I was scared, nervous,
and curious about this process.”
Her siblings quickly stepped up to
help and her brother was a perfect
match. On November 4, 2004, August
received a kidney from her
brother. But only two days after
surgery, there came a completely
unexpected twist. August had
a heart attack and needed three
stents. As a result, she was taken
off the list for a pancreas until her
heart was healthy again.
“With the pancreas I had to wait
for a call when a person younger
than 25 had died and was a match
with me. I waited four years and six
months,” she said.
“I was called in two times before
that, but I was sick and the other
time, the organ was not the best
match for me. The third call was
the charm.” August is so thankful
to have the second chance to live
a healthy life and compete in the
transplant games. “If it weren’t for
someone else’s amazing gift I likely
wouldn’t be here,” she said.
Beth Ballard will also represent CT
in the games. She brings to the
event the perspective of someone
who has given the gift of life.
Ballard’s son Brian Wynne was
only 15 when he died in 1998. His
mother made the decision to let
others look through Brian’s eyes,
donating his corneas.
“I became a member of the council
because I believe that tissue and
organ donation is very important.
I wanted to spread the word about
how important tissue and organ
donation is and get involved with
other donor families.” said Ballard.
As a result of her involvement, she
joined the Transplant Team of Connecticut.
“It’s great to participate
and see all these people who are
healthy thanks to someone else’s
donation,” said Ballard. “It certainly
helps me in honoring my son’s
memory.”
The Transplant Games include a
variety of sports including basketball,
bowling, cycling, golf, swimming,
table tennis and many others.
The games were started as a way
to get the word out about the important
need for organ donation.
Over the years it has grown into an
event that brings transplant and
donor families together. As a donor
family, you may not meet the
person that has your loved one’s
organs or tissues, but you get a
chance to see how a donation has
changed someone else’s life for
the better. As a transplant recipient,
you get to show the world
that having a transplant is a second
chance at life.
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc. is
the federally designated, non-profit
organ procurement organization
(OPO) for six counties in Connecticut
and three counties in Western
Massachusetts with a combined
population of 2.3 million people.
The OPO serves 23 acute care hospitals
for organ and tissue donation
and two organ transplant hospitals,
Hartford Hospital in Hartford,
CT and Baystate Medical Center in
Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and is accredited by the
Association of Organ Procurement
Organizations (AOPO). For more
information about LifeChoice and
to join the Donor Registry, please
visit www.lifechoiceopo.org or call
1.800.874.5215.
In The News 55

Meriden father finds comfort knowing
son’s organs helped many
Mary Ellen Godin June 14, 2014
It has been a difficult two years
since the death of his son Jeremy,
but Pat Jennings finds comfort
in the gifts he left for so many.
“He was always willing to help you
out in a time of need,” Jennings
said. “In a way, everyone he met
56
was a friend if they wanted to be.”
Jeremy Jennings died unexpectedly
in his home at the age of 35.
His father learned that as a registered
organ and tissue donor, Jeremy
has helped 43 people in 13 different
states, including a newborn
baby, a teenager and an elderly
man.
“Jeremy really never said anything
to me about being an organ donor
other than that he was registered,”
Pat Jennings said. “We decided to
donate his organs because that
LifeChoice OPO

BELOW: Former Meriden resident, Patrick Jennings, of Waterbury, holds a picture of son, Jeremy, at Hubbard
Park in Meriden, Thursday, June 12, 2014. Jeremy, a Wilcox Tech. graduate, died unexpectedly two years ago at
age 35 and was an organ donor who helped better the lives of 43 people. A gathering of friends and family will
meet in his memory near the Hubbard Park bandshell at 1 p.m. on Sunday. (Photo: Dave Zajac / Record-Journal)
was his wish. To me there is no
greater loss than your child, but
knowing he has helped so many
people in so many states, kind of
keeps him alive in my mind.”
Like all holidays, Father’s Day is difficult
for Jennings. He gets some
comfort from the thank you letters
and pictures he receives from the
families of organ recipients, especially
the parents of the infant his
son’s tissue helped save.
One of his son’s favorite spots was
Hubbard Park, where he would
walk his lizard on a leash.
Jeremy Jennings was born to Pat
Jennings and Roseann Stillson on
Oct. 11, 1976 and lived on Linsley
Street in Meriden.
He graduated from H.C. Wilcox
Regional Technical High School in
1994 and was employed by Rolled
Alloys in Windsor.
He served with the Army National
Guard. He bought a home in the
city and married Jessica Bissonette,
who he left behind along
with a stepson and two sisters.
“As Jeremy got older they spent
more time together,” Roseann Stillson
said about her son and his father.
“He loved his dad very much,
they went deep sea fishing together
and his dad taught him how to
lay down a ceramic tile floor and
install new cabinets.”
She recalled Jeremy as an affectionate
child who didn’t like school
but did well. Pat Jennings recalls a
young man who was the life of the
party and could light up the room
when he entered.
LifeChoice Donor Services Inc. is
the federally designated nonprofit
procurement organization for
six counties in Connecticut and
three counties in Western Massachusetts.
It serves 23 acute-care
hospitals for organ and tissue donation
and two organ transplant
hospitals, Hartford Hospital, and
Baystate Medical Center in Springfield,
Mass.
It’s not unusual for organ and tissue
donors to help as many people
as Jeremy Jennings, said Caitlyn
Bernabucci, public education and
community relations specialist for
LifeChoice.
“Sometimes donors can help as
many as 50 people,” Bernabucci
said. “Many families have told us
donation is something positive
that gives them hope.”
Bernabucci said there is a shortage
of donors. “Eighteen people die
every day waiting for transplants,
she said. “Only 42 percent of the
over age 18 population is registered
to donate in Connecticut.”
Pat Jennings is planning a memorial
for family and friends on Sunday
at the Hubbard Park Bandshell to
remember Jeremy and give thanks
to the people he has helped save.
“Jeremy would think about the
fact that he has helped so many
people and as my daughter put it,
he would get a kick out of being
part of so many individuals,” Pat
Jennings said.
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the Donor Registry,
please visit www.lifechoiceopo.org
or call 1.800.874.5215.
In The News 57

Organ donation is best
Father’s Day gift of all
By Alisa Gaudiosi June 9, 2014
The proudest role of Scott
Meyer’s life is being a father
to his two sons Aidan, age 2
and Dylan, 4.
Oftentimes, these two little boys
were the source of love that kept
him going through some of his
darkest days.
Meyer, a resident of Windsor, CT,
battled a health condition that always
kept him wondering if he’d
live to see the next Father’s Day.
58
“I have something called IgA nephropathy.
It’s a kidney disorder
that occurs when IgA—a protein
that helps the body fight infections—settles
in the kidneys. After
many years, the IgA deposits may
cause the kidneys to leak blood
and sometimes protein into the
urine,” explains Meyer.
The 35-year-old was diagnosed
with the condition in his late twenties.
He had gone to his local emergency
room for what he thought
was a urinary tract infection.
After a few tests he figured the
doctors would confirm the infection,
give him a prescription
and send him on his way. However,
there was no infection, instead
a slight decrease in his kidney
function that needed follow
up from his regular doctor. That
led to the confirmation of IgA
nephropathy, something that
completely changed Scott’s quality
of life.
LifeChoice OPO

“I was tired a lot. I lost my appetite
and it was growing increasingly
difficult to keep up with my two
little boys,” said Meyer.
“It was hard. I could see in my family’s
eyes how worried they had
become. Some days I just felt like
staying in bed, but I had to keep
going. At some points if it were
not for my children, I might not
be here. They have been my best
medicine.”
The doctors made it clear that Meyer
would eventually need a new
kidney. He was put on the wait list
and in the interim, had to rely on
dialysis to carry him through the
waiting period. In total, he was on
dialysis for 3 years and 10 months.
The treatment exhausted him and
made him depressed at times.
“When waiting for a kidney you
kind of wonder where you are
on the list. However I never really
wanted to know, because I felt it
would make the wait feel longer
and make me more frustrated,”
said Meyer.
At about 8:15 a.m. on a mid-November
day, Meyer’s waiting came
to an end when his phone rang.
He was told to come to the hospital
immediately. A generous gift
from a complete stranger would
change his life and put him on his
way to recovery...and most importantly,
give him more time with his
family.
“I spent four days in the hospital
and was blessed to have family
and friends and my children by
my side,” he said. “A member of the
clergy came in to give me communion
and at this point I could not
eat yet, but I asked her if we could
pray for my donor and my donor’s
family as they were going through
a loss. It brought me to tears knowing
someone had died and had
given a gift of a second chance. So
we prayed for them and I still do to
this day.”
Meyer now describes his life as 100
percent improved. All symptoms
he had from kidney failure and dialysis
are now gone. Food has flavor
again. His family no longer has
to worry about his health. Most
importantly, he gets to do activities
with his sons that weren’t possible
in the past.
“I can play with my children. I will
get to watch them grow up and
become men. I don’t have to worry
about how much fluid I can drink
anymore. I feel free again,” he said.
“I feel if I could say Thank You every
second of the day it would still
not be enough.”
Pat Jennings was also touched by
donation, but his story is very different.
Like Meyer, being a Dad has
been the most important part of
his life. He describes his son Jeremy
as a “bigger than life” type of
person and the center of attention
wherever he went. But perhaps his
best quality was his willingness to
always help a friend.
“He was always willing to help
you out in a time of need,” said
Jennings. “In a way, everyone he
met was a friend if they wanted to
be.”
But everything changed two years
ago when Jeremy died suddenly.
From that horrible loss came many
tremendous gifts. “Jeremy really
never said anything to me about
being an organ donor other than
that he was registered. We decided
to donate his organs because
that was his wish,” said Jennings.
“To me, there is no greater loss
than your child, but knowing that
he has helped so many people in
so many states, kind of keeps him
alive in my mind.”
As of the last update, Jennings has
learned that his son’s amazing gift
has helped 43 people in 13 different
states, including a newborn
baby, a teenager, an elderly man
and many others.
“Jeremy would think about the
fact that he has helped so many
people and as my daughter put it,
he would get a kick out of being a
part of so many individuals,” adds
Jennings.
For Jennings, Father’s Day is a reminder
of the son he lost, but also,
of all the good that he did. For
Meyer, it’s a time to give thanks for
the chance to still be a Dad. “Every
day, we hear about heroes all over
the world, like military and police
officers. However, there are also
heroes we seldom hear about-the
organ donor,” said Meyer.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and is accredited by the
Association of Organ Procurement
Organizations (AOPO). For more
information about LifeChoice and
to join the Donor Registry, please
visit www.lifechoiceopo.org or call
1.800.874.5215.
In The News 59

