Donation during a global pandemic
Organ transplantation is not an elective surgery. It is a life-or-death surgical intervention for people in organ failure. Therefore, the gift of life continues, but the process has changed slightly for organ, eye and tissue recovery, donor risk screenings, and how we have conversations with donor families in an era of social distancing.
Amid the global pandemic, organ procurement organizations across the country, including Donor Network of Arizona (DNA), are working to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, in partnership with hospitals and organ transplant centers, while continuing to make the most of life.
With an understanding of the evolving, unprecedented challenges our community currently faces, DNA’s operations are running 24/7. Below is an overview of some important changes that have been made to minimize the risk of spreading disease while continuing to serve donors, their families and the 112,000 people on the national organ waiting list.
So, what has changed?
First, all authorized potential organ donors are tested for COVID-19 during the evaluation phase of the donation process, even if the potential donor is asymptomatic. That’s because it has not been determined if the virus can be transmitted through organ transplantation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned some people may carry the virus with no chest pain, difficulty breathing or dry cough—three of the most common symptoms of COVID-19.
DNA works with a COVID-19 testing facility in Arizona.
Potential donors who test positive for COVID-19 are not able to donate. If a donor tests positive, we will report that result to the donor hospital and the Arizona Department of Health Services.
DNA is limiting onsite interactions as much as possible. DNA monitors and evaluates potential donation cases via phone calls, remote access to electronic medical records, and through donation conversations with families by phone, when appropriate. As needed during the donation process, DNA staff goes onsite to the hospital following hospital guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) for safety.
Are there less donors because of COVID-19?
It may be too early to know for sure. There have been more donation deferrals—meaning a potential donor was not able to donate—because of coronavirus risk factors or positive test results. However, recent numbers from March 31, 2020, show the volume of successful organ donation cases has steadily increased in Arizona over the last six months (with the timeframe of the onset of this pandemic included).
If families are not allowed to visit patients, how are you meeting families for donation conversations?
The limitations on family visits in hospitals reduce exposure and ensure safety for all, and DNA supports that measure. But these limitations can be challenging to donation conversations. They affect our ability to meet with families in person and explore this most genuine act of generosity of organ, eye and tissue donation. However, we are meeting the challenge. Sometimes, we can meet with families in the hospital. Other times, we connect with them over the phone. We continue to be amazed at the generosity of those we meet at this time.
DNA has adjusted how to best make a connection with donor families, and we value hospital and family support to have these important conversations.
Like everyone involved in the COVID-19 pandemic, we are learning every day and our processes continue to evolve. We are grateful for the exceptional work performed by DNA and hospital staff to continue organ donation and transplantation, and we remain humbled by donors and their families who choose life in such a time of national crisis.
Reminder: It is National Donate Life Month. While we won’t be seeing you at local events and activities, we’re inviting you to join us as we spread generosity while social distancing. Please visit dnaz.org/spread-generosity-not-germs/ if you’d like to learn more!
Honoring Gift of Life at Fiesta Bowl Parade
Each year, Donate Life Arizona honors all who are touched by the gift of donation at the Fiesta Bowl Parade. Donor families and recipients walk side-by-side in Donate Life Arizona’s parade segment, showcasing the legacies created through organ, eye and tissue donation. Accompanying these touching stories was a giant balloon of Reggie, the Donor Cactus, and a passionate group of dancers who energized the crowd along the streets.
Heart recipient Dylan McQueen with his family.
This year, 11-year-old Dylan McQueen was among those holding posters proclaiming his lifesaving gift. At eight months old, Dylan received a heart transplant. This transplant gave him the chance to grow up and go on to win a state championship in wrestling as well as four medals at the 2018 Transplant Games.
His mother says that with the gift of a healthy heart came another gift, “the gift of appreciating every day for what it is.”
Graciela Sanchez (center) walks in her daughter’s honor.
In 2017, Graciela Sanchez walked in the Fiesta Bowl Parade with Donate Life Arizona for the first time, and made incredible connections along the way. Her daughter, Karen Hernandez, passed away at 18 years old and made an incredible impact on the world. Short as Karen’s time here was, her compassion continued when she saved and healed 23 people through organ and tissue donation. That compassion manifested in Karen’s heart recipient, whom Graciela met at the parade for the first time. Graciela walked in her daughter’s honor again in 2019, celebrating this renewed life.
