A message from Nancy . . . .

President & CEO of LifePoint, Inc.

There have been many accomplishments since you last received Life Points that merit mentioning, but I'll just touch on a few here. My personal thanks go to all of you who attended our annual statewide hospital collaborative in Columbia. Congratulations to everyone who received awards there; I trust you know how much your dedication to donation is appreciated.

Our gratitude also goes to those who participated in LifePoint's first statewide funeral directors' collaborative meeting and to your representatives who are part of the new task force led by LifePoint's Funeral Home Liaison Tina Holmes.

Many thanks, also, to MUSC for inviting us once again to host the donor ceremony portion of their annual Celebration of Life Transplant Picnic.

At LifePoint, we are particularly excited about the upcoming January online launch of the South Carolina Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. Preparations for this have been a busy collaborative effort among Donate Life S.C., LifePoint, the SCDMV, an Upstate Ad Agency and others. The registry will enable supporters of donation to provide legal consent for potential donation of their organs and/or tissue in a secure online database. The registry should be very beneficial to families at the time of donation who would have previously been unsure of their loved one's final wishes. It should also help facilitate the donation process in additional ways outlined within this newsletter. Keep an eye on our Web site for more details about the registry and other timely news.

Wishing you and your loved ones the happiest and healthiest of holidays.

Best regards,
Nancy A. Kay

S.C. Donor Registry to be Launched Online Jan. 14

The scheduled online launch date for the South Carolina Organ and Tissue Donor Registry is Jan. 14, 2009. At that time, South Carolina will join the majority of other states that already have a Donor Registry in place to better facilitate the process of organ and tissue donation for the donors and for the organ procurement organizations. The Registry will be a secure database of registrants who have indicated their specific consent to become organ and/or tissue donors. LifePoint will utilize the Registry to enhance the process of honoring their final wishes.

• Making a tragic time less stressful for loved ones left behind because the decedent's wishes regarding donation will be clear.
• Streamlining identification of organ and tissue donors following pronouncement of death.
• Saving more lives by expediting the process of matching transplantable organs with potential recipients.
• Helping reduce the number of people waiting for organ transplants in South Carolina (Presently there are approximately 750 people on the South Carolina waiting list.)

On and after January 14, there will be two ways to register your legal consent to be a donor:

• At any South Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) office or on the SCDMV Web site www.SCDMVonline.com when obtaining, renewing or changing your driver's license/ID information.
• On the registry Web site www.Every11Minutes.org or the Donate Life South Carolina (DLSC) Web site www.DonateLifeSC.org.

Per House Bill 3317, signed into law by Governor Mark Sanford on June 14, 2007, the S.C. Donor Registry will be housed and maintained by Donate Life South Carolina - a non-profit organization, headquartered in Greenville, S.C., that promotes organ and tissue donation and provides patient assistance for South Carolina transplant recipients.

Every 11 minutes someone is added to the national organ transplant waiting list.
You have the power to donate life. Be an organ and tissue donor.