First walk/run for organ
donation raises $90,000
By Alisa Gaudiosi May 15, 2014
Organizers of the LifeChoice
Blue & Green 5k and 2
Mile Walk/Run were overwhelmed
by the success of their
inaugural event on Saturday, May
3rd in Windsor.
60
More than 600 friends and supporters
created teams to help to
raise awareness about the need
for more registered organ donors.
Many teams walked in remembrance
of a loved one, carrying
photos and posters, wearing custom
shirts and even butterfly
wings.
The largest team at the event was
“Team David Rogers” with 42 walkers.
They were also the top fundraisers,
raising $6,000.
“The turnout was unbelievable.
We honestly did not anticipate
that many people for our first year.”
said Caitlyn Bernabucci, education
specialist at LifeChoice and event
organizer.
“We want to thank all of the
sponsors, vendors and walkers
who came together on a
gorgeous sunny day in tribute
to those who donated and to
celebrate the precious gift of
life.”
LifeChoice OPO

LifeChoice hosts 1st annual
walk/run for organ donation
April 3, 2014
Recent college graduate
Jessica Kupczak saved
the lives of four people by
donating her organs after
suffering a fatal asthma
attack in 2002. Her father
Peter will honor her
memory by participating
in the 1st annual Blue &
Green Walk/Run for organ
donation on May 3.
On Saturday, May 3, Jane Andrews
of East Hartford will
lace up her sneakers with
determination, pride and gratitude.
On this day she will lead a team
of friends and supporters at the
LifeChoice Blue & Green 5k and 2
Mile Walk/Run in her quest to help
raise awareness about the need
for more registered organ donors.
After all, she wouldn’t be alive to
walk in this event if it wasn’t for
someone else’s decision to become
a donor.
“For more than 35 years, I did my
best to manage juvenile diabetes
but I always lived in fear that my
illness would eventually debilitate
me,” said Andrews.
“I ultimately spent two years on
In The News 61

dialysis after my kidneys began to
fail and it was clear that without a
new kidney and pancreas I would
have no future.”
While Jane was fighting for her life,
the family of a 19-year-oldyoung
man, in the midst of a terrible tragedy
and loss, honored their son’s
decision to donate his organs and
tissues to others. In his death, this
young man gave Andrews the second
chance she desperately needed.
“One day, the call came that I
would be receiving a new kidney
and pancreas. In an instant I had
a second chance at a healthy life.
Again, I am one of the lucky ones,”
she said.
Andrews is a veteran of the 2010
Olympic Transplant games where
she competed in cycling. The
LifeChoice Blue & Green 5k and 2
Mile Walk/Run is a chance for her
to once again elevate the local discussion
about organ donation.
Peter Kupczak of Colchester is
someone else who will be proud
to attend the Blue & Green Walk/
Run held at LifeChoice Donor Services
in Windsor. His story comes
from the other side of organ
and tissue donation – as a donor
family member.
In November 2002, Kupczak’s only
child, Jessica Marie, gave the gift
of life to four people in need of a
transplant.
Jessica had suffered a fatal asthma
62
attack on November 17th and was
declared brain dead on November
23.
“Jessica was a vibrant 24-year-old,
and recent college graduate from
Adelphi University in Long Island
where she had graduated with a
degree in theater and dance,” said
Kupczak.
“She was living a wonderful life
in Queens, New York and fulfilling
her dream of becoming a Broadway
dancer.”
Jessica was given the best of medical
care at Mt. Sinai Hospital in
Queens. As Jessica lay in the ICU
and the hopes of her recovery
slipped further and further away,
Kupczak knew that he could honor
her last wishes by donating her
organs.
“Jessica’s heart went to a 50-yearold,
married man who had one
child. Her liver went to a 57-yearold
single woman. Her right kidney
went to a 62-year-old married
man who had one child and her
left kidney and pancreas went to
a 33-year-old single man who had
three children,” said Kupczak.
“You see the gift of life through
organ and tissue donation is the
only good thing that comes from
such a tragedy.”
Since the loss of his precious daughter,
Kupczak has worked tirelessly
to spread the word about the need
for more registered organ donors.
Over 90 percent of the US population
supports organ and tissue
donation, but only 35 percent
have documented their decision.
Eighteen people die every day because
there are not enough organs
available for transplant. One donor
can provide several life-saving organs
such as heart, liver, kidneys,
pancreas, intestines and lungs to
8 people andmore than 50 people
through tissue and eye donation.
“The gift of life is completely free
and one of the most unselfish
acts of kindness bestowed upon a
complete stranger,” said Kupczak.
On May 3rd, he will join a community
impacted by donation and
transplantation in memory of his
only daughter.
You, too, can make a difference on
Saturday, May 3rd by signing up to
walk or run the Blue & Green. Funds
raised from the event will be used
solely to educate the public about
the critical need for more people
in Connecticut and Massachusetts
to join the Donor Registry.
The event will feature entertainment,
a vendor fair, local food
trucks, the Wall of Hope and all
registrants will receive a Donate
Life goodie bag, t-shirts and light
breakfast.
With only one month to go until
the Blue & Green, LifeChoice
knows participants are getting
pumped and prepped for the big
race! “Like” LifeChoice on Facebook
and then post and share pictures
LifeChoice OPO

of your pre-race warm-up routine
on the official LIfeChoice page.
The organization will then display
the best photos in a collage on its
website later this month.
The LifeChoice Blue & Green 5k and
2 Mile Walk/Run is sponsored by
CT1 Media, Connecticut Multispecialty
Group, Essential Pharmaceuticals,
Musculoskeletal Transplant
Foundation, Shipman & Goodwin
LLP, Organ Recovery Systems, Alliances
by Alisa Media Relations,
Pioneer Valley Plastic Surgery, Aetna
Ambulance Service, Inc., Local
Stage Productions and Yankee
Courier. For more information and
to register, visit www.bluegreenwalk.org.
“The gift of life through organ and
tissue donation is the only good
thing that comes from such a
tragedy.”
– Peter Kupczak, donor father
Eddie’s
Grandmother:
Made possible by
an organ donor
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc.
is the federally designated,
non-profit organ procurement organization
(OPO) for six counties
in Connecticut and three counties
in Western Massachusetts with a
combined population of 2.3 million
people. The OPO serves 23
acute care hospitals for organ and
tissue donation and two organ
transplant hospitals, Hartford Hospital
in Hartford, CT and Baystate
Medical Center in Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and is accredited by the
Association of Organ Procurement
Organizations (AOPO). For more
information about LifeChoice and
to join the Donor Registry, please
visit www.lifechoiceopo.org or call
1.800.874.5215.
Thanks to her heart donor, Amalia got more than a second chance at life. She lived to see her grandson
Eddie, and to help raise a beautiful, strong family with her husband Eduardo. Amalia’s donor transformed many
lives. You can, too. Join more than 100 million organ, eye, and tissue donors, and leave behind the gift of life.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
Imagine what you could make possible. organdonor.gov
Scan this code with your
smartphone for how
to sign up, more about
Amalia, and other stories.
In The News 63

CHH and LifeChoice raise donor
awareness flag on hospital campus
April 3, 2014
April is National “Donate Life”
Month, a perfect time for
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital
and LifeChoice Donor Services
to come together to celebrate
those who have participated and
registered in this lifesaving organ
and tissue donation program.
CHH staff and LifeChoice representatives
held a special ceremony
April 1st to raise a new “Donate
64
Life” flag on the hospital’s main
campus flagpole, honor past donors,
and promote donor awareness
and participation.
“We are pleased to partner with
our colleagues at LifeChoice Donor
Services to help fulfill the wishes
of individuals and family members
who wish to make lifesaving donations
to those in need.” said Donna
Feinstein, CHH Director of Nursing.
Lifechoice is an organ procurement
organization (OPO) that
facilitates the organ and tissue
donation process for CHH. OPOs
are responsible for honoring an
individual’s decision to donate
when they have joined a donor
registry and providing compassionate
support to families. OPOs
also evaluate potential donors for
medical suitability, assist with the
LifeChoice OPO

placement of organs for transplant,
and facilitate the recovery
of both organs and tissues.
After the ceremony, they
gathered in the hospital cafeteria
where Lifechoice and Beth
Bradley, a donor heart recipient,
were on hand to share their experiences
and give out information
about the importance of signing
up to be a donor.
“I would not be here if it weren’t
for my donor. I am so grateful for
the opportunity to receive a second
chance at life,” said Bradley.
The new flag will fly with the Connecticut
State Flag, and be raised
and lowered in a special ceremony
each time an organ or tissue
donation is made at the family’s
request.
“Every day in April, people across
the U.S. make a special effort to
celebrate the tremendous generosity
of those who have saved
lives by becoming organ, tissue,
marrow, and blood donors and to
encourage more Americans to follow
their fine example,” said Chas
MacKenzie, Lifechoice Donor Services
Director of Education and
Hospital Services.
Checking off the donor box on the
DMV license form will not specify a
donor’s wishes. To document specific
wishes, a person must register
through an organ donation service
such as LifeChoice, which can
be done online.
For more information about the
organ donation process or to register,
visit www.lifechoiceOPO.org
Organ procurement organizations,
transplant centers, national
donation organizations and other
organizations sponsor special
awareness events and donor recognition
ceremonies to promote
donation awareness and registration.
National Donate Life Month
was established in 2003.
LifeChoice is the federally
designated, non-profit organ procurement
organization (OPO) for
six counties in Connecticut and
three counties in western Massachusetts,
with a combined
population of 2.3 million people.
The OPO serves 23 acute care
hospitals for organ, tissue donation
and two organ transplant
hospitals, Hartford Hospital
in Hartford, Connecticut, and
Baystate Medical Center in
Springfield, Massachusetts.
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital is
a 109-bed, general acute care
hospital located in Torrington. It
serves as a regional health care
resource for 100,000 residents of
Litchfield County and northwest
Connecticut.
CHH offers personalized attention
from an expert team of caregivers
and physicians who utilize
advanced technology and clinical
partnerships in a convenient, safe
and comfortable patient environment.
One Thousand Caregivers,
One Job, Your Health.
Visit www.charlottehungertford.
org for more information.
In The News 65