Also proudly walking behind the enthusiastic Donate Life Arizona dancers was donor mom Dana Ayers. Dana held a poster honoring her 16-year-old daughter, Hannah Pairrett. Hannah was athletic, charitable and selfless. When she passed away earlier this year, she granted the gift of life to five others.
Donor mother Dana Ayers holding a poster of her daughter Hannah.
Every December, we are grateful for the opportunity to gather together and honor our loved ones while also showing support for donation. In these moments, we are able to see the impact that donation has and the true gift that life really is.
Giving thanks for the gift of donation
November is a time to gather with loved ones and give thanks. It is also when we reflect on the healing gift of eye donation, as November is also Eye Donation Month.
This year, we celebrate Eye Donation Month by remembering Elijah Perez, a young man who saved lives and gave the gift of sight.
Elijah had a heart of gold—loving animals and children, often seen in pictures with him.
“When he passed, I got messages from his friends, and they all told me they knew Elijah because he helped them through a hard part in their life,” his mother, Crystal Aristizabal, says.
Elijah’s father, mother and dog.
Elijah got his Arizona state ID when he was 17 years old, and he decided to check the box at ADOT MVD to be an organ and tissue donor.
Only one year later, he saved the lives of four people through organ donation.
“He showed his caring heart,” his mom says, saving and healing lives with this simple choice.
While you’re gathering with loved ones this holiday season, take a moment to be grateful for those whose selflessness saves and heals the lives of so many. While you’re at it, encourage your family and friends to register at www.DonateLifeAZ.org/register!
Illuminating Hope – Donor Network of Arizona’s 2019 Symposium
In 2012, Traci Cromwell was suffering from a persistent cough that was progressively getting worse. Eventually, doctors told Traci that she had an interstitial lung disease. This meant chronic and progressive pulmonary scarring, but Traci thought she would get a prescription for medication and that everything would be fine.
Double-lung recipient Traci Crowmell
However, it was not fine. “A few months later, I was carrying my groceries into my house and I couldn’t breathe,” she says. “By 2015, I was on 24-hour-a-day oxygen. I needed help with just about all of my daily activities. It really is no way to live.”
To say the struggle was exhausting for her is an understatement, but she knows it affected her entire family. Her daughters did the grocery shopping for her and her husband stepped in to complete all chores around the house.
“Even walking and talking at the same time became a huge challenge,” Cromwell explains.
In February 2018, she received her hero’s selfless gift of two gently used lungs—her transplantiversary becoming her new symbolic birthday.
Traci now gets to enjoy a full and happy life with her family after receiving the gift of life from a generous donor.
Bringing Light to Donation
Traci highlighted this story with the guests at Donor Network of Arizona’s (DNA) Illuminate 2019 Donation Symposium Aug. 16. The symposium, held every other year, aims to shed light on donation and provide comprehensive education to health care professionals and end-of-life providers.
This year, DNA hosted more than 400 attendees to bring to light the essential topics surrounding donation. Presentations included the recent innovation to maximize the gift of life by accepting Hepatitis C positive organs for recipients without Hepatitis C, as well as a panel of medical professionals who shared how to implement honor walks and donor recognition in hospitals. Guests even participated in a self-care session where they learned how to help themselves manage stress better.
Learning tables highlighted different steps of the donation process, such as registering as a donor, donor referrals, organ, tissue and ocular recovery, hospital coordination and communication, and patient aftercare.
To encourage participation and a little bit of competition, guests won prizes through DNA’s in-app game by submitting fun photos, like who they ate lunch with and our hidden Reggie, the Donor Cactus mascot.
A photo submitted by attendees playing our symposium scavenger hunt.
Each year, our collaboration with medical professionals and end-of-life caregivers shows us that we truly shine brighter when we work together.
Angels among us
This Father’s Day, we are celebrating the miraculous story of Gene McDaniel, liver recipient and father of three.
As a fire captain and paramedic for 23 years, Gene knows all about life and death situations, but nothing could have prepared him for his own.
Gene looked in the mirror one day and saw an unfamiliar reflection staring back at him.
“I was as yellow as a banana,” Gene remembers as he recalls the moment he realized he was seriously ill.
Gene was rushed to a hospital in Phoenix and learned that he was in severe, immediate liver failure. In order to survive, he needed a new liver.
