Hello, and welcome to the Gifted Life Podcast, where we have conversations about Oregon, Tissue, and I, Donation. I'm Roy Steele. I'm Joey Boudreau. And I'm Sarah Boudreau.
You can always find us at the GiftedLife.org on today's show. We'll be talking to a friend and colleague in Nevada about his personal transplant story and how that led him to the donation world. We're going to be talking about the difference between selfish and self-aware. You don't want to miss that.
You guys ready to get to it? Yep. Here we go. Here on the Gifted Life Podcast, we like to have great partners.
Our goal is to learn more so we can save more lives. Joey, you know our guest today. Yes, I do. Our guest comes from Nevada.
Simon's Simon Keith and he is the chief operating officer there at the Nevada Donation Network. I've been knowing, Simon's name has been knowing him for quite some time. He's kind of a legend among us. I got to hear his name quite a bit more over the last year or so as one of his former employees, Michael Clay, moved here to Louisiana.
All I kept hearing, of course, we have similar titles. He was like, Joey, but you're still not as cool as Simon as my old boss. I'm cool in my own ways. So Simon, thanks for coming on.
I know that you obviously didn't start at Nevada Dona Network. That wasn't your origin as far as the donation world's concern or transplant. Can you tell us a little bit about the backstory of what brought you to Nevada Dona Network? Yeah, of course.
I'm happy to be here. Thanks guys for having me. If we're going to be measuring cool points based on what Michael Clay says, then we're all in trouble. True.
Noted it. Yeah. Yeah. The sort of the reader's digest backstory is that, you know, born in England, raised in Canada, I was a professional athlete just coming out of high school.
I played professional soccer or football soccer here in the UK, right out of high school. And for some reason, in the middle of my career, when I was 21 years old, I contracted a heart virus that attacked my heart called biolicardomyopathy. It was quick moving. I was sick for relatively short times, sort of 18 months fighting it.
And the short story is I had a heart transplant when I was 21 years old in 1986. So that was the sort of the entree into the world of transplantation and organ donation. And I do nothing about it at the time, frankly. So, and just to expound upon that.
So you're a world class athlete, you know, and all of a sudden you can track this virus that oftentimes it can be something as simple as a cold or a flu or something like that. And all of a sudden you go from being able to, you know, run miles and miles to, you know, not probably being able to walk down your sidewalk. How'd that feel? Yeah.
I think that's an accurate portrayal at the time, as you say, you know, obviously, because I was, I mean, I really was a world class athlete and very fit and very strong. And, and so, and I was earning my living that way. And it just became more and more difficult. And it did get to a point where, you know, by definition, a transplant is certainly life changing.
Heart transplant is clearly life saving. And in order, you know, the way the system works, we may get into the system a little bit later in this conversation, but the way the system works is, you know, it's a supply and demand basic economic chain where there just simply isn't enough, aren't enough working to go around. So as you move up the list, which is kind of a list, but as you move up the list and you become more and more desperately sick, you know, you sort of got to hit the bottom of the bottom of the ground before you, before you get a transplant. So I was no different in 86.
And you know, it was, it was difficult times. And, you know, you lose a lot of weight and you can't eat and you can't drink and, you know, you're on machines and, you know, it's just, it's really ugly. And then this, this miracle happens. I don't want to say we're a miracle, but miracle happens and life resumes.
So it was incredible. And so we're talking about 1986. And that was only a few years after the Cyclosporins after the anti-rejection medicines were approved, FDA approved. So we're really talking about the infancy in, basically in the transplant world, you know, there were transplants before, but you know, a lot of hits and a lot of misses back then.
So when the doctor came to you and told you, I guess, you know, when that you've got someone, or first of all that you need a heart transplant and second that someone passed away in order for you to leave. How can you tell us, take us through that timeframe? Yeah, I can. So at the time, I was actually back in Canada when I first got sick.
I went back to the UK or that. I've actually had my transplant into UK the first one in 86. And as you noted, Joey, that the, you know, Cyclosporin was really, really sort of approved by the FDA, but also globally accepted in sort of 1983. And so that's really when the results of sustainability of heart transplants, particularly the guy on all organ transplants really took off.
