Lifesharing clinical director wins unique award for innovation
Lifesharing Director of Organ Clinical Operations Darryl Nethercot received the 2023 NATCO Innovation Award for his lifesaving efforts in the field of organ donation and transplantation. Darryl has spearheaded efforts to increase organ transplants both here in San Diego and nationwide.
At the time the award was announced, Darryl was serving as Lifesharing’s organ clinical supervisor. He has since been promoted to a director-level position, where he oversees Lifesharing’s organ procurement coordinators (OPCs). These OPCs are highly trained nurses who manage each organ donor case and work to identify matching recipients for donated organs.
Darryl and his team help save hundreds of lives each year through the transplantation of vital organs such as hearts, lungs, livers, and kidneys.
NATCO, the group behind the Innovation Award, is an organization dedicated to educating professionals in the field of organ donation and transplantation.
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Lifesharing wins “Silver” And “Bronze” at The Finest Awards
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:
Lifesharing saves a record number of lives in 2022
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.
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.
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“They soldier on like warriors”: Lifesharing’s tissue team featured in TransplantNation Magazine
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.
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, she honors our donors during Día de los Muertos.
Jackie has also made numerous clinical contributions to Lifesharing, which have helped us set back-to-back records for organ donations over the last several years. She spearheaded a project that increased the number of liver transplants by 22%, and she is currently studying ways to increase heart donations, too. Because when you increase the number of organs that are donated — you increase the number of lives that can be saved.
On a personal note, Jackie is a mother of four and a veteran of the U.S. Navy. She served in Afghanistan, tending to wounded warriors on the battlefield. Jackie was motivated to enlist after witnessing the tragic events of September 11, 2001 — and the story of her deployment was recently featured on ABC 10News on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Jackie continues to embody the core values of the Navy: honor, courage, and commitment. We are incredibly proud to call her a Lifesharing nurse.
Honoring our Organ and Tissue Donors for Día de Muertos
10 News Report: Lifesharing Nurse and Navy vet Jaclyn Russe on How 9/11 Changed Her Life
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Lifesharing sees record number of organ donors in 2021
Despite the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lifesharing saw a record 146 organ donors last year. Thanks to these heroes, Lifesharing was able to save 413 lives through organ donation.
To illustrate the magnitude of this, Lifesharing placed 413 roses in its memorial garden — one for each life saved in 2021.
Lifesharing also carried out tissue donations for 405 selfless individuals last year. A single tissue donor can help dozens of people: heart valves can give life, skin can heal burn victims, and corneas can give sight.
The milestones achieved in 2021 were made possible by the generosity of San Diegans, the perseverance of Lifesharing’s team, and the cooperation of numerous hospital and professional partners.
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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 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.
In an extraordinary display of generosity, Lifesharing organ donors saved 19 lives in a period of just two days. From August 5–7, 2021, our organ team managed six donor cases simultaneously — the number they typically see in a two-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.
Lifesharing wins 2 Emmy Awards for film honoring organ donors
Lifesharing was a double winner at the 47th Annual Emmy Awards 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.