LifeChoice unveils new, interactive
website on National Donor Day
February 14, 2014
Seventeen years ago,
Joan Douglas of Bloomfield
continually feared
that each holiday would be
her last. Then she received
a long-awaited call from
the hospital – and a new
heart.
“If someone did not say yes to
organ donation,” she says, “I
would not be here today.”
66
Joan is one of countless people
whose lives have been irrevocably
altered by organ and tissue
donation.
The compelling stories and beautiful
photographs of 16 local organ/tissue
recipients and donor
family members are a central
part of an elaborate website redesign
for LifeChoice Donor Services,
being unveiled today at
www.lifechoiceopo.org.
LifeChoice is the organ procurement
organization serving counties
in Connecticut and western
Massachusetts. It hopes to spread
the word about organ and tissue
donation and its profound ability
to save lives.
Caitlyn Bernabucci of LifeChoice
Donor Services says the “Stories
LifeChoice OPO

of Hope” featured prominently in
slideshow and flip book format on
the home page of the new, seven
-page website give visitors a
better sense of how deeply a
decision to donate can affect
other people.
“There is a story behind every donation
and it’s the humanity of
this process that is so touching,”
she said. “These stories really go a
long way to lend a face to the gift
of donation.”
The home page also includes a flip
book that features two of the four
LifeChoice Donor Family quilts,
called Loving Squares, which are
created to memorialize local organ
and tissue donors. Individual
quilt squares are created by donor
families to honor their loved ones;
each of the four quilts contains 20
squares.
The quilts generally hang in the organization’s
Windsor-based headquarters,
although they are often
put on display at local libraries and
other public venues to help raise
awareness about organ and tissue
donation.
Lifechoiceopo.org – designed to
inform and assist the public, donor
families, organ and tissue recipients
and healthcare professionals
– is packed with information, including
donation facts and FAQs,
videos, social media links, and
lists of in-person and online support
services. For those who want
to become registered organ and
tissue donors, it’s as simple as
clicking on a link.
The site also lists upcoming events,
including LifeChoice’s 1st Annual
Blue & Green 5K and 2 Mile Walk/
Fun Run. On Saturday, May 3rd,
LifeChoice Donor Services is hosting
the event to gather the community
in support of organ and
tissue donation and transplantation.
Funds raised will be used solely
to educate the public about the
critical need for more people in
Connecticut and Massachusetts to
join the Donor Registry. Interested
parties can click a link to register at
www.bluegreenwalk.org.
The Blue & Green event will feature
entertainment, local food
trucks and the Wall of Hope. All
registrants will receive a Donate
Life goodie bag, T-shirts and a light
breakfast. Through this event,
LifeChoice strives to inspire the
local community to give life to
neighbors in need.
In the U.S., 18 people die every day
due to a shortage of organs.
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc.
is the federally designated,
non-profit organ procurement
organization (OPO) for six
counties in Connecticut and three
counties in western Massachusetts,
with a combined population
of 2.3 million people.
The OPO serves 23 acute care
hospitals for organ and tissue
donation and two organ transplant
hospitals – Hartford Hospital
in Hartford, Connecticut and
Baystate Medical Center in
Springfield, Massachusetts.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and is accredited by the
Association of Organ Procurement
Organizations (AOPO).
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the
Donor Registry, please visit
www.lifechoiceopo.org or call
1.860.286.3120. Visitors to the new
LifeChoice website are invited to
check back often, as it will be updated
regularly.
In The News 67

Through organ donation, Don
Preece’s generous spirit lives on
By Jan Tormay December 31, 2013
Like the song, “My Way,” popularized
by Frank Sinatra, Don
Preece of Old Saybrook lived
life his way. He also had beautiful
blue eyes.Now, someone else is
seeing the world through them.
It all happened on the morning
of Nov. 26, 2012. As usual, Don
Preece was on the road at 5:50
a.m. for the 40-minute commute
to his shop, Preece’s Auto, Inc. in
Meriden, which he operated with
his son, Don Preece Jr., for 29 years.
After checking on the day’s repairs
and tows, he drove to the local
mall for his regular walk at 8:30
a.m. Exercise and a low-salt diet
were all part of his doctor’s orders
after two serious heart attacks.
Once walking at the mall, he soon
became very short of breath and
was rushed by ambulance to Mid-
68
State Medical Center in Meriden.
News travelled quickly with three
nurses in the family – daughters,
Debbie Beaudoin at MidState
Medical Center and Joann Preece
at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown,
and daughter-in-law, Angel
Preece, at Hospital for Special Care
in New Britain.
When Don’s, wife, Ann, arrived at
MidState, “they were still doing CPR
on him,” she said. “After about 25
minutes, there was just no hope.”
He died in a coma at 10:30 a.m.
Larger than life
Her husband was a very generous
man, who was always willing
to help people, whether he knew
them or not, Ann Preece said
during a telephone interview. “He
would give somebody a ride, or let
someone take something. Being
a local business owner, he knew a
lot of people because he was born
and raised in Meriden.” Ann said
Don lived life on his terms: He was
opinionated, outgoing, and sometimes
gruff. “What you saw, was
what you got. He was like a teddy
bear. He had a big heart.”
Don loved his family, which includes
three children and five
grandchildren, and having them
visit them at their home, where
they would often have cookouts.
“He liked to be at his house, even
moreso once we moved from Meriden
to Old Saybrook (18 years
ago). He liked Old Saybrook.”
The avid NASCAR racing fan also
enjoyed attending his grandsons’
ice hockey games with his wife,
dining out, spending time at the
marina and cruising around Long
LifeChoice OPO

LEFT: The Preece family is shown in this photo taken shortly before Don Preece’s death last November. Seated from
left are Kim Preece (granddaughter); Don; and Colin Beaudoin (grandson). Standing from left are Jillian Preece
(granddaughter); Angel Preece (daughter-in-law); Joann Preece (daughter); Don’s wife, Ann; Gino and Debra
Beaudoin (son-in-law and daughter); Don Preece Jr. (son); and grandchildren Dylan and Isabel Beaudoin.
Island Sound and Block Island on
their boat. Another favorite pastime
was traveling to Vermont and
Florida. “He loved Disneyworld. We
were there frequently,” Ann said,
laughing. “He never grew up.”
Very much a perfectionist, she said
her husband washed his car every
day, cleaned all the windows in
the house weekly and was “almost
obsessive about his yard and garden.
All the neighbors say he had
the best grass on the street. It was
a golf course-type of yard. He was
very active.”
Even though the family knew his
health was fragile, it did not prepare
them for the day he died, Ann
said. They were devastated. “We
were there. That was sort of a consoling
thing. … I think he thought
he was going to live forever.”
This would have been the end of
the story, except that sometime
between 4 and 5 p.m. that same
day, LifeChoice Donor Services
called the Preece Family to ask if
they would like to donate Don’s
eyes and tissue.
They all agreed it was a very good
idea. “What a gift to give your
loved one’s organs, corneas, or tissue.
Look at all these soldiers that
come back from the war. They’re
burned [or have other injuries].
Breast cancer survivors also,” said
Ann, a breast cancer survivor herself.
Luckily, she only required a
lumpectomy and no transplant
was needed. Still, for her, it feels as
if it has come full circle.
Ann admitted she was surprised
that Don was a viable candidate at
70 after his heart attacks.
“Many people that we talk to are
surprised to learn that you can be
a donor regardless of many common
ailments and age doesn’t
really play a factor in it,” said
Caitlyn Bernabucci, public education
specialist for LifeChoice Donor
Services.
“Really, what matters is how
healthy you are at the time of
your death. If you take good care
of yourself, you most likely will
be able to donate something and
help someone else.”
Bernabucci said there is not an
age “rule-out,” because the age of
people waiting for transplants is
increasing, as they’re living longer,
healthier lives. “Even if you have
had diabetes, high blood pressure,
heart disease, certain types of cancer,
or even hepatitis you may still
be able to donate.”
In May of 2013, Ann and her children
attended a LifeChoice celebration
in South Windsor for organ
donors’ families. In addition to
LifeChoice speakers, three recipients
shared their stories.
After a four-year wait for a kidney
and living on dialysis, one
recipient had his life back and
could travel again. An injured
college rugby player who was
in extreme pain with very limited
movement, recovered after
receiving a donor’s tissue.
The third recipient suffered from
keratoconus, a degenerative cornea
disease. After receiving a cornea
transplant in 2012, he said he
was looking forward to seeing his
newborn baby’s smile in August.
“Well, let me tell you, there wasn’t
a dry eye in the place,” Ann said.
As sad as the event was sitting
with people who had lost loved
ones, she added, “It really changed
our perspective.”
How it works
From the night LifeChoice called,
Ann said, the organization has
been professional. “They were
not pushy. They were just caring
and soft-spoken. It was very well
handled.”
In addition to receiving special
notes, a shawl, and copies of Don’s
handprint, she said, one of which
she framed and hung in their
home.
“They’re there for you. They have
support groups. It was pretty
eye-opening for me.”
Bernabucci said one of the biggest
myths LifeChoice encounters
is that the doctors won’t work
as hard to save patients’ lives if
they’re donors.
“It’s just important for people
to know that the process is very
separate,” she explained. “Any critical
care that you’re receiving in a
hospital is separate from the
organ donation professionals.
In The News 69

We’re not involved with any patient
until all efforts have been
made to save the person’s life.”
Hospitals that partner with
LifeChoice Donor Services are
mandated to refer people to the
organization after death, or when
death is imminent. Lawrence Memorial
Hospital and The William
W. Backus Hospital are two of the
twenty-three hospitals within the
Connecticut and Massachusetts
area that have such a partnership
with LifeChoice.
“When we get these referrals, we
immediately check the donor-registry
database to see whether or
not someone is registered. Then,
we work closely with the family to
determine if someone is eligible
to donate based on medical and
social history, and what their decision
is if they’re not registered,”
Bernabucci said.
She stressed that recovery must
begin within 24 hours of death
and the patient must be on mechanical
support at the time of
death.
Organs need to be transplanted
immediately, while bones, ligaments,
veins, and heart valves,
can be stored for up to five years
post-recovery for transplant.
“Corneas are usually transplanted
within 14 days, but the less time
that passes between recovery and
transplant the better,” Bernabucci
added.
“We really need each other to
70
make some of these miracles happen.
Despite all the advances in
medicine, there are some things
that we really just do depend on
each other for; organ and tissue
transplants – there is nothing out
there like it. We need these gifts
from each other.”
In November, Ann, 71, became a
senior advocate for LifeChoice,
and has been interviewed on
WRCH Radio in Farmington and
featured in news articles. She has
already told her family that she
wants to be a donor. It is also noted
on her driver’s license. “I think
it is a great idea, and if anyone approached
me, I would tell them my
personal experience,” she said.She
hopes that if her child or grandchild
needed an organ or tissue, it
would be available. “There are so
many people on lists that just never
get anything.”
Ann said donating her husband’s
eyes was especially powerful for
her family, because Don was devastated
when his brother, Dick,
lost his eyesight nine years ago after
a horse-training accident.
“[Don] kept saying he wished there
was some surgery that could help
him regain his sight. I kept trying
to tell him, ‘It’s the optic nerve.
There is no help for him. It was too
late.’ ”
Acccording to LifeChoice, close
to 120,000 people are on the national
organ transplant waiting
list today. “Largely due to the rarity
of donation opportunities,
only about 28,000 organs are
transplanted each year. As a result,
18 candidates die each day for lack
of a donor.”
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
and the Association of Organ Procurement
Organizations. For more
information about LifeChoice,
or to join the donor registry,
visit www.lifechoiceopo.org or call
1-800-874-5215.
Don and Ann Preece would have
celebrated their fiftieth wedding
anniversary on July 8, 2013. She
said he didn’t want a party, he
just wanted to be with his family
and maybe go away somewhere.
At the beginning of the year,
their children suggested they still
celebrate the occasion.
“So, in June when the kids all
got out of school, we all went to
Disneyworld,” Ann said. “That was
a bittersweet trip. We laughed. We
cried. We all had a great time.”
She recently found out that Don’s
tissues were used to help five
people in three states; Rhode Island,
Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Ann views his donation as a living
legacy.
“I feel blessed that we could have
done that,” she said. “For me, I
think it sort of helps the healing
process, the grieving process. It’s a
fact of life. We’re all going to leave
this earth. If you can help one
person... .”
LifeChoice OPO

Chris:
Made possible by
an organ donor
Every year, thousands of people receive a second chance at life through organ donation. People like Chris, who
became a husband, father, athlete—even an Ironman—after receiving his kidney transplant. You can leave
behind the gift of life. Join more than 100 million people who have registered to be organ, eye, and tissue donors.
Imagine what you could make possible. organdonor.gov
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
Scan this code with your
smartphone for how
to sign up, more about
Chris, and other stories.

LifeChoice: Organ, tissues
donors can save a life
December 18, 2013
The holiday season is a time
for enjoying the ones you
love and reflecting on all the
gifts in your life. This time of year
is always especially meaningful for
Joan Douglas of Bloomfield. There
was a point when she continually
feared that the next Thanksgiving
or Christmas would be her last.
“It started off with common cold
symptoms which led to double
lobar pneumonia. I was treated
and started to feel better,” said
Douglas. “I began to have shortness
of breath again and I was
told that I needed my mitral valve
replaced.”
A mitral valve is located between
the heart’s left atrium and left ventricle.
It has two flaps that open
and close together like a pair of
72
swinging doors. When the heart
beats, the left ventricle pumps
blood out to the body and the
flaps swing shut. This keeps the
blood in the ventricle from going
back into the left atrium.
Initially, Joan received a mechanical
valve. However, within weeks,
the same shortness of breath returned.
Back to the cardiologist
she went and this time she would
get news that would change her
life.
“During that visit I had a test performed
and that is when I was told
that my heart was functioning at
25% and a heart transplant would
be my only option to continue my
journey in life,” she said.
The wait for a new heart is not a
quick one. People can sit on the list
for months or years. For Joan, the
wait brought several setbacks. She
was weak, depressed and slowly
losing her grip on life. On several
occasions she was rushed to the
ER as a result of congestive heart
failure. But after more than six
months of waiting, the call came.
“At that point, I was very happy and
scared. I immediately called my
daughter Valerie and said, ‘Well,
this is it. My new heart has arrived
and I need you to bring me to the
hospital to check in,’ ” she said.
It’s now been 17 years since Joan
received her new heart and new
life.
“I live my life to the fullest, loving
each and every moment,” she said.
LifeChoice OPO

“I am happy beyond words that the donor
family who lost a loved one had the heart
to give the gift of life to someone else.
I would like to give thanks and praise to
their family. On behalf of my family and
myself, we are very grateful and
appreciative for our gift of life.”
- Joan Douglas
“No more shortness of breath, no
more feeling weak and no more
worrying about tomorrow.”
So this holiday season and every
other, Joan Douglas gives thanks
to the generous person who gave
her a second chance. She also
thanks that person’s family.
“I am happy beyond words that the
donor family who lost a loved one
had the heart to give the gift of life
to someone else. Even though the
donor family remains anonymous,
I would like to give thanks and
praise to their family. On behalf of
my family and myself, we are very
grateful and appreciative for our
gift of life.”
As part of her gratitude, Joan
also uses her story to help
motivate others to save a life. At
every opportunity, she educates
people on the importance of
organ donation.
“I would like to say to those who
have not considered that now is
the time to give the gift of life, if
you have never considered being
an organ and tissue donor, I am living
proof that the gift of life really
works.”
In this country, 18 people die each
day waiting for an organ donation.
A single organ donor can save the
lives of eight people, while a single
tissue donor can save and heal
50 others through needed heart
valves, corneas, skin, bone, and tendons
that mend hearts, prevent or
cure blindness, heal burns and save
limbs.
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc. is the federally
designated, non-profit organ procurement
organization (OPO) for six counties in
Connecticut and three counties in Western
Massachusetts with a combined population
of 2.2 million people. The OPO serves 23 acute
care hospitals for organ and tissue donation
and two organ transplant hospitals, Hartford
Hospital in Hartford, CT and Baystate Medical
Center in Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a member in
good standing of the United Network of Organ
Sharing (UNOS) and the Association of
Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO).
For more information about LifeChoice and
to join the Donor Registry, please visit www.
lifechoiceopo.org or call 1.800.874.5215.
In The News 73

October 22, 2013
Family remembers
man who saw the
benefits of being
an organ donor
By Farrah Duffany
Pam Ragozzino hoisted a long
cream bag in the air and
laid it on top of her wooden
dining room table. Then she gently
unzipped it to reveal the offwhite
wedding gown she wore
when she married Aldo Ragozzino
on Sept. 23, 1990.
Next to the dress was a photo of
the couple from their wedding day
in a silver frame. They were smiling,
hugging, and holding champagne
flutes together.
Pieces of the dress were missing
after Pam cut them out to make
gifts, crafts, and created a “Loving
Square” in memory of her husband
for an organ donor quilt. She used
a piece of her wedding dress and
cut it in the shape of a heart, with
74
a photo of him in the center along
with his name and his birth year.
The lace heart was formed on top
of a red checkered square pattern.
Thirteen years ago, Aldo died unexpectedly
after he was painting
and fell from his deck at his Southington
home. It was a shock to
Pam, who described her husband
as family-oriented, loving, caring,
and a “fun guy to be around.” He
was just 34.
A few hours following his death,
Pam was contacted by the Connecticut
Eye Bank, who asked for
permission to have Aldo’s corneas
donated and used for those who
could not see. He was a registered
organ donor and Pam knew
it was something he would have
wanted.
Pam used to work for a corneal
transplant specialist in
Waterbury and she told her
husband stories about the work
done to restore people’s sight. He
wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a
donor, but after listening to the
stories, he knew he wanted to
donate his corneas. Both of his
corneas were used successfully,
Pam said.
“I would tell him how people
who couldn’t see at all could
now see their children and their
grandchildren for the first time,”
Pam said.
LifeChoice Donor Services in
Windsor reached out to Pam and
her two children – Katelyn, who
was 5 at the time, and Tom, who
LifeChoice OPO

The quilt is “a visual way to promote
the importance of organ donating.
This is a good visual way for people
to feel a connection to it.”
- Pam Ragozzino
was 1 – to see if they wanted to
create a square for a quilt to raise
awareness of organ donation.
Caitlyn Bernabucci, the public education
and community relations
specialist for LifeChoice, said they
started making their quilt in 2002
after being inspired by a national
quilt that began in 1995.
“It was [designed] to honor people
who died and donated,”
Bernabucci said.
The quilt is displayed in many libraries
across the state. It was in
the Wallingford Public Library in
September. Four quilts have been
created since 2002, with about 20
squares on each. Families include
photos, special dates, and more to
remember their loved ones.
“It was the start of our life together
and led us to have two beautiful
children,” Pam said of the decision
to use her dress in the quilt. “It was
sentimental.”
Pam and Aldo attended Southington
High School together and
dated for years before getting
married. She graduated in 1983
and he in 1984. They were lifelong
residents of Southington.
Katelyn Ragozzino also created
a square with her mother at the
time. She drew a family portrait
with butterflies along the top and
the words “I love you Dad” on the
right side of the drawing.
Pam said while creating the
quilt was a way to promote
organ donations, it also helped
the family grieve. “It’s a visual way
to promote the importance of organ
donating,” she said. “This is a
good visual way for people to feel
a connection to it.”
There are 120,000 people on an organ
transplant list nationwide and
1,300 in Connecticut.
Bernabucci encourages people
to sign up to be a donor by going
to the Department of Motor Vehicles,
AAA, or visiting the website
www.donatelifenewengland.org.
“There is a critical need for more
people,” shei said of donors.
Tom Ragozzino, now 14, has his
own version of a quilt made for
him by his mother. It has about
a dozen or more squares of Aldo
Ragozzino’s T-shirts so he can be
reminded of his father each day.
On the evening of Oct. 17, Tom
had the quilt draped over his
shoulders as he talked about his
father. “I think it’s pretty cool my
mom did that,” he said. “She sewed
all the shirts and gave it to me and
I keep it in my room.”
In The News 75

