Lifesharing is proud to announce San Diego Fire-Rescue Capt. Robin Cervantes as its 2023 Rose Parade Honoree. The late Capt. Cervantes became an organ donor in 2019 after Lifesharing found matching recipients for his heart, liver and kidneys. His floral portrait will be featured on the Donate Life Rose Parade Float, along with the portraits of organ and tissue donors from across the country. Meanwhile, Donate Life California has chosen Lifesharing volunteer (and recent Mt. Miguel High School graduate) Xavier McLeod as their designated rider on the float. McLeod received a kidney transplant as a child — he is living proof of the power of organ donation. Both Lifesharing and Donate Life California are proud sponsors of the 2023 Donate Life Rose Parade Float, “Lifting Each Other Up.” The float celebrates the special bond between donor families and transplant recipients.

Lifesharing Honors Organ and Tissue Donors for Día de los Muertos

Celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday where it’s believed that the spirits of our deceased loved ones return to earth. Every year, Lifesharing builds a beautiful ofrenda (altar) to honor its recent organ and tissue donors. In keeping with tradition, the photo of each donor is displayed on the ofrenda along with food, candles and marigolds. A sugar skull is also placed next to each photo, to represent the individual who has passed. Lifesharing team members spend hours creating traditional sugar skulls for each donor, decorating them in a way that tells the story of the person’s life. During Día de los Muertos, Lifesharing donor families are invited to view the ofrenda at our offices in Mission Valley. This celebration not only pays tribute to our heroes, it helps us educate the public about organ and tissue donation. In the San Diego region, Latino patients comprise the single largest group on the transplant waiting list. For some of these patients, the best organ match may come from a donor who shares the same ethnicity — a diverse donor registry can potentially save more lives.

Jeff Trageser Named Executive Director of Lifesharing

Lifesharing is proud to announce Jeff Trageser as its new leader. Trageser will officially assume the role of executive director on October 16th, 2022, having guided Lifesharing for nearly a year as interim leader. Trageser has maintained Lifesharing’s status as a top-tier organ procurement organization (OPO), and both its organ and tissue teams are projected to see a record number of donors by the end of this year.

“I’m excited to build on the strong foundation of success and innovation here at Lifesharing,” said newly named Executive Director Jeff Trageser. “We have a talented group that has made an amazing difference in the lives of donor families and transplant recipients.”

Trageser joined Lifesharing in 2005. At the time, he was working as an ICU nurse in one of the busiest intensive care units in the city. Impressed by his ability to diffuse tension and handle emergencies, Lifesharing recruited Trageser to work as an organ procurement coordinator (OPC).

Trageser’s work ethic and clinical acumen eventually propelled him into the role of Lifesharing clinical services director, where he oversaw the medical team. And when longtime Lifesharing leader Lisa Stocks retired in 2021, Trageser rose to the challenge as interim director.

Lifesharing is Proud to Sponsor the 2022 Donate Life Transplant Games in San Diego

July 29 – August 3rd at the Convention Center and various locations throughout the city

Billed as “the world’s largest celebration of life,” the Transplant Games bring together thousands of transplant recipients for a week of athletic and recreational competitions. There are 37 teams from across the country taking part, along with three international teams from Brazil, Colombia and Australia. On Saturday July 30th, there will be a parade at 9 a.m. in downtown San Diego to officially kick off the games. The parade route starts near the County Administration Building and ends near the San Diego Convention Center. The public is welcome to watch the parade in person or remotely — it will be streamed live on www.CBS8.com. As a sponsor of the games, Lifesharing will have a booth at the Transplant Games of America’s Village — located at the San Diego Convention Center in Hall AB. Lifesharing is also leading the efforts to create a tribute event during the games to honor organ and tissue donors.

For more information on the games please visit transplantgamesofamerica.org.

Lifesharing’s films and public relations efforts have garnered four prestigious awards this year. On June 18, 2022, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences held its 48th Annual Emmy Awards program in Palm Springs, California. Lifesharing was nominated in two categories: “Video Essay” and “Editor — Short Form Content.” Competing against filmmakers and photographers from Southern California and Las Vegas, Lifesharing Public Relations Director Anne State picked up an Emmy for her editing work, taking home a statuette in the short form content category. And Lifesharing was a triple-winner at the “Finest Awards” hosted by the Health Care Communicators of Southern California. On May 6, 2022, Lifesharing received a “Gold” award and two “Silvers”. Public Relations Director Anne State received Gold for a video news release she created to celebrate the start of Donate Life Month. She also received two silver awards in the categories of Media Relations and Multicultural PR Campaigns — the latter of which she shares the honor with Lifesharing Family Services Manager Wendy Garrison. Garrison’s team created a beautiful tribute to organ and tissue donors during Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

Lifesharing Announces 2022 Nurse of the Year

Jaclyn (“Jackie”) Russe is Lifesharing’s “Nurse of the Year” and UC San Diego Health’s Nurse Consultant award winner. The accolades were announced during Nurses Week, which runs from May 6 – 12, 2022. In her position as a Lifesharing organ procurement coordinator, Jackie travels to hospitals throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties. When a patient’s life cannot be saved, it’s Jackie’s job to try and save their organs. She uses her critical care skills to keep organs viable for transplant, while she searches for the best recipient match on the transplant waiting list. Jackie has saved countless lives by finding new homes for donated organs such as hearts, lungs, kidneys and livers. Jackie builds strong bonds with the families of our organ donor heroes — and she works tirelessly to ensure their loved ones live on through donation. Every year, Jackie honors our donors during Día de los Muertos.

Donate Life Float named “Most Extraordinary” in the Rose Parade

A float honoring organ and tissue donors has won the Extraordinaire Award from the Tournament of Roses. Lifesharing was a proud sponsor of the 2022 Donate Life Rose Parade Float, which was recognized as the parade’s most extraordinary entry. The float featured the floral portraits of 35 organ and tissue donors, including Robert (“Robby”) Barksdale, Jr.    Barksdale was a San Diego sailor who saved five lives when Lifesharing carried out his organ donation in 2018. Several of the sailor’s family members made the journey to Pasadena to cheer the float as it carried his image down Colorado Boulevard. This year’s float was called “Courage to Hope,” and its design was inspired by the majestic winged lion of St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy. The float celebrated the courage of organ donors and their families.

Art was not her only gift to the world

San Diegan Claire Tipler was an expressive visual artist who loved painting, photography and dance. When she passed away at the age of 21, she saved 3 adults and one child through organ donation. (Lifesharing found matching recipients for her heart, liver and kidneys.) Over the summer of 2020, Claire’s mother organized an art project in memory of her daughter and our team was humbled to take part. In this video produced by Lifesharing, Claire’s parents describe her passion for art and adventure and how organ donation helped them find meaning in the wake of their daughter’s death. In a second video for Lifesharing, Claire’s mother describes the organ donation process step-by-step, calling it “a sacred process.”

Heart Recipient Invites Organ Donor’s Family to His Wedding

In the late 1990s, Chris Truxaw collapsed at school. A firefighter approached Christopher’s mother with tears in his eyes, as he explained that her son’s heart had stopped. Chris was eventually placed on the waiting list for a new heart at the tender age of 13. Without a transplant, doctors gave him only six months to live. Chris was getting weaker by the day — he was confined to a wheelchair and his skin was blue from a lack of oxygen.

And then, his family got the call — a matching heart had been found. The 10-year-old organ donor hero did what no doctor could do…. he saved Christopher’s life. A few years later, Chris honored his donor by competing in the 2002 Transplant Games. In a speech, he told the crowd: “He [the heart donor] freed me from my cell… I rose from the dead, able to rejoin humanity.”