News11.2024

Honoring our heroes for Día de los Muertos 2024

Every November, Lifesharing’s Family Services team organizes a special tribute to organ and tissue donors for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Lifesharing employees build an ofrenda (altar) and display 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 hundreds of fresh marigold flowers to adorn the ofrenda. Each sugar skull is 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.

On November 1, 2024, the families of these donors were invited to Lifesharing to see the beautiful ofrenda made in honor of their loved ones. Lifesharing Director of Family Services Wendy Garrison and Organ Family Services Supervisor Melissa Culver lead the team that spearheads this special event.

Watch these videos:

Creating the Sugar Skulls

Celebrating Día de los Muertos

News10.2024

Young Lifesharing organ donor receives posthumous congressional recognition for saving lives

In late October 2024, the office of Congressman Mike Levin issued a Certificate of Special Recognition for Lifesharing organ donor Gavin Raceles. U.S. Representative Mike Levin serves California’s 49th congressional district, which includes Gavin’s hometown of Oceanside.

The certificate was presented to Gavin’s parents, Tawni and Chris Raceles, on the fifth anniversary of their son’s passing. Young Gavin saved three lives as an organ donor when Lifesharing found matching recipients for his heart, liver, and kidneys.

District Representative Salome Tash also presented Gavin’s parents with a certificate of their own, honoring their “extraordinary strength and compassion in raising an exceptional and inspirational child.” Indeed, Gavin continues to inspire people long after his passing.

His floral portrait was featured on the 2024 Donate Life Rose Parade Float when it glided down Colorado Boulevard on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California.

Later that same year, a short film about Gavin’s life was recognized by the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The film, which was created by Lifesharing Public Relations Director Anne State, was nominated for a regional Emmy award in the Video Essayist category.

Video of the commendation

Lifesharing film – “The World’s Biggest Superhero”

News10.2024

“Lifesharing University” gives San Diego healthcare workers insight into organ and tissue donation

On October 23, 2024, Lifesharing’s Hospital Services team held a one-day immersive event designed to give San Diego healthcare workers an in-depth look at the process of organ and tissue donation. The conference featured a dynamic lineup of speakers from virtually every department within Lifesharing, including organ procurement, surgical services, family services, tissue operations, and hospital development.

“Lifesharing University” was created to educate frontline hospital workers about our lifesaving mission and their important role in it. Because organ donation must take place in a clinical setting, Lifesharing works closely with local hospitals to coordinate donation at the end of life.

This was the second annual “Lifesharing University” event. The inaugural conference in 2023 was honored with a bronze award from the Health Care Communicators of Southern California for excellence in the category of Community Relations.

The 2024 event was organized by Lead Hospital Services Manager Patrick Balakian, with assistance from Hospital Analyst Jean Moneda. Lifesharing Director of Donor Development and Strategic Partnerships Samantha Blaz oversees the Hospital Services team and outreach efforts such as “Lifesharing University.”

News10.2024

Lifesharing volunteer LeeAnn Pusateri celebrates 10th anniversary of double-lung transplant

Lifesharing volunteer LeeAnn Pusateri marked the 10th anniversary of her double-lung transplant in October 2024. A decade ago, LeeAnn was on death’s doorstep, suffering from pulmonary fibrosis. The autoimmune disease ravaged her body and essentially turned her into a walking skeleton—she withered away to a mere 85 pounds. Breathing felt like sucking air through a straw, and she had to carry an oxygen tank with her everywhere. Her children lived in constant fear, thinking their mother could die at any moment.

Then came “the call” from her transplant center: a pair of matching lungs from a deceased organ donor had been found. LeeAnn rushed to the hospital for surgery, writing goodbye letters to her children just in case she didn’t survive the operation. Thankfully, she not only survived—she thrived.

For more than a decade, LeeAnn has served as a dedicated volunteer for Lifesharing, using her second chance at life to educate and inspire others. With her new lungs, she has spoken in more than 500 classrooms and reached over 31,000 local students with the message of organ donation. Lifesharing’s high school outreach efforts are led by Christy Heymann.

FOX5 San Diego story

Stories09.2024

Lifesharing hosts conference aimed at increasing diversity in transplantation

Lifesharing is the proud host sponsor of the 2024 Annual Conference of the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT), taking place September 10–13 in San Diego. The theme of this year’s event is “Empower, Engage, Elevate: Fostering an Inclusive Donation and Transplant Community.”

Currently, nearly 104,000 people are on the transplant waiting list in the United States. According to federal data, 62% of those patients come from multi-ethnic communities. AMAT provides cultural competency training and education to help better serve these diverse populations and improve access to organ and tissue donation.

Several Lifesharing leaders and volunteers will share their stories and expertise at the conference as featured speakers and panelists, contributing to the important dialogue around equity and inclusion in transplantation.