Tissue donation offers hope to
women treated for breast cancer
A
breast cancer diagnosis is
something most women
begin to fear when they
have their first mammogram at
around age 40. So when Alicja
Lonczak was just 29, she received
the shock of her life upon learning
she had the disease.
The discovery came in the form of
a lump in her left breast.
76
“I had an appointment coming
up with my gynecologist shortly
after, so I figured I would bring
it up with him. I don’t think the
doctor or I thought there was
much to worry about, since
statistically, the chances of a
lump being cancerous in someone
my age were so very low, but
there’s always a possibility,” said
Lonczak.
September 28, 2013
From there, she underwent an
ultrasound, which led to a biopsy
that ultimately confirmed the bad
news.
My first thoughts were about the
family my husband and I hoped to
start one day. We had been married
for less than a year, and I knew
that chemo could have adverse
effects on my fertility. I dreaded
LifeChoice OPO

If potential tissue donors “would
be willing to consider a donation,
they could have a positive impact on
another person that would last
a lifetime.”
- Alicja Lonczak
telling my husband and my parents
the biopsy results because I
knew it would be heartbreaking
for them,” she said.
Lonczak had a lot to consider
in terms of treatment. She elected
to have a bilateral mastectomy
with the placement of tissue
expanders. About a week after her
surgery, she also did a cycle of in
vitro fertilization to preserve her
chances of one day having a biological
child. The cycle produced
two embryos, now frozen for the
future.
“I opted for a double mastectomy
because I didn’t want to have to
live with the fear of getting cancer
in my other breast. Mentally, it was
better for me for both of them to
be gone.”
Frequently now, when a woman
undergoes a mastectomy, there’s
no need to actually remove the
entire breast. Rather, the surgeon
removes all of the breast tissue,
similar to carving a pumpkin.
There are many options for women
to consider.
“Skin-sparing mastectomies are
performed approximately 75%
of the time in my practice,” said
reconstructive surgeon Dr.
Melissa Johnson, who performed
Lonczak’s surgery. “Nipple
sparing is much less often used – 15
to 20 percent – and classic mastectomies
are needed for advanced
disease, less than five percent of
the time.”
Unfortunately, when most
women hear mastectomy, they
only consider the classic version
where the entire breast is removed.
However, skin sparing is ontologically
sound but leaves behind the
skin. Here’s where donation plays
a role.
Dr. Johnson explains that donor
skin is processed to remove all of
the living cells. The acellular dermal
matrix/grafts (ADM) are permanent
scaffolds. In breast reconstruction,
the grafts are sutured
to allow for a more natural shape
and better breast fold on the lower
portion of the breast.
“Prior to ADMs, surgeons would
elevate a lateral muscle,” adds Dr.
Johnson.
“The current operation is less
painful and the cosmetic results
are generally better. The grafts will
actually get incorporated into the
normal chest wall tissues, whereas
a foreign body such as prosthetic
mesh will not.”
Given the prevalence of breast
cancer, there’s an especially high
demand for tissue donation.
“Skin is your largest organ. And we
need it. Breast cancer affects one
in six women. Not just survival but
quality of life is important,” says Dr.
Johnson.
To raise awareness about mastectomy
options, October 16 has
been deemed “National Breast Reconstruction
Awareness Day” or
Bra Day USA.
Lonczak is still going through
the reconstruction process. She’s
looking forward to moving forward
with her life and one day
becoming a mother. She has
this message for all “could-be”
donors.
“I would tell them to try to put
themselves in the shoes of the
people who they would be helping.
If they would be willing to
consider a donation, they could
have a positive impact on another
person that would last a
lifetime.”
In The News 77

Connecticut DMV drives an
increase in organ donor registration
September 10, 2013
Renewing your driver’s license
doesn’t require much of you
– either a trip to the Department
of Motor Vehicles or AAA. It’s
also relatively little effort to help
those waiting for a life saving organ
transplant simply by designating
yourself as an organ and tissue
donor.
78
“License transactions, either renewing
or receiving a license for
the first time, contribute the most
donor registration numbers. Over
95 percent of the people in the
state who join the Donor Registry
do it either at DMV or AAA,”
said Caitlyn Bernabucci, public
education specialist for LifeChoice
Donor Services. “The people
working inside our DMV and AAA
offices do a great job driving this
initiative and saving lives.”
LifeChoice Donor Services and
Donate Life Connecticut, in partnership
with the Connecticut
Department of Motor Vehicles,
LifeChoice OPO

“I simply wouldn’t be alive, were
it not for the selfless decision by
the donor and their family. I am so
grateful that at the time of their
personal tragedy, they could make
such a courageous decision.”
- Maria Loss
encourage DMV and AAA staff to
ask every license customer if they
would like to join the Donor Registry.
Each employee is provided
information about the importance
of donation.
In Connecticut, approximately 42
percent of drivers say “yes” to joining
the Donor Registry.
Several branches lead the way
when it comes to donor registration.
The AAA office in Avon and
the Old Saybrook and Willimantic
DMV Branches have the highest
designation rates in the state.
The ambassadors serving these
locations – volunteers trained to
work with the DMV and AAA on
donor registration – might be
some of the inspiration behind the
achievement.
The Old Saybrook AAA currently
has one of the highest organ
donation registration rates at
50 percent. As its ambassadors,
Maria Loss and Sandy Clarke visit
the branch regularly with information,
Donate Life supplies and
treats. Both of these women understand
firsthand how critical the
donor registry is, as both recently
received life-saving double lung
transplants.
“I was diagnosed with Alpha-1
at age 42. After 10 years of lung
function decline and various treatments
and surgery, I was on oxygen
24 hours per day,” said Loss.
“I was forced to retire from 30
years of teaching.”
“A lucky lung match came to me after
a seven-year wait, “said Clarke.
“I can now breathe and exercise.”
These women’s dramatic turn in
health is all thanks to someone
else’s decision to become a donor.
“I simply wouldn’t be alive, were it
not for the selfless decision by the
donor and their family,” adds Loss.
“I am so grateful that at the time of
their personal tragedy, they could
make such a courageous decision.”
Now Loss and Clarke are able to
give back and encourage others to
donate as DMV ambassadors.
In this country, 18 people die each
day waiting for an organ. A single
donor can save the lives of eight
people through organ donation,
while a single tissue donor can
save and heal more than 50 others
through needed heart valves,
corneas, skin, bone, and tendons
that mend hearts, prevent or cure
blindness, heal burns and save
limbs.
For information about LifeChoice
Donor Services, Inc. and to
join the Donor Registry, visit
www.lifechoiceopo.org or call
1-800-874-5215.
In The News 79

Prestando una mano durante
el mes de la Herencia Hispana
LifeChoice Donor Services busca aumentar
el número de donantes de órganos hispano
September 4, 2013
Más del 14% de las personas
que viven en Connecticut
son de origen hispano.
Cada año, del 15 de septiembre
al 15 de octubre, una conmemoración
se lleva a cabo para celebrar
las contribuciones de los latinos
en todo el país.
80
Desde el fabricante InstaBook a los
inicios de la televisión de color, la
comunidad hispana ha ayudado
a allanar el camino para un futuro
brillante y satisfactorio. Una contribución
que LifeChoice Donor
Services está animando a más hispanos
a tomar es la donación de
órganos y tejidos.
“Mientras que casi 4,000 hispanos
recibieron trasplantes de órganos
en el año 2012, los mitos respecto
a la donación continúan siendo
la barrera principal que impiden
que muchos los hispanos
sean donantes registrados,” dijo
Caitlyn Bernabucci, especialista en
educación pública para LifeChoice
Donor Services.
“Durante el Mes de la Herencia
Hispana, LifeChoice Donor Services
se centra en proporcionar información
y educación para alentar
a esta población a donar vida.”
En la actualidad, cerca de 120,000
hombres, mujeres y niños en los
Estados Unidos están en necesidad
de un trasplante para salvar sus vidas,
más de 20,000 de los cuales
son de origen hispano. Las prob-
LifeChoice OPO

“Cerca de 120,000 [personas] en los Estados Unidos están
en necesidad de un trasplante para salvar sus vidas, más de
20,000 de los cuales son de origen hispano. Las probabilidades
de un trasplante exitoso aumentan significativamente
cuando las personas de la misma etnicidad se corresponden.”
- Caitlyn Bernabucci
abilidades de un trasplante exitoso
aumentan significativamente
cuando las personas de la misma
etnicidad se corresponden, por lo
que es imperativo que continuemos
registrando más donantes de
todos los orígenes étnicos.”
Jeffrey Daniel Montalvo de Meriden
sabe muy bien lo que se siente
al estar en el lado de espera
de la donación de órganos. Fue diagnosticado
de miocardiopatía no
compactada, en julio de 2011 a la
edad de 19 años. Jeffrey tuvo una
cirugía para implantar un dispositivo
de asistencia ventricular (VAD),
que ayudó a su corazón a bombear
la sangre a través de su cuerpo,
pero sólo era una solución a corto
plazo. Un nuevo corazón sería la
única verdadera resolución.
Su madre nunca se olvidará de la
terrible experiencia angustiosa.
“Sentí un adormecimiento como
si estuviera teniendo una mala
pesadilla, pero no despertaba de
ella... nunca,” dijo su mamá Clarisa
Cardona. “Él estaba muy enfermo
y estaba básicamente en la última
etapa posible para mantener su
corazón en marcha.”
Los médicos le habían advertido
a la familia que podría tratarse
de meses de espera antes de que
el corazón apropiado pudiera estar
disponible. “Yo hubiese querido
tomar su lugar un millón de
veces... fue una extrema montaña
rusa emocional,” dijo Clarisa.
Finalmente, el corazón que
necesitaba Jeffrey llegó. Hoy,
nueve meses después del trasplante
él está viviendo una vida
plena.
“¡La donación de órganos ha hecho
posible que yo todavía tenga a mi
hijo. Algo de lo cual estoy agradecida
cada día!,” Exclama Clarisa.
María Martínez de East Windsor es
otra madre que ha vivido la otra
cara de la donación de órganos
cuando su hija de 17 años de edad,
Charlie, murió repentinamente.
Ante tal tragedia inimaginable,
ella tomó una decisión profunda
de donar los órganos de Charlie.
“Estoy orgullosa de que ella continua
viviendo en otras personas.
Sus órganos ayudaron a otras personas.
Tuvo un gran impacto en
sus vidas. Ella ayudó a cada persona
vivir un poco más de lo que
hubiesen vivido... Le dio esperanza
a las familias y tiempo para seguir
amándose.”
En gran parte debido a la escasez
de oportunidades de donación,
sólo alrededor de 28,000 órganos
se trasplantan cada año. Como resultado,
18 personas mueren cada
día debido a la falta de un donante.
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc.
es la organización para procurar
órganos (OPO) sin fines de lucro
designado por el gobierno federal,
para seis condados de Connecticut
y tres condados en el oeste de
Massachusetts, con una población
total de 2.2 millones de personas.
La OPO sirve veintitrés hospitales
para donación de órganos y tejidos
de los cuales dos tienen un
programa de trasplante de órganos,
el Hospital Hartford en Hartford,
CT y Baystate Medical Center
en Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services es un
miembro de pleno derecho de la
Red Unida para Compartir Órganos
(UNOS) y la Asociación de Organizaciones
para Procurar Órganos
(AOPO). Para obtener más información
acerca de LifeChoice e inscribirse
en el Registro de Donantes,
visite o llame al 1-800-874-5215,
www.lifechoiceopo.org.
In The News 81