Kidney Bonds Friends Forever By Sue Poveromo Pastor Elmer Lambert fondly recalls the words of one woman in his church, "There was an angel among us all the time and we just didn't know it." That angel was Myron Smith, Jr. Pastor Elmer first met Myron at the Williamsburg County, S.C., church where Elmer is the pastor. After Myron fell in love with Angela, a lifetime friend and fellow church member, they said their vows in a wedding ceremony performed by Pastor Elmer. They all became friends and eventually Myron and Angela moved onto property Pastor Elmer owned less than a mile from his own home. Myron was always helping Pastor Elmer – by mowing the lawn or serving at church. So when Pastor Elmer developed kidney problems, Myron made another vow. This time, it was to Pastor Elmer. Myron told Pastor Elmer, "If you ever need a new kidney, I want to give you mine." Due to Pastor Elmer's reaction to dialysis, doctors eventually said that the best results would probably come from receiving a living donation. Due to a variety of medical and other reasons, however, Pastor Elmer's relatives were unable to donate. Nevertheless, Pastor Elmer discouraged Myron from actually being a living donor because of his own back problems. In the Spring of 2007, however, it was Myron who was rushed to MUSC hospital one night following an accident. Despite all emergency efforts, Myron could not be saved. His wife and parents agreed to have his organs donated and designated one of Myron's kidneys for his friend Pastor Elmer. There were no guarantees that it would be a good match. Ironically, Myron and Pastor Elmer had the same blood type and Elmer was well enough to be transplanted and the kidney was a match. Myron, Sr., points out more ironies, "Our son was born on Mother's Day and was buried on my birthday." Angela says, "I couldn't have gotten through losing my hero without my family and my church family, but it's really all about Myron's organ recipients. Knowing that Myron was at least giving a kidney to save someone gave me the ability to consent to donating his other organs." Pastor Elmer still thinks about how sad and unfortunate it was for "Myron to lose his life (at the age of 41), while I was getting a second chance at life." But, he added, "Two other people also got a second chance at life - one person received Myron's other kidney and another received his liver." "Pastor Elmer is the only one of Myron's recipients I know," Angela says, "but I hope everybody else is doing as well as "the preacher." Knowing that two other people are better because of Myron would make him very happy. And knowing that all of them can get up each morning, gives me strength and a reason now to get up each day." Since Myron's death and donation, the Smith family and the Lamberts have shared some special times together, most recently at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) annual picnic honoring donor families and transplant recipients. There they talked privately about the night that changed all of their lives. Pastor Elmer, as well as Myron's mother, Sandra, and his wife Angela, expressed deep gratitude to LifePoint Family Support Counselors Nitza Tyus and Wil Louis. "They were more compassionate than anybody I've ever known in healthcare," Pastor Elmer said. And the staff at MUSC made me so comfortable that I lost all fear of my transplant surgery." Pastor Elmer was still recovering at the hospital when his friend Myron was laid to rest. But thanks to a request from Myron, Sr., Pastor Elmer was able to "speak" at the funeral via a taped remark. "Now whenever I'm with Myron's family," Pastor Elmer said," I think they see that part of Myron still lives within me."

LifePoint Cookbooks Are Here! Order Yours Now!

Recipes from the Heart is filled with mouth-watering recipes from the kitchens of donor families, transplant recipients, donation and transplantation professionals and other supporters of organ and tissue donation.

These cookbooks will make great gifts for yourself and all your loved ones. Proceeds help build awareness about saving lives through donation.

To purchase this cookbook in Charleston, S.C., visit our LifePoint office at 4200 Faber Place Drive between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To mail order Recipes from the Heart complete this order form (download PDF 153kb) or call toll free 800-462-0755. Please allow 3 - 4 weeks for delivery.

Holiday Tree Trimmings A Time of Gratitude to Hospitals & Remembrance of Donors Hospital and LifePoint employees joined together with donor families and recipients at 12 different hospital ceremonies throughout South Carolina during the first half of December to honor our South Carolina organ and tissue donors. Donor families and LifePoint welcomed the chance to thank hospitals for their commitment to donation. During the events, guests decorated the trees with special ornaments in memory of the donors. These annual tree-trimming ceremonies give donor families the opportunity to thank the hospitals for assistance in honoring their loved ones’ final wishes.

Walk or Run, Play Golf, or Be a Sponsor
at LifePoint's Upcoming Special Events

March 7, 2009 – 4th Annual 5k Run/Walk
May 30, 2009 – Golf Fore Life Tournament

Please come join us for these fun and special ways to celebrate life and to raise awareness about the need for organ and tissue donation.

There are also opportunities still available for sponsorship and we would welcome your assistance. For additional information, please contact Shirley McAdams at 1.800.462.0755 or by email at mcadamss@lifepoint-sc.org.

2008 Donation Stats

There are more than 100,000 patients on the National Organ Transplant Waiting List. Approximately 750 of those patients are on the South Carolina waiting list. Source: United Network for Organ Sharing UNOS. Based on data as of Dec. 12, 2008.

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If you have comments, story ideas or announcements, please contact Life Points' editor Sue Poveromo.
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