MEDIA RELEASES
Stories of Life and Hope Shared on National Donor Sabbath
(November 11-13, 2005)
(Sacramento) Double lung transplant recipient, 28-year-old Carrie Shellhammer, of Woodland, had resigned herself to dying at the age of 26 from Pulmonary Hypertension (a lung disease) – but a gift of life from an organ donor means she is now skiing, hiking and running. As part of National DonorSabbath, November 11 – 13, Carrie will share her story of hope with the Ascension Lutheran Church, 7607 Garden Gate Drive in Citrus Heights, on Sunday, November 13th (services at 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.). The three-day national awareness event targets all racial and religious groups and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Coming so close to death at such a young age, I now know that here is something good in every situation, no matter how bad it may appear,” says Shellhammer. “I know that just when we think we can’t possibly go on, we can find the strength to do it anyway. I know that angels come in many forms. Mostly I know how wonderful it is to be alive. I’m going to make the most of every moment I have to life in this life, for myself, for everyone who stood by me, and especially for my donor.”
Shellhammer will be one of several transplant recipients and donor families promoting the concept of "sharing life" throughout the Sacramento area in churches, synagogues and temples this weekend. Coordinated through Golden State Donor Services (GSDS)*, nearly 90 places of worship in and around Sacramento will participate in National Donor Sabbath, November 11 – 13.
Heart transplant recipient Tom Inks of Sacramento, also knows firsthand about the miracle of organ donation. His heart was only operating at ten percent capacity when he received a life-saving organ donation on September 25, 2003. Inks will speak at St. Anthony’s Parish at 660 Florin Road, on Sunday, November 13, (8:45 a.m., 10:15 a.m., and 11:45 a.m.).
“The support and prayers that I received during and after transplant were a life-altering experience,” says Tom. “I have no doubt that I would not be here, had it not been for the gift of life given to me by a complete stranger… along with the love prayers and concern of wonderful people.”
It’s hoped stories of people like Inks and Shellhammer – shared at places of worship on National
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National Donor Sabbath – November 11-13, 2005 – GSDS 916.567.1600/916.417.1794
Donor Sabbath, will help save the lives of the nearly 19,000 people now waiting for a life-saving transplant in the state of California. Tragically, one third of those people will die waiting.
One of the obstacles to donation is a false belief by many people that their religion does not support it.
"In fact, all organized religions support donation or see it as a matter of personal choice. No major religion opposes donation," says GSDS Executive Director Helen Nelson.
Nelson points out Californians have a brand new opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those who are waiting for valuable organs, tissues and corneas. An official online state donor registry was launched in April 2005 allowing anyone aged 13 or older to sign up so that there can be no possible doubt about their wishes. Signing up takes just minutes at: www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org - and could mean years of life for someone waiting.
Until now, drivers put the familiar pink dot on their licenses, thinking that was enough. But, all too often, no one else in their family knew about it. In the numbness of sudden death from accidents or violence, billfolds and wallets are often overlooked.
Governor Schwarzenegger recently signed into law another bill which will allow drivers to sign on to the new registry at the DMV as they apply for or renew a driver's license or ID card. That law, which will allow accessibility to all Californians, not just those who have Internet capability, goes into effect on July 1, 2006.
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*GSDS is a private, nonprofit agency facilitating organ donation and transplantation in Sacramento and 10 surrounding counties, as well as Santa Rosa.
outh Lake Tahoe, CA) Chris Klug, who won the bronze medal in the Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom at the 2002 Olympics in Park City, Utah plans to share more than snowboarding tips with those who sign up for his Transplant Snowboard Clinic at Heavenly on Friday, April 11, from 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Klug will share his inspiring story with other Northern California transplant recipients, of how just one gift of life can truly make dreams come true.
“It’s a miracle,” Klug says of his transplant. “Just a year and a half before the 2002 Olympics, I’m lying on my back thinking I’m not going to live – and now here I am with a bronze medal and still competing. I can’t believe it.”
Ten-year-old Samantha Blair, a liver transplant recipient from Sacramento also can’t believe that she will be meeting the world class athlete who shares a very special bond with her. At just seven months old, Samantha who was near death from a liver ailment she was born with, received a life-saving transplant. Her mom, Devona says Samantha shares a winning determination with snowboard medalist Chris Klug.
“Samantha has the desire to live every moment of every day to it’s fullest. She plays hard. She lives hard. She’s enthusiastic about everything. Because she fought for survival, she’s more intense and takes everything to a deeper level.”
Fifteen-year-old Jessica Drossulis of Reno, will also be at the Klug Transplant Snowboard Clinic, but still waits for her second chance at life, along with 80,000 other Americans on the national transplant list. Jessica, who suffers from auto-immune hepatitis now requires 12 to 15 hours of sleep a day, and is always nauseous. Still, she’s determined to participate in the clinic and meet Chris Klug.
“Jessica has been on the waiting list two and a half years,” according to her mother, Susan. “She’s missing out on her childhood – but still she’s a gutsy kid. She continues to dance - something she’s had a passion for since she was three years old. She looks up to Chris, because he also was really sick, and then 18 months later he got enough energy back to win an Olympic medal. Chris is an inspiration to her and all the other kids out there waiting.”
Other transplant recipients who will join in the snowboard clinic include thirteen-year-old Lacey Wood of Fairplay near Placerville, who received a heart transplant when she was just a one-year-old. She calls herself “Lucky Lacey” because she knows one third of those now on the waiting list will die waiting – yet she received the gift of life in time.
The evening of the snowboard clinic, more than 200 fans, many of them transplant recipients and donor families, will join Klug at a reception, silent auction, and dinner from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Harrah’s in South Lake Tahoe. Among the guests will be Emily and Chelsey Cornwall of Reno, identical twins who both received heart transplants within the last two years. Both were triathletes before a genetic heart disease destroyed their hearts.
“Klug is an Olympic medalist on all fronts,” says event organizer Sandi Smith of Sierra Eye and Tissue Donor Services. “He epitomizes what we in the transplant field know – one gift of life opens up a lifetime of possibilities and dreams. It truly is about giving life.”
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