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Lifesharing is one of 58 regional non-profits dedicated to the life-saving and life-enhancing benefits of organ and tissue donation. Lifesharing provides organ recovery, donor family support, and educational services for the diverse population of approximately 3 million people in San Diego and Imperial Counties. Organ and tissue procurement services supply 28 donor hospitals and four local transplant centers with transplantable organs for the ever-growing waiting list of nearly 2,200 San Diego patients and more than 123,000 patients nationwide.

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inezbutterflyhq Saving Lives Through Organ and Tissue Donation Saving Lives Through Organ and Tissue Donation

Lifesharing Honors its Organ and Tissue Donors for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) 2021

Every year, Lifesharing creates a beautiful ofrenda (altar) to honor its recent heroes. Celebrated on November 1 and 2, Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday where it’s believed that the spirits of our deceased loved ones return to earth.

Lifesharing team members spend hours creating traditional sugar skulls for each donor — personalizing them in unique and beautiful ways. In this photo, Lifesharing organ procurement coordinator Jaclyn Russe, RN, creates a sugar skull in honor of organ donor Sara Michelle Herrera.

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Lifesharing Lead Family Services Specialist Melissa Culver displays 19 hero medals – one for each life that was saved in a recent 48-hour period.

Lifesharing Saves 19 Lives in 48 Hours

In an extraordinary display of generosity, Lifesharing organ donors saved 19 lives in a period of just two days. This is a remarkable milestone for the San Diego region, because organ donation is a rare occurrence. Statistically, less than 1% of the population will die in a way that will let them become organ donors. Recently, our team managed six donor cases simultaneously — the number we typically see in a 2-week period. There was no medical reason for the high number of cases; we were able to save lives simply because six families said “yes” to organ donation. During this 48-hour period, Lifesharing nurses found matching recipients for 19 organs, including hearts, kidneys, lungs and livers. Our surgical coordinators then worked tirelessly to ensure each organ stayed healthy on the journey to the recipient.

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August is National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month

All communities are impacted by the organ shortage… and all communities are part of the solution. Throughout the month of August, there will be a nationwide effort to encourage people to register as organ and tissue donors. While it’s true that transplants can be successful regardless of the race of the donor and recipient, the chance of longer-term survival may be improved if both share a similar genetic background. Currently, there are more than 2,000 people on the transplant waiting list in San Diego, and almost 75% of them are from multi-cultural communities. During the month of August, we will be sharing the stories of our heroes on social media, in the hopes of inspiring more people to register as organ and tissue donors.

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Lifesharing Wins 2 Emmy Awards for Film Honoring Organ Donors

Lifesharing was a double winner at the 47th Annual Emmy Awards Program on June 3, 2021. The Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences recognized Lifesharing for outstanding achievement in two categories: Video Essay and Branded Content. The film, “Remembering Our Organ and Tissue Donors for Día de los Muertos,” tells the story of the beautiful ofrenda (altar) that Lifesharing employees created in 2020 to honor recent donors. The stories of several heroes were also featured in the film. Lifesharing’s Public Relations Director Anne State received two statuettes for her photography and video editing on the film. Executive Director Lisa Stocks was also awarded a statuette for her role as producer. In their award acceptance speeches, both paid tribute to the profound generosity of Lifesharing’s heroes and donor families.

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Lifesharing Helps Vaccinate Thousands at Petco Park

Lifesharing Vaccination Site

Lifesharing is proud to have been part of an amazing effort to keep the San Diego community safe from COVID-19. Our staffers routinely volunteered at the Vaccination Super Station from the day it opened until the day it closed. Lifesharing Executive Director Lisa Stocks served as Site Manager on several different occasions and our organ procurement nurses helped administer shots. Our tissue team and administrative staff helped run supplies, give directions and assist with other important tasks. As Lifesharing’s Clinical Supervisor Charles Wainaina explained, “The community at large has participated in organ donation. Basically, they have helped us save lives. So for us, this was a way of giving back to the community that has given us so much.” Our special thanks to UC San Diego Health, the Padres and the County of San Diego for spearheading this extraordinary health initiative.

San Diego Organ Donors Honored for Donate Life Month

Observed every year since 2003, Donate Life Month is meant to encourage the public to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors. The monthlong celebration ends with “Donor Remembrance Day” — a tribute to those who have given the gift of life.

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April is Donate Life Month

Lifesharing Saves a Record Number of Lives During the Pandemic

Lifesharing team members created a memorial wreath to honor recent organ and tissue donors

Lifesharing saved a record 424 lives in 2020, successfully overcoming extraordinary challenges presented by COVID-19. Determined to carry out their mission, our team achieved two incredible milestones: a record 143 organ donors and a record 424 organs transplanted in a single year. These efforts were made possible by the amazing generosity of our donor families and the phenomenal support of our hospital partners. In addition to saving lives, Lifesharing also facilitated the donation of 66 organs for research and coordinated tissue donation for 455 individuals last year. To ensure the safety of the transplantation process, all organ and tissue donors are being tested for COVID-19. In announcing the record year, Lifesharing Executive Director Lisa Stocks told her staff, “This is unprecedented. The only way I can explain it is that the team persevered… I have so much gratitude in my heart for our staff, hospitals and families.”

Be Part of Lifesharing’s Memorial Rock Garden

Memorial Rock Garden


Dedicated in early 2021, Lifesharing’s Memorial Rock Garden is a peaceful spot under the trees where donor families can place stones in memory of their loved ones. The small garden is located in front of our offices in Mission Valley for all to enjoy.

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Lifesharing Organ Donor Honored in 2021 Rose Parade Celebration

One of Lifesharing’s heroes was recognized on New Year’s Day in a stunning tribute unveiled in Pasadena. Leia Parker, 2, was one of 21 organ donors memorialized on the 2021 Donate Life floral sculpture titled, “Community of Life.” The artwork was displayed on the lawn of the Tournament House and was the only floral installation in Pasadena this year, due to the cancelation of the Rose Parade. Leia’s floragraph, a portrait carefully crafted with seeds and coffee, was showcased in a vibrant honeycomb surrounded by fresh flowers and giant colorful bees. (The design symbolized the strength of community and the importance of working together, much like honeybees do.) This beautiful exhibit was a fitting tribute to Leia, a happy and bright little girl who loved mermaids and unicorns. Named after Princess Leia from Star Wars, young Leia was indeed a “rebel” — her parents nicknamed her General Leia because she “ruled” the Parker family home with joyous laughter. On Star Wars Day 2019, a swimming accident sent Leia to the hospital and, despite all efforts, her life could not be saved. Her parents donated her organs and she saved three lives when Lifesharing found matching recipients for her heart, liver and kidneys. Leia’s corneas were also donated, giving sight to two women. Through the gift of life, Leia gave each recipient a new hope…

The 2021 Donate Life Floral Sculpture Unveiled

Tribute to Lifesharing’s 2021 Rose Parade Honoree Leia Parker

News Coverage: 10News on 1/1/21

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Lifesharing’s First Ever “Digital Day of Remembrance”

Lifesharing traditionally holds an annual memorial ceremony to honor its recent organ and tissue donors. This year however, COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the event due to the ban on mass gatherings. Still determined to honor our heroes, we instead created a film to honor our donors. It was officially released on October 23, 2020.

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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.”

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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.”

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