Organ procurement coordinator Casey O’Brien has been named Lifesharing’s ‘Nurse of the Year’ for 2023. Casey joined our team in 2019 and travels to hospitals throughout San Diego County to coordinate the organ donation process. She works to find matching recipients for donated organs such as hearts, lungs, livers and kidneys. Casey is meticulous in her attention to detail and her critical care skills helped us save a record number of lives in 2022. Because of her advanced knowledge, she frequently serves as the administrator on call for Lifesharing’s organ donor cases. In that role, she oversees all aspects of the clinical process and provides support for our teams on the frontlines. Casey has spearheaded efforts to increase organ transplants and was invited to speak at the annual meeting of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) in June. Casey’s compassion, engagement and positive attitude helps her connect with donor families, hospital workers and fellow colleagues. She is a leader and a true team player who always gives 100%. That’s why she’s Lifesharing’s 2023 Nurse of the Year.

Lifesharing took home two statuettes for its efforts to encourage organ and tissue donation in San Diego. The Finest Awards were organized by the Health Care Communicators of Southern California to recognize excellence in healthcare marketing and advertising. Lifesharing’s Director of Donor Development & Strategic Partnerships Samantha Blaz (second from left) and Public Relations Director Anne State (second from right) received the Silver award for their “Welcome to Our Hometown” campaign during the Transplant Games in San Diego. Anne also received a Bronze award in the Multicultural category for her videos and media efforts during Lifesharing’s Día de los Muertos celebration honoring organ and tissue donors. The Finest Awards were held May 12, 2023, at the Carlsbad Windmill. The videos below are part of our award-winning entries:

April is National Donate Life Month, a celebration designed to raise awareness of organ, eye and tissue donation. The logo was designed by Donate Life America and features a pond coming to life in spring. The artwork is symbolic: frogs are a sign of renewal, since they begin their lives as tadpoles. This April, we invite you to be part of our community by registering as organ, eye and tissue donors. There are more than 100,000 patients on the transplant waiting list in the U.S. – and approximately 2,000 of those patients live in San Diego and Imperial counties. If you have a California driver license, you can register as a donor using the tab here:

Register as a Donor

In another milestone year, Lifesharing saved a record 437 lives in 2022. As the organ procurement organization (OPO) serving San Diego and Imperial counties, Lifesharing coordinates organ and tissue donation at the end of a person’s life. Last year, we helped transplant 211 kidneys, 93 livers, 65 lungs, 57 hearts and 11 pancreases (also known as pancreata). The total number – 437 – is a new annual record for Lifesharing. “These numbers represent lives saved,” said Executive Director Jeff Trageser. He said the milestone was made possible by the hard work of our medical team and the generosity of people in the San Diego region. “It’s all centered on the families who chose to donate. They’re the ones who did this,” said Trageser. Lifesharing coordinated donations from 140 organ donors and 430 tissue donors in 2022. Organ donors are a beacon of hope for patients on the transplant waiting list, while tissue donors improve a person’s quality of life. (Lifesharing recovers tissues such as heart valves for cardiac patients, skin for burn victims and tendons to rebuild joints.) The contributions of San Diego organ donors helped propel the nation’s transplantation system to new heights. According to OPTN (Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network), the U.S. recorded 42,887 organ transplants in 2022 – the most ever in a single year.

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.

Every year, Lifesharing’s Family Services team organizes a special tribute to organ and tissue donors for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Our team builds an ofrenda (altar) and displays the photos of recent donors who have given the gift of life. Preparations for this event start weeks in advance, with team members creating traditional sugar skulls (from scratch) and ordering fresh marigolds in keeping with the traditions of the holiday. Each sugar skull is then decorated by a Lifesharing team member with the goal of creating a beautiful work of art that tells the story of the donor’s life.

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.

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.

The heroic work of Lifesharing’s Tissue Department was highlighted in a two-page spread in the May 2022 issue of TransplantNATION Magazine. These dedicated individuals work night and day to coordinate the donation of human tissue for transplantation. Corneas restore sight, skin can heal burn victims and tendons can rebuild joints, just to cite a few examples. Each gift holds the promise of hope for recipients who are in pain or suffering from traumatic injuries. But tissue must be recovered within 24 hours of a patient’s death, so each case is a race against the clock. And recovering human corneas and tissues is a delicate art, often compared to a surgical procedure — Lifesharing’s recovery technicians spend three to six hours on each case. The impact of tissue donation is monumental: a single tissue donor can help as many as 75 people.

Lifesharing’s Tissue Team Featured in TransplantNATION Magazine

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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).

The videos below were part of our award-winning entries: