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Anna Reidenbach

Liver Recipient

As a Donate Life Arizona volunteer, Anna shares
her lifesaving story of hope.

Sign up to volunteer >

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Noel Rivera Fuentes

Donor

Alysson’s dad, Noel, saved many
lives as an organ and tissue donor.

Read his story >
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Oliver Crawford

Heart Recipient

Oliver’s life was saved by a generous organ donor.

Read Oliver’s story >

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Arizonans in the
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Donate Life Arizona

21 hours ago

Donate Life Arizona

Ava and John Ben Shepperd were born with cystinosis, a rare genetic disorder that causes a type of amino acid to accumulate in the cells. The once-fatal disease can damage multiple organs, particularly the eyes and kidneys, necessitating transplants early in life.

The family of the two siblings had joked that all they needed was one donor who could provide kidneys for both children. They never anticipated that it could actually happen.

Their mother received a call from University Transplant Center, where 14-year-old Ava and 18-year-old John Ben were listed as kidney transplant candidates. When she was told there was a potential donor for her daughter, she asked about her son, who had nearly died as a baby before he was diagnosed.

Both were a strong match.

Within hours of each other, the teenagers underwent transplants at University, each receiving a kidney from the same deceased donor. The surgeries overlapped by about an hour — "the longest and shortest hour ever," their father said. ...

2 Texas siblings undergo kidney transplants, same donor

ctpost.com

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - For years, John Shepperd and Kim Azar Shepperd have known both their children would eventually need kidney transplants. The San Antonio Express-News reports the siblings, Ava and John Ben Shepperd, were born with cystinosis, a rare genetic disorder that causes a type of amino acid...
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Donate Life Arizona

2 days ago

Donate Life Arizona

How well can Eric Jorgensen of Arizona Department of Transportation parallel park? 🚗

Know what else you can do in 38 seconds? Register as an organ and tissue donor at www.DonateLifeAZ.org!

Do your own #38secondchallenge, tag @donatelifeaz and share it to show others how easy it is to register! ...

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Donate Life Arizona

3 days ago

Donate Life Arizona

Had it not been for Jack Sunzeri's heart transplant in 1995, he wouldn’t be here today. So, for 23 years, he’s been trying to find the donor family who saved his life.

Six weeks ago, Sunzeri shared his story with KCRA 3, saying it was on his bucket list to thank the family in person. The donor family saw the report, contacted Sunzeri and agreed to meet him at his retirement home in Folsom.

“It’s (indescribable),” Sunzeri recounted. “The feeling. The emotions. It is so hard to explain. What a wonderful completion to my life.” ...

'Wonderful completion to my life:' 90-year-old Folsom man thanks family of heart donor

kcra.com

Jack Sunzeri and his family were over the moon Mother’s Day weekend.
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Donate Life Arizona

4 days ago

Donate Life Arizona

When Sejal Patel learned she needed a new kidney and pancreas to survive in 2009, she never knew how much her life would change over the next 10 years. After being on the waiting list for a year, she received her new kidney and pancreas.

"I decided to turn something that seemed so negative into something positive by never giving up on my dream of giving back."

Sejal decided to use her medical degree to go into clinical research and work with children and adults who are going through similar experiences to what she did while growing up.

"My experience of having Type I diabetes and being diagnosed with idiopathic kidney disease later in life taught me the importance of organ donation."

After 10 years of dedicating her time to others thanks to the generosity of her donor, Sejal is now encountering the end stages of her donor kidney.

"I was recently diagnosed with end stage renal failure from chronic kidney disease and am patiently waiting on the list for a kidney donation to replace my donor kidney...I am happy to know that there is hope that I will soon be matched with a donor for my new kidney transplant, so I can continue doing what I love and giving back to the community through work and providing others a chance to live fulfilled lives as well."

To read more of Sejal's story:
www.LiveOnAZ.org/Stories/Sejal-Patel.

To learn about living donation and how you can help: mayoclinic.org/livingdonor. ...

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Donate Life Arizona

1 week ago

Donate Life Arizona

Two-year-old Opal Lang had been in the hospital for more than 100 days when a doctor finally delivered the news: A heart donor had been located for the toddler, and she would undergo transplant surgery in a matter of hours.

Days after Opal survived the seven-hour procedure at Lurie Children’s Hospital, her mother also made a big delivery: She gave birth to Opal’s younger brother. ...

Suburban toddler gets a new heart; 3 days later, she gets a new brother

chicagotribune.com

After more than 100 days hospitalized, a Highland Park toddler underwent a heart transplant. Then her mother gave birth to her baby brother.
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Within hours of each other, the teenagers underwent transplants at University, each receiving a kidney from the same deceased donor. The surgeries overlapped by about an hour — "the longest and shortest hour ever," their father said. ow.ly/SkTQ50ugUcy #DonateLife #kidney pic.twitter.com/WwZ6tW2Wrc

Yesterday from Donate Life Arizona's Twitter via Hootsuite Inc.

The gift of healing is amazing! Learn more about birth tissue donation in Arizona at BirthTissue.dnaz.org! 🍼 twitter.com/Unyts/status/1…

About 2 days ago from Donate Life Arizona's Twitter via Twitter Web Client

“It’s (indescribable),” Sunzeri recounted. “The feeling. The emotions. It is so hard to explain. What a wonderful completion to my life.” ow.ly/6dcE50ugTks pic.twitter.com/uinsYom7tR

About 3 days ago from Donate Life Arizona's Twitter via Hootsuite Inc.

Carson Robert von Aspen loved his family and friends...We miss him so very much but know his desire to help others will be carried on by the gift of life he continues to give others with the gift of donation." LiveOnAZ.org/stories/carson…. pic.twitter.com/D887dmePhS

About 4 days ago from Donate Life Arizona's Twitter via Hootsuite Inc.

During National Donate Life Month, 67 people were touched by the selflessness of a stranger who chose to give life. ❤️ How did you make a difference during #DonateLifeMonth? pic.twitter.com/BSZe7tNkMs

Last week from Donate Life Arizona's Twitter via Twitter Web Client

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  • "Carson Robert von Aspen was 17 years old. He loved his family, his friends and playing varsity basketball for his high school. He graduated in May 2018, with hopes of becoming a psychologist to treat military veterans suffering from PTSD and mental illness. His dreams fell short when he ended his life in June 2018, less than one month shy of his 18th birthday.⠀ 🔹⠀ Donor Network has always held a special place in the von Aspen home as Carson’s grandmother received a lifesaving heart transplant 15 years ago. We know Carson’s desire to help others would be carried out with his gift of donation. We miss him so very much but know his desire to help others will be carried on by the gift of life he continues to give others with the gift of donation."⠀ 🔹⠀ Register to save a life in Carson's honor at the link in our bio. #donatelife #signupsavelives⠀ ⠀
  • During National Donate Life Month, 67 people were touched by the selflessness of a stranger who chose to give life. ❤ How did you make a difference during #DonateLifeMonth? #SignUpSaveLives
  • Know what else you can do in 38 seconds? Register as an organ and tissue donor at the link in our bio! Do your own #38secondchallenge, tag @donatelifeaz and share it to show others how easy it is to register! (and yes, she is that good at hula hooping!)
  • It's National Nurses Week! Nurses are a critical and invaluable part of the care team for all patients, including donor and transplant patients and their families. Thank you for your dedication to saving lives every day! #nursesweek #transplantnurses #lifesaver
  • "John was my best friend and husband of 18 years, father of three for 35 years, uncle for 50 plus years, brother for 65 years, grandpa for eight years and friends to many through his lifetime. You knew when you met John, he left a piece of himself with all that he touched. He loved life and the relationships he nurtured and fostered along the way..."⁣ •⁣ Read more of John's story and register in his honor at the link in our bio. #SignUpSaveLives #DonateLife
  • ❤️❤️❤️#PediatricTransplantWeek #heartvalve #DonateLife
  • The then 4-year-old Gabriella Vega had just started to experience life when doctors recognized a murmur in her heart. Multiple tests showed Vega had an enlarged heart and two other heart conditions. Vega would eventually go into heart failure without a transplant.⁣ 💕⁣ After 97 days on the waiting list, she received her gift of life and quickly resumed her life as a healthy young girl—growing into a healthy teenager.⁣ 💕⁣ Her mother, Kristi Vega Gutierrez, found a new appreciation for people who selflessly chose donation.⁣ “You can’t take your organs with you, but they can give new life to someone in need,” she writes on “Gabriella’s Heart,” a blog about her family’s connection to donation. #PediatricTransplantWeek
  • Through their selfless gifts, these donors gave hope and healing to others, and we honor them each and every day. 💚💙⁣ Additionally, this shows the incredible importance of registering as an organ and tissue donor and talking to your family about your decision to save lives. #SignUpSaveLives #donatelife #linkinbio
  • Thanks for sharing the importance of donation! 💙💚 #Repost @lipstickandlifesaving · · · It’s National #bluegreenday in honor of Donate Life month this April! 💙💚 Organ donation is something I commonly work with, and also something people don’t talk about too often. PLEASE have those uncomfortable conversations with your family on what your end of life wishes are. 🌠 There is nothing worse than being at the bedside and seeing a family struggle SO HARD with whether or not their dying family member would have wanted to donate...and unfortunately people end up opting to not donate simply because they never had that conversation...that patient could have potentially SAVED up to 8 other people. Organ donation is a huge gift to others, and seeing an organ recipient wake up for the first time with a new heart or new kidney makes it all worth it. 💙⠀ .⠀ I talk about common organ donation myths in the link in my bio you should check out! The most common one I hear that I want to educate you on is this - “if they hear I’m an organ donor, the doctors won’t work as hard to save me”⠀ THIS IS COMPLETELY AND 100% FALSE ❌⠀ Your body is not even considered for organ donation unless one or the other criteria are met:⠀ 1: Your heart has stopped (aka ur dead)⠀ 2: You’re brain dead (you’re also dead, this is irreversible)⠀ So basically what I’m saying is you’re dead before this conversation is brought up by the healthcare team. You’re not comin’ back. So why not give other people who still have a chance...a chance? 🌱⠀ .⠀ Who’s a registered donor out there like me? 🙋🏻‍♀️ If not, please read the link in my bio to get some more info. The link to register is on that page as well. 💚💙
  • ❤️ 𝕘𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕙𝕠𝕡𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕤 ❤️
  • "Larry Castrovinci lived his life for the service of others. Right after high school he joined the Army. After that, he went straight into law enforcement, where he excelled to the rank of commander.⁣ 🔹⁣ Even in his untimely death, he gave everything he could. His heart, liver and kidneys went to three different individuals. He passed away in December 2018, four days after his 51st birthday. I can’t help but think what a beautiful Christmas present he gave to the recipients and their loved ones.⁣ 🔹⁣ He is a husband, father, grandfather, son, uncle and brother. He was an inspiration in life and in death."⁣ 🔹⁣ Register in his honor at the link in our bio. #DonateLife #SignUpSaveLives #army #honor #organdonation⁣
  • Happy National #DonateLifeMonth! Who are you going to share your story with this April? 💙
  • Do you have your tickets to Donate Life Day at the D-backs yet? Order by tomorrow, Friday, March 29, for a discounted price and to have your tickets and T-shirts mailed. Come help us hit a home run for donation! ⁣www.DonateLifeattheDbacks.org or find the link in our bio ⚾⁣ “I’m so thankful I can see my grandchildren clearly. I can see everything – nature, birds, it’s just so amazing,” says cornea recipient Beverly Rockwell (r). ⁣ ⚾⁣ #DonateLife #baseball #corneadonation #giftofsight
  • In Arizona, 80 Native Americans were saved by organ donation in 2018—more than ever before! That’s a 16 percent increase from last year. #donatelife #signupsavelives
  • 💙 Donate Life Day at the Capitol 2019 💚 We are so proud to honor and celebrate our donors, their families and our recipients. Thank you to everyone who spoke to their legislators to show them the impact of the gift of life. #DonateLifeAZCapitol #donatelife
  • We honor these 31 heroes for their incredible gifts of life. Thanks to their generosity, 100 recipients are taking another breath today. 💚💙⁣ ⁣ Are you registered to save lives yet? DonateLifeAZ.org
  • O’esha Reese passed away unexpectedly in November 2010. The 35-year-old professional chef was a basketball fan and a loving father. O’esha certainly made his mark on the world in life. After passing, his family’s generous decision to donate means he helped heal and improve the lives of at least 27 people through his gifts of his corneas and tissue. This #BlackHistoryMonth, we remember O'esha and all our donor heroes. Sign up. Save lives. DonateLifeAZ.org
  • 💚💙
  • "In December 2015, our family suffered the greatest loss any family can face. We were told that our beautiful, vibrant 19-year-old daughter, Zoey, would never recover from the coma she had been in for the last 10 days. Despite extensive testing, the doctors could not tell us what had caused the coma. In the midst of our devastation, we made the decision to donate Zoey’s organs...We will miss Zoey and her big laugh and love of life every single day – our hearts will always have a hole in them. We hope that telling Zoey’s story will raise awareness both for Urea Cycle Disorders and for the importance of organ donation." #DonateLife #organdonation
  • #Repost @donatelife.ky #funnyfriday · · • • • • #donatelife #friday #funny #meme #video #kentucky #sharethelex #dankmemes #friyay #louisville #louisvilleblogger #igers #igerslouisville
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