The McDaniels began to make arrangements for the end of Gene’s life. Although he was on the waiting list for a new liver, he was getting sicker and sicker.
A generous donor gave Gene the gift of life in April 2017. Now he feels wonderful thanks to his lifesaving transplant.
“I’ve always had a grand appreciation for the gift of life,” McDaniel says. “It’s precious.”
Because of a stranger’s selfless decision, Gene gets a chance to spend more time with his wife and three kids. He knows they have been through a lot with his illness, and he is excited to continue making memories with them.
A registered organ donor since he was 18 years old, McDaniel has always known that organ donation is important, but now it holds a whole new meaning to him and his family. He encourages people to sign up and says that everyone should talk to their family members about this important decision.
Dads and donors are truly the angels among us. Happy Father’s Day!
Home Run for Donation!
“My heart was racing!” Heather Jauregui said shortly after throwing the first pitch at a Diamondbacks game April 14, 2019. But she’s grateful her heart can beat properly.
Heart valve recipient Heather Juaregui gets ready to throw the first pitch at the 13th annual Donate Life Day at the D-backs.
Heather was born with a congenital heart defect, known as absent pulmonary valve syndrome (APVS). Someone with APVS has an underdeveloped or missing pulmonary valve, which is supposed to supply blood to the lungs for oxygen.
Because Heather’s heart had to work much harder than a healthy heart, doctors at Phoenix Children’s Hospital performed open heart surgery on her to replace the valve when she as only four months old. She underwent another surgery nine years later to receive a new heart valve when the initial replacement started to leak.
Today, Heather is a healthy 12-year-old girl with a renewed zest for life and a continual sense of gratitude for the gift of donated tissue that saved her life.
Family and friends of donor Brenda Alvarez are recognized on the D-backs field on behalf of Brenda’s generous gift of life.
“I know I am very lucky because sometimes babies with heart defects do not survive other complications,” she says. “I’m very thankful to the organ donor who gave me my heart valve and to their family who must have been so sad but still so giving.”
Hitting it Out of the Park
The Arizona Diamondbacks honored Heather’s donation journey by inviting her to throw the first pitch at the 13th annual Donate Life Day at the D-backs event. It’s safe to say that this event is always a big hit!
Over 1,300 fans of donation attended a D-backs game against the San Diego Padres to show their support for organ, tissue and cornea donation. The D-backs invited families touched by donation onto the field to recognize their loved ones’ gift of life and their own journeys with transplantation.
Reggie Donor giving kids high-fives as they ran the bases after the game.
Donate Life Arizona holds this event every year to both honor those who have given and receive life through donation, and also to encourage the numerous Arizona sports fans to say “yes” to donation. Fans stopped by the registration table at the ballpark to learn more about the lifesaving and healing benefits of donation and registered to be a hero.
Reggie the Donor Cactus was also spotted around the stadium helping people register to be organ donors. He even high-fived the kids who ran the bases after the game!
Look out for next year’s invitation so you can join us as we hit it out of the park for donation once again!
2018 Fiesta Bowl Parade
The sun finally begins to rise on an early December morning. Dancers start to line up, the sun glinting off their sparkling pompoms. Volunteers begin raising a massive inflatable cactus balloon to float it down Central Avenue. Recipient and donor families sift through green and blue posters to hold when they walk proudly to represent Donate Life and Done Vida Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl Parade.
Among this crowd are donor parents Myra and Jesus Moreno. They lost their daughter, Mikaela “Paloma” Moreno, to addiction two years ago. They are here to honor her and celebrate her selfless gift of donation.
Mikaela “Paloma” Moreno saved four lives through donation.
A vivacious and creative young girl originally from Bisbee, Arizona, Paloma’s friends and family loved her. She once told her mother that if anything ever happened to her, she wanted to be an organ, tissue and cornea donor. Though Paloma’s death devastated her family, Myra and Jesus have found peace in knowing their daughter allowed four other people to continue living.
Staff members reveal a poster to the Moreno family. Big letters reading “Our daughter gave life to others!” sit below a beautiful photo of 24-year-old Paloma. Myra is brought to tears, and she approaches the poster to lay a kiss on the photo of her daughter.
A Celebration of Life
Heart recipient Brett Wallick walks in the 2018 Fiesta Bowl Parade.