Young man changed
by a new heart
August 22, 2013
By Kimberly Primicerio
Sitting in his living room, wearing
LeBron James white and
red sneakers, it is hard to tell
21-year-old Jeffrey Montalvo had a
heart transplant nine months ago.
The Meriden native feels great. He’s
been working out, going outdoors
and is looking forward to starting
school again later this year.
But the journey to a normal life was
not easy. Montalvo faced death,
never complaining or asking why.
Through his struggles, he helped
his sister. He has also started taking
better care of himself and become
a strong advocate for organ
donations. “I feel like I’m a better
person,” Montalvo said Wednesday
82
at his home, sporting a Boston Red
Sox hat. “Without this we would
have never known about my sister.
I’d rather it happen to me than her.”
In the spring of 2011, Montalvo
began experiencing shortness of
breath in the morning for about
two weeks. After coming home
from working two jobs, one at
KFC and one at Emblem’s clothing
store, he had all the symptoms of a
heart attack and was rushed to the
hospital.
Eventually Montalvo was diagnosed
with a heart muscle condition
that prevents the muscular
wall of the heart ‘s main pumping
from developing normally. Soon
after, he learned he needed a heart
transplant.
“Nobody knew I ever had this,” said
Montalvo, who grew up relatively
healthy.
After he was diagnosed, his sister
Tiara was tested and signs of
the disease were discovered. She
went on medication and is fine,
Montalvo said.
Montalvo waited a month in
the hospital for a new heart, but
he never received one. Instead
doctors implanted a device in his
chest to help his heart pump blood
through his body. He also received
a defibrillator. Doctors told him he
LifeChoice OPO

could go about his typical routine,
but Montalvo said he didn’t feel
normal. He said he couldn’t do
anything. He wasn’t active, wasn’t
hungry and was losing weight.
Then one day, the defibrillator
stopped. He was taken to the hospital
and that’s when the long fivemonth
wait in the hospital began.
“The doctors said it was too close
for comfort,” Montalvo said.
For nearly half a year, he stayed
at Hartford Hospital and waited
for a heart. “It was like a really bad
dream I wasn’t waking out of,” said
Montalvo’s mother, Clarisa
Cardona. “It was a crazy feeling.”
Cardona said she took it one day
at a time and tried to stay upbeat.
It helped that her son remained
positive throughout the ordeal,
she said.
There was a false alarm at one
point, Montalvo said, when doctors
told him he would be getting a
new heart, but there was miscommunication
and the donor was
too far away. But two weeks later,
on Nov. 3, the wait was over. He
had received a heart from a male
donor from Boston. Montalvo was
home in time for Thanksgiving.
“I feel really good,” Montalvo said.
Cardona said she is very happy
now that her son is doing much
better. “The stress is off us now,”
she said. “He was in the hospital
for so long.”
While she is happy about Montalvo
receiving a new heart, she
said remains concerned about
Montalvo’s heath. Montalvo said
he’s been taking care of himself
and making sure his surroundings
are clean and tidy. His bedroom,
filled with mint condition sneakers,
Michael Jackson memorabilia
and sports pillows, was dust free. A
sign near his bedroom’s door knob
read “hand sanitizer” and included
a small bottle of the liquid for
visitors entering. Montalvo said he
uses the stuff constantly and is always
washing his hands. He hasn’t
been sick since the surgery.
The whole ordeal has made
Montalvo an even bigger advocate
for organ donations. He
signed up to be a donor as soon
as he got his driver’s license. A
couple of weeks ago he was at the
Puerto Rican Festival at Hubbard
Park with his mother trying to get
people to sign up to become organ
donors through LifeChoice
Organ Donor Services, a nonprofit
organ procurement organization
out of Windsor. About four people
signed up out of the thousands
who attended the event.
“Why wouldn’t you want to be
a hero?” Montalvo said. “Why
wouldn’t you want to save lives after
you’re gone?”
If Cardona and Montalvo get six
people to sign up any one particular
event, Cardona said she gets
“ecstatic.” She said every person
makes a difference.
Montalvo said there is a stigma
surrounding organ donors. People
tend to think if they are organ
donors, doctors won’t work hard
to save their lives. He said such a
belief is shared in the Hispanic
community and he’s trying to get
rid of the misconception. He is
Puerto Rican.
“They feel they have to be buried
with all their parts,” Cardona said.
The chances of a successful transplant
increase when people of
the same ethnicity are matched,
according to LifeChoice. Any organ
can be matched with someone
in need of a transplant, but a
donor from the same ethnic background
is more genetically similar
and is more compatible, said
Caitlyn Bernabucci, public education
specialist for LifeChoice.
Bernabucci said the stigma that
surrounds organ donations is
“across the board.” She said people
don’t know much about it. Organ
donations are a beautiful gift, she
said – the gift of life.
Cardona said she’s always been
an organ donor, not knowing that
someday her son would need a
transplant. “I didn’t even think
twice about it,” she said.
Even when Cardona explains her
son’s story to others, they still
don’t get it or understand the importance
of becoming an organ
donor.
“It’s just common sense to donate,”
said Montalvo.
In order to change people’s mind
about organ donation, Montalvo
said, he thinks something bad has
to happen to them. “It has to hit
close to home,” he said. “You can’t
take life for granted.”
kprimicerio@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2279
Twitter: @KPrimicerioRJ
In The News 83

August 14, 2013
LifeChoice Donor Services recognized
by the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services
LifeChoice Donor Services is
among a select group of organ
procurement organizations
(OPOs) nationwide recently recognized
by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS)
for working with hospitals in its
service area to reach gold, silver,
and bronze levels of outreach for
organ and tissue donation and
registration.
LIfeChoice Donor Services recruited
hospitals to the Workplace
Partnership for Life Hospital
Campaign, a program launched
in 2011 by HHS’s Health Resources
and Services Administration
(HRSA), and worked with them to
conduct awareness and registry
activities to increase the number
of organ, eye, and tissue donors
on the state’s donor registry. The
hospitals earned points for each
activity planned between September
2012 and May 2013 and were
awarded gold, silver, or bronze
recognition in June.
Of the 924 hospitals and transplant
centers participating in the national
campaign, 322 were awarded
recognition. Medal winners within
the Connecticut and western
Massachusetts area include:
84
GOLD
Hartford Hospital (Hartford)
Lawrence + Memorial Hospital
(New London)
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical
Center (Hartford)
SILVER
University of Connecticut Health
Center (Farmington)
BRONZE
Baystate Medical Center (Springfield,
Mass.)
Baystate Franklin Medical Center
(Greenfield, Mass.)
Bristol Hospital (Bristol)
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital
(Torrington)
Johnson Memorial Hospital and
Medical Center (Stafford)
Baystate Mary Lane Hospital (Ware,
Mass.)
Midstate Medical Center (Meriden)
Windham Hospital (Willimantic)
“It is quite an impressive milestone
to have over 50 percent of
the hospitals within our federally
designated service area honored
as part of this national campaign,”
said Caitlyn Bernabucci, education
specialist for LifeChoice Donor
Services. “It is good to see that
these hospitals are committed
to the donation process for their
patients and families at the time
of death and before through education
about an important end of
life decision. We are proud of the
commitment that these hospitals
have to donation.”
This campaign is a special effort of
HRSA’s Workplace Partnership for
Life to mobilize the nation’s hospitals
to increase the number of
people in the country registered
as organ, eye, and tissue donors.
The campaign unites donation
advocates at hospitals with representatives
from OPOs, Donate Life
America (DLA) affiliates, and state
and regional hospital associations.
Working together, teams leverage
their communications resources
and outreach efforts to most effectively
spread word of the critical
need for donors. To date, the
campaign has registered a total of
221,834 donors nationally.
LifeChoice is the federally designated,
non-profit organ procurement
organization (OPO) for six
counties in Connecticut and three
counties in western Massachusetts.
To join the Donor Registry,
visit www.lifechoiceopo.org or
call 1-800-874-5215.
LifeChoice OPO

CONGRATULATIONS
TO CONNECTICUT’S OUTSTANDING ORGAN DONATION PARTNER HOSPITALS
In The News 85

Photo courtesy of
WFSB CHANNEL 3
July 24, 2013
Healthcare Hero in 2013 for his
work preventing gun-related injury
in the region.
In his new role of LifeChoice associate
medical director, Dr. Shapiro
will serve as a critical care advisor
for post-mortem donor management.
Experience and research
have demonstrated that when a
critical care provider assists with
the management of an organ donor
after death, the organs remain
in better condition and are more
viable for transplant.
LifeChoice Donor Services names David
Shapiro, MD, associate medical director
LifeChoice Donor Services is in
the business of saving lives.
When someone in CT or western
Massachusetts needs an organ
transplant, chances are LifeChoice
is involved. LifeChoice, a federally
designated organ procurement
organization (OPO) based in
Windsor, serves six counties in CT
and three counties in western MA,
with a combined population of 2.2
million people. LifeChoice recently
announced the appointment
of David S. Shapiro, MD, FACS as
associate medical director.
“This is a great honor and I’m humbled
to play such a role in an organization
that saves so many lives,”
said Dr. Shapiro, a West Hartford
resident. “Ultimately, our goal is
provide as many matches as possible
for people waiting for lifesaving
transplants.”
86
Since 2008, Dr. Shapiro has worked
in the department of surgery at
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical
Center in Hartford and is the current
Chair of Multispecialty Surgical
Quality Committee, responsible
for the peer review process.
He simultaneously serves as Surgical
Residency Site Director and
the Associate Director of Surgical
Critical Care at the medical facility
as well.
Dr. Shapiro’s research has been
published in a number of prominent
medical journals. He is an Assistant
Professor at the University
of Connecticut School of Medicine
and Lecturer at Quinnipiac University.
Beyond receiving numerous
awards and honors for his skill, Dr.
Shapiro also demonstrates a civic
spirit. He was recognized as a
Connecticut Hospital Association
Dr. Shapiro also brings unique
experience to this new job. “My
first clinical job was as a researcher
in organ transplantation, and
I worked as a tissue procurement
technologist, and assisted with organ
donors for years before even
attending medical school,” he said.
Additionally, his specialties of
General Surgery, Critical Care, and
Hospice & Palliative Care Medicine
make him a great fit for this expanded
role – as he understands
the plight of the organ recipient,
the importance of providing meticulous
ICU care, and the physiological
and social needs of the
organ donors and their families at
the end of life.
“I plan on working closely with
the providers at LifeChoice to not
only maximize our region’s participation
in end-of-life donor care,
but to expand educational needs
among ICU, Emergency, pre-hospital
and acute care providers, as
well as to subpopulations of the
public who are less aware of the
importance their gift of life can be,”
said Dr. Shapiro.
LifeChoice OPO

A father’s gift
LEFT: Jalyn Francis. RIGHT: Ric Francis hugs Jayson
Mejias, of Elmsford, NY, who received his daughter’s heart.
June 9, 2013
Ric Francis of Bridgeport relishes
his role as a dad. His daughter,
Jalyn, was his first-born.
When he thinks of Jalyn, nicknamed
Ling-Ling and Lumpy-Lumps, he
envisions his little girl’s ease in
making others smile and her love
for karate, dance and T-ball.
Little Jalyn’s life came to an abrupt
end on October 26, 2010, when
she was killed in a car accident at
the age of 5. During that extremely
dark time, Jalyn’s father saw light
by sparing another set of parents
the grief of losing a child. All of
Jalyn’s organs were donated.
“What made me decide to donate
her organs was the thought
of somewhere out there in the
world there was someone who
needed something that only she
could give,” Francis said. “She was a
giving and sharing child so I knew
that this would have been the best
thing that I could have done in her
honor.”
After sending out anonymous letters
to his daughter’s recipients
through LifeChoice Donor Services
and the transplant center,
and waiting for responses he was
never sure he was going to get, an
answer finally came in the form of
a letter. Francis is in constant contact
with the recipient of Jalyn’s
heart and right kidney.
Her heart went to a little boy
named Jayson, who is now 9 and
living in Westchester, N.Y., and the
right kidney went to a young girl
named Sofia, who will be 5 in July
and lives in the Boston area. Last
January, Francis had the opportunity
to meet Jayson and his mother
and last May, he met Sofia and
her family. He shares this message
with other parents in the event
they ever suffer a similar loss.
“If you can give someone else
another chance at life through organ
donation, go ahead and do
it,” Francis said. “It’s pretty special
knowing a part of your loved one
lives on in someone else.”
Today, more than 117,000 people
are on the national organ transplant
waiting list. Due to the scarcity
of donated organs, only about
28,000 organs are transplanted
each year. As a result, 18 candidates
die each day for lack of a donor.
For more information about
LifeChoice or to join the donor
registry, visit lifechoiceopo.org or
call 1-800-874-5215.
In The News 87

In death, Connecticut
mom, organ donor
shares the gift of life
May 11, 2013
There are some things young
children should never have
to be without. The first is
their mother.
In 2005, three boys from Simsbury
lost their mom, Paige Corrigan,
when she was killed in a car accident.
The boys will forever have a
void in their life, but with the end
of Corrigan’s life came the chance
of life for several other parents.
Corrigan was a registered organ
and tissue donor, and upon her
death, all of her major organs were
donated to save other lives.
“I really enjoy the fact that a part of
her lives on in someone else,” said
Corrigan’s oldest son, Sean Corrigan.
“I think it’s really nice that she was
able to have such a positive effect
on people beyond her own life.”
At the time of her death, Paige
Corrigan was only thirty-five. She
lived life fully, said her mother,
Kathleen Rhoads. She was an avid
skier and golfer and loved rollercoasters.
She was also a dedicated
math teacher who encouraged
her students to enjoy mathematics
rather than fear it.
88
“Her personality was infectious
and the students at the high
school chose her to accompany
them on many field trips as a chaperone,”
said Rhoads.
“When she entered the room,
there was always a smile from ear
to ear on her face that lit up the
room.”
But Paige Corrigan’s most beloved
role was that of mother. She was
her sons’ biggest fan, always cheering
them on from the sidelines at
football and lacrosse games.
“Her three boys were her pride and
joy. Housework would always take
second place if there was some
opportunity to enjoy the outdoors
with her husband and her children,”
said Rhoads.
“What I remember most about her
is how creative she was and how
she could inspire. She always had
really good ideas and had a very
open mind,” said Sean Corrigan.
Her open-mindedness extended
to her belief in organ and tissue
donation. Paige Corrigan and her
husband decided early in their
marriage that they would donate
their organs. She was able to
donate her liver, heart, lungs,
pancreas and both kidneys.
“My healing comes from knowing
while she was here, she was very,
very happy and positive about
life and giving of herself,” said
Rhoads.
Paige Corrigan’s mother has had
the opportunity to correspond with
the young woman who received
her lungs. She says she is very
grateful and knows how blessed
she is, especially since she received
the organs on Easter Sunday.
“Knowing someone else’s life is
better because of her gift is very
special to me and would have
been to her,“ says Rhoads.
“Paige Corrigan’s death is a
terrible tragedy. From that tragic
situation came some good,“ said
Caitlyn Bernabucci, public
education specialist for LifeChoice
Donor Services. “She brought
others a second chance at life …
she brought hope.”
LifeChoice OPO

Donor dad Peter
Kupczak and his wife,
Frances (left), raised
the Donate Life Flag
in their hometown of
Colchester with First
Selectman Gregg
Schuster.
April 17, 2013
Donate Life flag to fly over Colchester Town Hall
By Ryan Blessing
For the next two weeks, Colchester
will fly the Donate Life flag in front
of Town Hall.
The flag, raised Monday morning,
is a way for the town and Donate
Life Connecticut to increase
awareness about the important
need for organ and tissue donors.
If it were up to Colchester resident
Peter Kupczak, the flag would
fly year-round in all Connecticut
communities.
“We’re in 24 to 30 towns now,
raising the flag,” he said.
Kupczak has made promoting
donation part of his life. His decision
to do that came after a family
tragedy. His daughter, Jessica
Kupczak, a Colchester native, died
in November 2002 at 24 after a severe
asthma attack. Four people
received her kidneys, pancreas, liver
and heart.
Kupczak got permission to raise
the Donate Life flag two years ago
on the Town Hall flagpole as part
of Flags Across America, a national
celebration honoring organ, eye
and tissue donors.
“This is what we do every day, just
trying to get the word out about
organ and tissue donation and the
lives it saves,” he said.
There are more than 114,000 patients
on the national transplant
waiting list, and 18 people die every
day as a result of the shortage
in organs, according to Donate
Life Connecticut, a volunteer-run
coalition dedicated to educating
the public and increasing registered
donors.
April is national Donate For Life
Month, and Kupczak is no stranger
to promoting the cause.
Last year, he set up a billboard
display with Jessica’s photo and
a message encouraging organ
donation that traveled to various
parts of the state.
Now, Kupczak said he’s contacting
civic organizations, such as Rotary,
to try and arrange speaking engagements.
In July, he’ll travel to Houston to
the Transplant Games of America.
The annual multi-sport festival
event is for athletes who have undergone
life-saving transplant surgeries
and living donors.
Competition is open to anyone
who has received a solid organ
transplant or bone marrow donation.
“The word is getting out,” First
Selectman Gregg Schuster said. “I
just tweeted that we are raising
the flag, and the first selectman
of Durham tweeted back that
they were doing it there today,
too.”
In The News 89

“Power of Two”
April 22, 2013
Flags fly across Connecticut during
Donate Life Month; events held statewide
Nearly 100 Connecticut municipalities,
hospitals and
organizations are promoting
organ and tissue donation
awareness by flying flags that read
“Donation Saves Lives” during
April, the 10th annual National
Donate Life Month.
Connecticut’s flag flying campaign
is part of a national initiative, Flags
Across America, to honor and celebrate
the hundreds of thousands
of donors and recipients whose
lives have been affected by organ
and tissue donation. With more
90
than 116,000 people in America
waiting for a transplant, and 1,300
in Connecticut alone, the need for
donation has never been greater.
Across the nation, every 12 minutes
a new person is added to the
wait list, and every day 18 people
die waiting for an organ or tissue
transplant.
The goal this month is to increase
the Donor Registry, which will inevitably
impact the number of
transplants that give new life and
hope to people suffering from
fatal illness or life threatening injury.
The celebration commemorates
those who have received the
gift of organ and tissue donation,
raises awareness for those that still
wait and honors those that have
given the gift of life as donors.
Connecticut’s participating communities
are partnering with
Donate Life Connecticut and
LifeChoice Donor Services to
increase the donor registry and
help save lives in the state’s
communities.
“I’ll Save You, Will You Save Me?” is
LifeChoice OPO

