LifeSource

Last week, we hosted a special Community Gathering focused on hosting conversations about the urgent need for organ transplants in multiethnic communities. The event centered around making an impact by recognizing the unique challenges faced by our communities and inspiring action to make a difference. Thank you to everyone who was able to join us! #community #donationcommunity #savelives #organdonation #inspireaction

We recently shared the incredible story of Sam, who received a life saving kidney transplant at just 16 years old. Now she and her mom, Frances, are on a mission to raise awareness. Not just for organ donation, but for communities of color who are underrepresented in the donor pool. Communities of color are also overrepresented on the waiting list. "On the national deceased donor waiting list, about 58% are people of color," said Dr. Sarah Kizilbash, the director of the pediatric kidney transplant program at M Health Fairview." Sam and Frances hope their story will encourage communities of color to have conversations about organ donation. Thank you to Kare 11 for sharing their story! https://lnkd.in/gsiKEX6z #kidneytransplant #organdonation #savelives #donatelife #registereddonor

At 44 years old, Kellie learned she was in need of a life-saving transplant. With her health deterioting and Covid at it's peak, she leaned into her faith to make it through. Due to the failure of her liver, her heart and lungs were now under an immense amount of stress, making the need for a transplant urgent. While she waited, the COVID-19 pandemic was making its way across the world. Her once vibrant, family filled days, came to an immediate hault. Going to doctor's appointments was the only time she left the house as to avoid getting an illness or infection. The isolation was unbearable. On July 15th, 2022, she received the call. “I was wide awake at 10:00 p.m. because I was hardly sleeping at that time, and I got a call from the doctor telling me they had an organ for me. I couldn’t even digest what he was saying – everything just went blank. I was in complete shock.” After Kellie's successful transplant, she now finds community and comfort around other liver transplant recipients through a weekly support group over Zoom. She has also become a LifeSource Ambassador and is determined to be a positive light in other people’s lives. “I’m lucky to have these bonus years ahead of me. I now get to experience all these things, and pass wisdom down to my nieces and nephews. Organ donation helped me not only internally, but spiritually as well. I truly believe God provided for me through my organ donor, and that gift is eternal.” To learn more about Kellie's journey, check out our latest blog post! https://lnkd.in/gN4y2JZz #organdonation #organtransplant #transplantrecipient #savelives #donatelife

Caring for donor families is an extremely important part of our work. Transplant surgeon, Dr Farooq, takes us on a tour through the Healing garden and shows some of the ways we honor and remember our donor heroes. To learn more about how we support families as they navigate the grief journey, visit our website https://lnkd.in/grpgf3b6 #askasurgeon #donorfamily #organdonation #donorhero #savelives #tissuedonation

September has been going by way too fast!! This month we added seven new faces to the LifeSource team. Please join us in welcoming them! From left to right: Mindy Bellomy (Donation Liaison), Hillary Tyler (Advocacy and Ambassador Specialist), Bala Samantula (Regulatory Compliance Specialist), Tony Xiong (Quality Assurance Coordinator), Traci Morgan (Surgical Recovery Coordinator), Eddie Mendoza (Safety Program Manager) and Collin Joselyn (Desktop Support Specialist)

On Friday, we had the opportunity to present at the Minnesota Deputy Registrars Association Annual Meeting (MDRA) in St. Cloud. MDRA is a statewide membership organization promoting common interests of deputy registrars in providing professional licensing service to the public and liaison to the state. With nearly 90% of people registering to become a donor at the driver's license office, it is always exciting to share with the group how their work directly impacts saving and healing lives. Although it was a busy day, we made sure to make time for a photo-op! We are so grateful for their partnership and support as we work together to grow the donor registry. #minnesotadrivers #organdonation #checkthebox #savelives

On Monday, 258 golfers joined us for the 29th Annual LifeSource Golf Classic. This may have been the Warmest one yet! Together, we raised over $191,000 in funds to increase awareness of donation across our service area. Working together, we can save more lives! Thank you to all who made this day possible. To our Tournament Sponsor, Aviation Charter, and all of this year's sponsors - thank you for your generosity and support! The same is true for the numerous volunteers and contributors to this year's event. We couldn't accomplish any of this without you - we are so grateful. Be sure to save the date for the 30th Annual LifeSource Golf Classic! September 15th, 2025. We hope to see you there! #OrganDonation #savelives #organdonationawareness

Have you ever wondered how organ donation happens? As an independent, federally-designated medical organization, we work with leading hospitals and transplant centers to ensure the organ donation process is done with integrity and respect. #organdonation #savelives #transplant

Last week, a few of our team members attended the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation 2024 Annual Conference where they had the opportunity to learn, share, and collaborate with other OPOs all working together to elevate organ donation and increase registration within our local BIPOC communities. The AMAT conference serves as a platform to honor and celebrate the myriad of cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives that make our field so vibrant. They even got to see a familiar face! Thomas Wyatt, M.D., FACEP was a keynote and gave an incredible presentation, “Donation and Transplantation in American Indian Communities.” The theme of the conference this year was Empower, Engage and Elevate: It sounds like it did just that! #donatelife #organdonation #tissuedonation #savelives #transplant

Thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday for the 29th Annual Golf Classic at Majestic Oaks Golf Club! We had a record 258 golfers participate across two 18-hole courses. Despite the heat, it was a beautiful day filled with inspiring stories of donation and a silent auction and raffle drawing, all supporting the lifesaving work of organ donation. Thank you to all of our sponsors and volunteers who made the event such a huge success! Stay tuned for more highlights from the #LSGC. #donatelife #transplantrecipient #donorfamily #golftournament #hope #organdonation