The Moreno family is one of many families touched by donation that walk in the parade. Each year, Donate Life Arizona invites those touched by donation to celebrate the lives of their loved ones. Over 50 organizations come together at the Fiesta Bowl Parade to make music, dance and celebrate the start of another year.
Another family in the Donate Life group has experienced the other side of donation. At 16 years old, Brett Wallick received a heart transplant that gave him a chance to grow up. More than four years later, Brett says there is not a day that goes by where he doesn’t think about his donor. Brett and his family are grateful for the kindness that saved him and volunteer with Donate Life Arizona to encourage others to register to be donors.
Brett walks down Central Avenue, holding a sign that says, “I am a heart recipient!” Several people in the crowd look in awe to see him smiling, laughing and high-fiving people with so much energy and enjoyment. Congratulations are shouted from all sides of the street.
For Donate Life Arizona, the Fiesta Bowl Parade is a time to honor and celebrate those who gave life to others. But as you can see, it is also a time to demonstrate the impact that donation has on so many. The generosity of people like Paloma is the same generosity that saved the lives of people like Brett.
“I think about [my donor] every day, no matter what I’m doing,” says Brett. “Everything I do, I make sure I’m doing it for my donor and the family.”
Volunteers Jessica Drey (l) and Evelyn Strope (r) show their support for donation by walking in the parade.
Build a Better Future for Pediatric Donation
It is because of a compassionate decision and a series of miracles that Zamya Noriega is alive today. The 16-year-old shared the incredible story of her liver transplant to a room full of pediatric donation partners at the Pediatric Symposium on Aug. 24, 2018. Her story is one of many, and with the cooperation of pediatric specialists, there will continue to be stories of faith, hope and healing.
“Build a Better Future for Pediatric Donation” was the theme surrounding this year’s pediatric symposium. Lego blocks and colorful décor welcomed nurses, social workers, child life specialists and more individuals who play a part in saving lives.
Hope Through Tragedy
The day began with the story of a mother who experienced the sudden, tragic loss of her 4-year-old daughter, Addie. Addie was a seemingly healthy little girl, but undiagnosed diabetes caused her brain to swell and hemorrhage, leading to brain death. Micki Parker and her husband Darrell were asked if they would like their daughter to be an organ donor. At the time, Micki worked in health care, so she knew the importance of donation and didn’t think twice. She and her husband “absolutely” agreed for Addie to be a donor. She has written several letters to the recipients that Addie helped, and hopes that they are living full, happy lives. Through the gift of life, Micki has also been able to experience the joy of young Grant, the boy who received Addie’s liver.
“The love I have for Grant, I can’t put into words,” Micki said. “Grant gives me hope that Addie lives on and her life mattered.”
Micki shared her story to emphasize the importance of pediatric organ donation. She also encourages nurses and pediatric partners to do their part to ensure the gift of donation in viable patients.
Addie Parker gave life through donation.
Building a Strong Foundation
The day was broken up by individual sessions that focused on the building blocks in pediatric donation. Nationally-recognized speaker Dr. Thomas Nakagawa gave a noteworthy presentation on the brain death declaration process for pediatric donors. A panel of experts explored the donation options available in cases that involve medical examiner offices. Renowned doctors Imad Haddad, Mudit Mathur and Daniel Velez also provided insights to improve the world of pediatric donation.
Throughout the event, a video walked the audience through the entire donation process, from a tragic car accident to DNA’s family support after donation. The moving video educated pediatric donation partners and showed the important roles that they play in the donation process. DNA department staff also hosted learning tables for attendees to learn more about transplantation options in pediatric patients and what donation means for donor families.
Zamya Noriega shared her story of a liver transplant and a second chance.
In closing, Zamya thanked health care professionals and the role they played, and continue to play, in her second chance at life.
“Someone exactly like you saved my life,” Zamya said. “I hope you’ll keep in mind and share my story with your friends and family to honor the little boy who saved my life — and to inspire yourself and your colleagues to keep doing the work you do. It makes a huge difference.”
August is MVD Saves Lives Month!
[Photo: (l to r) Alexa Citro, public relations supervisor at DNA; Tim Brown, president and CEO at DNA; Claudia Flaherty, MVD specialist at DNA; Eric Jorgensen, MVD director; Jennifer Richards, stakeholder relations manager; Sara Pace Jones, vice president of Development and Communications at DNA; Maddie Carbajal, driver license specialist; Irma Molina, executive assistant; Mike Cryderman, field operations administrator]
Did you know that a simple trip to the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD) could save lives?
Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) partners with ADOT MVD to help Arizonans register as organ and tissue donors. When receiving or renewing your license with the MVD, you have the option to check the box to become a registered donor. You even get the donor heart insignia on your license when you register.
DNA celebrates MVD Saves Lives Month every August to recognize our cherished partnership with ADOT MVD and honor all those who work hard to save and heal lives.
Donation comes full circle
One person who celebrates this partnership all year long is Jimmie Willis, a customer service representative for ADOT MVD. Jimmie is a heart recipient who knows firsthand the impact that checking the box can have on someone’s life. As a mother, Jimmie worried she was running out of time to spend with her family before she received her lifesaving transplant.
Now, thanks to a donor’s generosity, Jimmie lives a life she loves, while encouraging others to check the box and save lives.
More accessible now than ever before
ADOT MVD has recently expanded opportunities for Arizona residents to register as organ and tissue donors. Arizonans now have the option to register on DonateLifeAZ.org after they renew their vehicle registrations on ServiceArizona.com. This option began in October 2017, and DNA has seen over 10,000 registrations.
Claudia Flaherty, DNA’s MVD specialist, works closely with MVD employees to make the most of life.
“We are very fortunate to have an incredible partnership with ADOT MVD,” Claudia says. “Throughout the years, ADOT MVD has worked together with us to make it easier for Arizonans to register as an organ, eye and tissue donors.”
Over 95 percent of Arizona registrations come from the MVD, and each year the generosity of registered organ donors saves hundreds of lives. We are thankful for our special partnership!
Jimmie and her fellow colleagues at Southwest Mesa MVD.
ECHO the Message of Donation
Mariachi band players welcomed guests with vibrant tunes. Families snapped photos with blow-up microphones and miniature guitars. This musical theme tied together individuals from all communities as they gathered to share stories of hope and shed tears of remembrance.
This was all to celebrate ECHO (Every Community Has Opportunity), Donate Life America’s annual campaign. This campaign encourages members of all communities to learn more about donation and register as donors.
On July 11, Donate Life Arizona held an ECHO luncheon to promote organ and tissue donation registration throughout all communities. With the theme of music, this luncheon emphasized that donation is universal and has the power to impact lives and unite people of all communities.
The event featured a panel of distinguished leaders in the African American, Hispanic, Native American, religious, health care and LGBTQ+ communities. They helped lead the discussion about common misconceptions surrounding donation within their communities and helping people make informed decisions.
The mariachi band who played joyful music throughout the day also payed tribute to one of their former members, Victoria Arias. Victoria was a member of Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson during high school. Her parents shared her story at the ECHO luncheon, which took place the week of the one year anniversary of her death. They celebrated the four lives Victoria saved through donation and honored her memory.
A panel of distinguished leaders from various communities answered commonly asked questions about donation.
Sharing the Story of Second Chances
Having experienced both sides of donation, Norian Reese shared her family’s story and a song with the guests at the luncheon.
When her son, O’esha Reese, passed away unexpectedly in November 2010, Norian and her family were devastated. A 35-year-old basketball fan, professional chef and loving father, O’esha had certainly made his mark on the world. With his family’s generous decision for O’esha to become a donor, he helped heal and improve the lives of at least 27 people through his gift of his corneas and tissue.
Just a few years later, O’esha’s parents were touched by the same generosity and selflessness of organ and tissue donation. Norian’s husband, Samuel, received a bone marrow transplant and Norian received a kidney transplant. Seeing donation come full circle helped the Reese family recognize the impact it has on so many lives.
Norian Reese sings a sweet song in honor of her donor son, O’esha.
“The greatest gift I got was knowing my son lives on, and the compassion of someone giving me and my husband a second chance at life,” Norian says.
O’esha’s legacy lives on not only through the recipients he helped, but through his family, as well. In addition to celebrating O’esha’s life on his birthday each year, the Reese family is closely involved with Donate Life Arizona and participates in the volunteer program.
When it comes to organ and tissue donation, every community had the opportunity to make a difference. How will you “echo” the message of donation?