A Full Circle of Generosity
For many families, a place to sleep, enjoy a meal and feel safe is not always a guarantee. Each night, the Roanoke House run by Ronald McDonald House (RMH) provides affordable, temporary housing for up to 44 families caring for ill or injured children. One of those children is 15-year-old Martisha. Diagnosed with kidney failure at 6 years old that led to heart failure, she goes to dialysis three hours at a time, five days a week. Because her dialysis treatment is far from home, she and her family are waiting on a dual organ transplant at this home away from home.
Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) works every day to make a difference in our community. In 2018, this mission extended beyond organ and tissue donation. DNA’s Community Involvement Committee had a huge impact on the Phoenix Valley during their first year. The committee focused on helping children, veterans, homeless and our environment. Together the committee selected charities to partner with and implemented some programs of their own.
Competing for a Cause
The most successful drive came from a competition among employees during Donate Life Blue and Green week in April 2018. Staff were split into two teams, determined by their last name. Team Blue and Team Green went head-to-head to collect the most water bottles. Cases filled DNA’s lobby, and each day the competition grew. By the end of the week, nearly 9,500 water bottles were accumulated and donated to Phoenix Rescue Mission. And for the record, Team Green was victorious!
The Community Involvement Committee filled the rest of the calendar with other drives and activities to give back. Over 65 backpacks were filled with school supplies and donated to Pappas School. Staff filled two car trunks full of snacks for the children at Childhelp and created sensory boards for their office.
The Comforts of Home
DNA also partnered with RMH in several capacities during 2018. The committee placed pop tab collection jars in DNA’s breakroom, and donated several gallon bags of pop tabs. The pop tabs are the heaviest part of the can and are turned into cash through scrap metal donation. DNA employees also cooked three meals for families staying at RMH. These meals not only feed the families but also provide the comfort of a home-cooked meal. Lastly, DNA employees remodeled one of the rooms at the Roanoke House. In addition to purchasing new linens and decorations, DNA updated the bathroom with a new countertop, fixtures and lights. A closet remodel improved the storage space for families.
Throughout the Community Involvements Committee’s inaugural year, DNA staff were able to donate items and time to help those around us. From making sure a child has supplies for the new school year, to providing comfort to families waiting on an organ transplant, our employees embraced the opportunity to give generously.
A Father and a Fighter: Lifesaver gets a new chance at life
As a Phoenix firefighter, Dave Wipprecht firmly believes in miracles. In 2014, that faith was tested when Wipprecht began having difficulty breathing. Although doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia, his breathing problems persisted so he checked into Banner Thunderbird Medical Center.
An echocardiogram revealed that his heart was four times its normal size. Wipprecht was given heart medication, but shortly afterward his leg began to hurt. Doctors found blood clots throughout his body, due to his heart only functioning at 10 percent.
Rushed into emergency surgery and then transferred to Mayo Clinic Hospital, Wipprecht was placed at the top of the waiting list for a new heart.
Journey of Faith
Throughout his three-and-a-half month stay at Mayo Clinic Hospital, hooked up to IVs and taking medication daily, Wipprecht maintained an optimistic attitude for his wife and three young sons.
In June 2015, his doctor told Wipprecht that they had exhausted all their options and predicted he only had nine days to live. Still, Wipprecht’s positivity never wavered. He continued to show strength and bravery, even amidst adversity, as any proud father would.
“I knew I’d get through this, knowing that I had to stay alive for my family,” Wipprecht says.
His faith was rewarded when, six days later, he received news that a new heart was available. Wipprecht says that he woke up smiling after the successful surgery.
“I could breathe normally,” Wipprecht says. “I felt new again.”
The Gift of New Life
Back at home just nine days later, Wipprecht took care of his new heart. After celebrating his two-year transplant anniversary, Wipprecht wrote a letter to his donor’s family and hopes to meet them someday.
Even before his transplant experience, Wipprecht had always been a registered donor. Now donation has even more meaning. At the fire department, he and his fellow firefighters always did everything they could to save someone’s life. On the sad occasion when that person might not make it, their efforts could still help save someone else’s life through donation. Wipprecht proudly displays a Donate Life license plate and shares his story with others.
“I would encourage others to stay positive and tell them there’s a reason for everything,” says Wipprecht. “And if it’s my time to go, then it’s my time to help others.”
Thanks to the generosity of others, Wipprecht can continue to be a father and a fighter, and for that he is forever grateful.
Gear Up: Loading Your Donation Toolbox
Four-year-old Jaxson Dahl has a small ninja turtle backpack that he wheels around with him wherever he goes. Unfortunately, this backpack is more than just a childhood passion. His life depends on the medical equipment inside as he waits for an intestinal, liver and pancreas transplant.
Jaxson’s mother, Katie, attended Donor Network of Arizona’s (DNA) 2017 Donation Symposium, “Gear Up: Loading Your Donation Toolbox,” to share his story with donation partners.
“Everyone tells me I’m brave, but Jaxson’s the brave one. I’m raising a warrior,” she told the audience, which included everyone from nurses and emergency professionals to funeral home professionals and respiratory therapists.
A Day of Learning
The Donation Symposium was an all-day conference that provided classes and educational resources tailored to meet the needs of donation partners. This year, DNA loaded up their donation toolbox with all the necessary tools to help donation succeed in Arizona on Thursday, Aug. 24, at Desert Willow Conference Center.
“DNA strives to present the tools for success to these professionals because they play such an important role in the donation process,” says Kristine Roberts, professional education coordinator at DNA.
Nearly 400 attendees enjoyed a full day of learning about tools that will help them not only do their job better, but also improve outcomes for donation.
Learning tables set up in the lobby represented the different roles that DNA plays in the donation process. The Public Education table displayed all the different ways that someone can register as an organ and tissue donor. There was also a kidney pump and a lung in a box to show new advances in organ care before transplant.
DNA staff manned the Public Education table to educate about different ways to register and hand out prizes to everyone who played a game during the event.
Saving Lives Together
Three plenary sessions were spaced throughout the day to provide insights to donation that were useful for all attendees. One session highlighted the entire donation process, and the roles that everyone plays in making donation a success. A guest speaker reviewed the best new technologies and innovations to save lives in another session. The last plenary session explored new perspectives with which to view the donation process.
Every day thousands just like Jaxson are waiting for a call that might save their life. It is vital that everyone in the donation process understands just how impactful their actions can be for someone else. Tools shared at the Donation Symposium helped guests expand their view of donation and learn how their job affects this chain of generosity.
Dr. Winston Hewitt discussed many aspects of the liver waitlist, including new technology and some of the challenges that need to be overcome in order to shorten or eliminate it.