News05.2024

Lifesharing garners top honors for public awareness campaigns promoting organ and tissue donation

In an unprecedented showing, Lifesharing took home three gold statues, one bronze, and a “Best in Show” distinction at the Finest Awards on May 17, 2024. The event, organized by the Health Care Communicators of Southern California, was held at the historic El Adobe de Capistrano restaurant in Orange County.

Lifesharing was recognized in the categories of internal/external video programs, video news releases, community relations, and op-ed/editorials. The organization’s submission in the op-ed category was a joint entry with UC San Diego Health, which earned a gold award and the coveted “Best in Show” honor.

At the awards ceremony, Lifesharing Public Relations Director Anne State accepted several awards for her films and media efforts. Lifesharing Hospital Services Manager Matthew Kidder accepted an award on behalf of the entire hospital services team, which was honored for its inaugural “Lifesharing University” event—a groundbreaking program designed to educate San Diego healthcare workers about organ and tissue donation.

Lifesharing’s five awards reflect its ongoing commitment to community outreach under the leadership of Executive Director Jeffrey Trageser and Director of Donor Development and Strategic Partnerships Samantha Blaz.

Stories05.2024

Lifesharing film nominated for regional Emmy

Lifesharing was among the Emmy nominees announced May 3, 2024, by the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Our short film, “The World’s Biggest Superhero,” was nominated for outstanding achievement by a video essayist — one of only two films nominated in this category.

“The World’s Biggest Superhero” is a loving tribute to Lifesharing organ donor Gavin Raceles, 7, of Oceanside, California. Gavin told his parents he wanted to be the world’s biggest superhero because he wanted to help people. Tragically, Gavin suffered fatal complications from intestinal malrotation just a few weeks after saying those words.

Through organ donation, Gavin fulfilled his promise of becoming a superhero — he saved three lives when Lifesharing found matching recipients for his heart, liver, and kidneys.

Gavin’s parents, Tawni and Chris Raceles, praised their son’s heroic final act in poignant interviews with Lifesharing Public Relations Director Anne State. State served as both the photographer and editor for this Emmy-nominated film.

(The “Video Essayist” category recognizes excellence by a single filmmaker telling a story without a reporter, narrator, or host.)

Stories01.2024

Float honoring Lifesharing organ donor wins judges award in Rose Parade

The 2024 OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade Float, “Woven Together: The Dance of Life,” won the Judges Award for most outstanding float design and dramatic impact. The float featured the floral portraits of deceased organ donors from across the nation—including a young Lifesharing organ donor named Gavin Raceles.

Gavin was only seven years old when he suffered a medical episode that resulted in brain death. Knowing their son’s life could not be saved, Gavin’s parents made the courageous decision to donate his organs through Lifesharing. In 2019, Gavin saved three lives when Lifesharing found matching recipients for his heart, liver, and kidneys.

A couple of days before the 2024 Rose Parade, Gavin’s floral portrait was placed on the float during a heartfelt ceremony in Irwindale, California. Volunteer Dan Sandoval paused to pay tribute to Gavin, thanking him for giving the precious gift of life.

Lifesharing arranged for Gavin’s parents, Tawni and Chris Raceles, to attend the Rose Parade in person and witness their son’s portrait glide down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. “To see him up there with all these other heroes, we just feel so honored,” said Tawni.

Stories11.2023

Honoring our heroes for Día de los Muertos 2023

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 meaningful event begin weeks in advance. Team members create traditional sugar skulls from scratch and order fresh marigolds to honor the customs of the holiday.

Each sugar skull is lovingly decorated by a Lifesharing team member, with the goal of creating a beautiful work of art that reflects the spirit and story of the donor’s life.

Watch film

News08.2023

Lifesharing organ donors save 50 lives in August

In August of 2023, Lifesharing organ donors saved 50 lives through the transplantation of vital organs such as hearts, lungs, livers, and kidneys. Each recipient woke up in the hospital with a new organ — and a new life.

Some of the recipients received more than one organ. In total, Lifesharing helped transplant 61 organs during the monthlong effort. (Lifesharing came very close to its all-time record of 62 organs transplanted in a single month, which was set just a few months earlier in May.)

This latest milestone was a testament to the generosity of the San Diego community, the hard work of Lifesharing’s organ team, and the cooperation of numerous hospital and professional partners.

Each organ donation case is a highly coordinated effort involving Lifesharing nurses, surgical coordinators, and family specialists. Each case typically lasts a few days, and it’s not unusual for our team to manage several cases simultaneously.

As of August 31, Lifesharing had facilitated the transplantation of 28 kidneys, 15 lungs, 11 livers, 6 hearts, and 1 pancreas in the month of August.