“Becoming an organ or tissue donor is literally a decision to save the lives of others.”
- Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman
the theme that underlines a new
campaign being conducted by
the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
The effort aims to increase
awareness about registering as a
donor with a simple change on a
driver’s license, state ID card, or by
going online. It is as easy as either
making that choice at the time of
renewing or obtaining a license, or
going to www.donatelifenewengland.org
to sign up to join the
registry of donors. There are currently
more than 1.1 million registered
donors in the state.
Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman
marked the recently formed collaboration
of the Department
of Motor Vehicles, Donate Life
Connecticut, Hartford Hospital,
LifeChoice Donor Services, New
England Organ Bank, Saint Francis
Hospital and Medical Center and
Yale New-Haven Hospital. The hospitals,
DMV, Organ Procurement
Organizations and local Donate
Life affiliate have teamed up for a
special outreach program of activities
and television public service
commercials.
“Becoming an organ or tissue donor
is literally a decision to save
the lives of others. Those ‘others’
may be family members, friends,
neighbors or co-workers. One organ
donor can touch more than
50 lives,” said Wyman. The initiative
will run through late October
with the goal of reaching
20,000 new donors through the
www.donatelifenewengland.org
website and DMV.
The television campaign is funded
through contributions from the
three hospitals and an allocation
in the current budget from the
state legislature to promote organ
and tissue donor awareness.
Public service announcements will
also support the campaign. The
ads aim to encourage people to
become donors and to consider
donation as a community responsibility.
They also aim to reduce
common fears about donating by
showing how donations help save
people.
In New London on Friday, April
26, Lawrence & Memorial Hospital
is bring people together at Connecticut
College’s F.W. Olin Science
Center at 6 p.m. to celebrate Donate
Life Month by lighting 200+
luminaries at a donor family gathering
prior to a free movie screening
of “Power of Two” – a story of
twin sisters, two cultures, and two
new chances at life. This inspiring,
award-winning movie documents
the double lung transplants received
by half-Japanese twins Ana
and Isa Stenzel, born with Cystic Fibrosis,
a fatal genetic disease that
impacts the lungs and pancreas.
They have emerged as authors,
athletes and global advocates for
organ donation. For details and
reservations, contact proma@
lmhosp.org or 860-444-3722.
Donate Life New England is a joint
project of federally designated organ
procurement organizations
that serve New England: New
England Organ Bank, LifeChoice
Donor Services, The Center for
Donation and Transplant, and the
Connecticut Eye Bank.
LifeChoice Donor Services is the
federally designated, non-profit
organ procurement organization
for six counties in Connecticut and
three counties in western Massachusetts,
with a combined population
of 2.1 million people.
LifeChoice serves twenty-three
acute care hospitals for organ and
tissue donation and two organ
transplant hospitals, Hartford Hospital
in Hartford, CT and Baystate
Medical Center in Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
and the Association of Organ Procurement
Organizations.
Donate Life Connecticut is a
volunteer driven Connecticut
non-profit dedicated to increasing
the number of registered organ
and tissue donors through education
and public outreach. The
organization’s coalition of donor
families, transplant recipients, living
donors, supporters and healthcare
professionals believe that
working together with a common
voice is the best way to reach the
goal of increasing the Donor Registry,
which will inevitably impact
the number of transplants that
give new life and hope to people
suffering from fatal illness or
life-threatening injury.
In The News 91

April 22, 2013
To save a life: East Hartford to raise
awareness of organ donations
By Steven Crighton
After spending years waiting
for her name to be first
on a list of potential recipients
for an organ donation, resident
Jane Andrews will share her
story at an event at Town Hall
Tuesday aimed at raising awareness
of the country’s dire lack of organ
donors.
92
Andrews, 51, will join Mayor
Marcia Leclerc in commemorating
the kickoff to National Donate Life
Month at a ceremony at 10 a.m.
Andrews’ ordeal began when she
was diagnosed with diabetes at
the age of 7. Though her condition
was manageable for some time
with insulin, a relatively recent
discovery at the time, doctors told
said her condition would eventually
require a kidney transplant.
At the age of 42, after several years
of waiting on a list for a transplant,
she finally got the call that a kidney
was available for her. But her
good news soon turned bad.
“I went to the hospital and met
with the doctor, and was told that
the kidney that was available to
me was not healthy enough to be
LifeChoice OPO

April 1, 2013
“The simple act of registering to be a
donor can have the potential to save
numerous lives. To keep that at the
forefront is important.”
- East Hartford Mayor
Marcia Leclerc
transplanted,” Andrews said.
And then her outlook turned even
more dire when another doctor,
a pancreatic specialist, asked to
see her.
“He told me I would need a pancreas
and kidney transplant,”
Andrews said. “I was dying. I knew I
wasn’t old enough to die.”
Weeks passed before Andrews received
the news that would save
her own life as it took the life of
another – a kidney and pancreas
were available.
“I found out my donor was a
19-year-old young man,” Andrews
said.
“At this point, this was in August
2004, there was no first person
consent. His parents had a decision
to make, to allow him to
be a donor. I’m sure it took a lot
of consideration, because that’s
just something people don’t talk
about.”
Though the transplant will require
her to take medication for the rest
of her life to prevent her body from
rejecting the organs, Andrews regained
her strength and returned
to work full time as a kitchen
supervisor at Hartford Correctional
Center. Much of her free time
is now spent raising awareness
about the critical lack of organ
donors throughout the country.
“Ninety percent of Americans believe
in donation, but only about
33 percent actually register to be a
donor. Why do we have this gap?”
Andrews said.
She said that more than 117,000
Americans are awaiting an organ
transplant. In Connecticut, 1,200
residents are still waiting, according
to a news release from Leclerc.
Countless others depend on donated
tissues, such as corneas,
tendons, heart valves, and skin, for
restored health, the release said.
Andrews often visits driving
schools and colleges to tell her
story, noting that students are
generally more receptive than
most to the idea of becoming an
organ donor.
“I’ve asked in class how many
are registered organ donors, and
usually it’s about 80 to 90 percent,”
Andrews said.
Leclerc said organ donation is an
issue dear to many of the town’s
residents. Many have had a close
friend or relative succumb to
organ failure who might still be
alive had a donor been available,
she said.
“I think it touches so many people,
and the simple act of registering to
be a donor can have the potential
to save numerous lives. To keep
that at the forefront is important,”
Leclerc said.
The town will raise the Donate
Life flag at several locations
in town throughout the
month of April in the interest of
helping to save lives in the state’s
communities.
In The News 93

East Hartford residents urged
to become organ donors
1,200 state residents currently on waiting list for organ transplant
April 2, 2013
By Suzanne Carlson
When Jane Andrews was
diagnosed with diabetes
as a child, doctors said
she wouldn’t live to see her 50th
birthday.
But at 51, Andrews has beaten
the odds thanks to two life-saving
organ donations, and is on a mission
to encourage more residents
to register as organ donors.
Andrews, Mayor Marcia Leclerc,
and others gathered Tuesday to
raise the Donate Life flag on the
flagpole in front of town hall. A
symbol of the need for increased
organ donor registration, Donate
Life flags will be flying at
businesses and locations around
town throughout April, which
marks the 10th annual Donate Life
Awareness Month.
Andrews said she was diagnosed
with diabetes at age seven, and
“medicine not being what it is today,
my prognosis was not good.”
Despite adhering to a strict diet
and insulin regimen, complications
from Andrews’ diabetes eventually
began affecting her sight, and she
had laser eye treatments to repair
her detached retinas.
94
“Our eyes, they show the doctors
so much of what’s going on in our
systems,” Andrews said, explaining
that the issues with her eyesight
were symptomatic of problems
with her other organs.
She was eventually diagnosed
with kidney disease, and underwent
time-consuming dialysis.
“Dialysis is like a part-time job,”
Andrews said. “When you need or
want something, you tend to work
hard to get it. All I wanted was to
live, and dialysis helped.”
She was placed on an organ
donation list and eventually received
a new kidney and pancreas,
which have allowed her to lead a
healthier, more normal life.
The donated organs were from a
man Andrews had never met, “a
young son, brother, and friend,
who believed in helping others,”
she said, thanking him and all
those who have donated organs
so that others might live. “I’d like
to tell you now how fortunate I feel
to be living in this age of advancing
medicine,” Andrews said. “I am a
witness to medical progress and the
goodness in people.”
While medical science has indeed
come a long way, the need for organ
donation is increasing, and
there are currently 1,200 state
residents on waiting lists for organ
transplants and many more
who could benefit from donated
tissues, such as corneas, tendons,
heart valves and skin, Leclerc said.
According to Donate Life New
England, 18 people die every day
in the United States while waiting
for an organ or tissue transplant,
and everyone can register to be an
organ donor regardless of age or
health history. Visit www.donate
lifenewengland.org.
LifeChoice OPO

Elliot Joseph, President & CEO of Hartford Healthcare; U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal; Lori Flaks;
Debbie Klene; Roger Klene, Hartford Hospital Board of Directors; at the 2013 Black & Red
fundraising gala benefiting Hartford Hospital’s Transplant Program at The Bushnell Center for
the Performing Arts in Hartford on Saturday evening.
HH 2013 Black & Red Gala benefits
Hartford Hospital’s Transplant Program
Hartford Hospital held its
annual Black & Red Gala
at the Bushnell Saturday,
Jan. 5. The evening benefited the
hospital’s Transplant Program.
Fox CT broadcast live from the
event to help raise awareness
and encourage more people to
become organ donors.
Nearly 1,300 guests attended
the gala, which, this year, benefits
the Transplant Program there.
It was a more spirited crowd
than usual, thanks to the additon
of FoxCT live coverage aimed at
attracting more organ donors to
the program, and a performance
by Grammy Award winning group
Earth, Wind & Fire.
Among the guests was famed
heart transplant recipient and
blogger Colby Salerno, who drove
from Duquesne grad school in
Pittsburgh to be part of the party
in Hartford tonight.
Salerno received a transplant
seven months ago and became a
star at Hartford Hospital through a
blog he started while waiting for a
suitable donor.
Become a donor by calling
860-545-1888 or by visiting
donatelifenewengland.org.
In The News 95

Organ recipient Linda Curtiss with husband Rod.
Hospital president Jeff Flaks with VPs Carol Garlick, Betsy Boatman.
Canton organ recipient honors donor
family at Hartford Hospital Gala
Lynn Bento of Canton, who received
a life-saving liver transplant
from David Rogers of Farmington,
attended Hartford Hospital’s Black
& Red annual fundraising gala on
January 5th, 2013 at The Bushnell
to benefit the Hospital’s Transplant
Program.
David’s mother, Deb Rogers, also
attended. More than 1,300 attendees
helped to raise approximately
$950,000.
Hartford Hospital has joined
forces with LifeChoice Donor
Services to help register 1,000 new
organ and tissue donors in 2013.
LifeChoice is a federally designated
organ procurement organization
(OPO) that serves six counties
in Connecticut and three counties
in western Massachusetts, with
a combined population of 2.3
million people.
You can register as a
donor and get more information
at www.lifechoiceopo.org.
Photo by Cill Russo for Hartford Hospital.
96
LifeChoice OPO

PP
Photos by Andrea Wise, Special to The Courant
In The News 97