And so, you know, when I had actually been turned down in Canada for my transplant and so traveling to the UK, I was able to plug into their system. And frankly, you know, the doctor, they have been doing them for a while, as you noted, with some hits and lots of misses. And, you know, when you're 21 and they tell you that, you know, you need a heart transplant or frankly you're going to die, then you sort of take a big gulp and say, okay, let's make it happen. And I didn't realize this in previous conversations.
Your first hero was also a soccer player. Yeah. Yeah. Fast forward.
So the difference between 1986 and today is that, you know, back in the 80s, it was, it was really prohibited to contact your donor family or try to have those meetings. It was really frowned upon and that was driven into our head. So I didn't actually meet my donor family until 2011, which was 25 years after the transplant. And so lo and behold, when I went to meet him, it was in a small town in Wales and turned out that the young man who passed away was 17 at the time.
I was 21, so he's four years younger than I was. His name was Jonathan. John Edward was his first student named John Edward, only just last name up. But so John Edward was a young 17 year old.
And yeah, on July 7 of 1986, him and a group of his pals, 16 and 17 year olds were down at the local park playing a pick up game of football, soccer and Jonathan suffered a brain aneurysm and passed out on the field. And this game, of course, he was declared brain dead. And they, you know, his father and his mother made a difficult decision to donate his organs. And I obviously became the ultimate beneficiary of clearly a very tragic episode for their family.
And so this young hero gives you a second chance. And you know, of course, again, taking back, taking the audience back to prior to that, you know, you were a world class soccer athlete. So tell us a little bit about that transition. I know obviously it had to be bugging you, you know, when you again, first could have run miles and miles without stopping and then get to the point where you can't even walk anymore.
Can you take us a little bit, you know, to after the fact, once you receive that life saving gift and that journey back to normal? Yeah, sure. Absolutely. So because I mean, I have been very, very sick, of course, prior to the transplant, but as soon as I got it was like a light switch went back on.
And although I was, you know, sort of skinny and weak, the athlete in me just sort of rose up and I became focused again and sort of decided that, you know, I was going to resume my life that I had been living. And it was not clearly a popular decision. I mean, you can imagine your, your love, your family and your friends and your, you know, even your teammates and the media and your coaches. And, you know, there's not a lot of people who would encourage me at that time to pursue playing professional sports again.
Fortunately, for me, the surgeon who did the transplant, his name is Sir Terence English. He's since been knighted for his, you know, his heroism in the transplant world. Sir Terence came to me about two weeks after the transplant and had a very serious conversation with me and he said, listen, you know, the goal of transplantation for you and maybe not for everybody but for you is to resume the life that you led prior to being sick. And so that was sort of the only, the only bar that I measured myself from that day forward.
And despite the sort of the lack of support, I don't want to say I didn't have support, I didn't have support in many other ways, but not a lot of people were enthusiastic about my return to, to athletics and pushing myself and, and you know, a lot of fears and a lot of attorneys and a lot of liability sign releases and, and, you know, but, but I knew it was what I did. I didn't return to professionals to prove a point. I returned to professionals because that's who I was. So I just resumed my life.
I love it. It doesn't sound like you do anything small at all. So you're the COO, the Nevada Donor Network. You started this foundation.
We want to hear about all of that and how you were helping families on their healing journey and daring people to live. I love that. Yeah. So I was the COO of Nevada.
You know, I've recently had, which we'll get into. I'm sure that I recently had a second heart transplant and kidney transplant in 2019. So I took that opportunity to retire from the organization, but very proud of the work we did at Nevada Donor Network. It's a fantastic organization.
We, you know, from where we started in 2010 to where I left in 2019, it's just a totally different organization and they're doing a great job. You mentioned the foundation. Yeah, we started off. So I mentioned that I met my donor family in 2011 and at the same time I had written I was writing a book.
And so I had this sort of, this dilemma that I didn't really want to make money from this. So I didn't know how to write a book, release a book and then have this money from a book. So I decided I'm going to put it into a foundation and that's sort of the, it's how the foundation started. And we founded in 2011, 2019 now and it's probably the best thing I've ever done.
It's very rewarding and we're changing and helping a lot of families around the world. All right. So tell us about your goal, your mission with the foundation and how you're able to help young children. Yeah, of course.
So the Scientific Foundation is, you know, we're dedicated to both educate, transplant families and support them as well as promote organization. One of our major initiatives is that we are, we have and we will continue to do, we support every child in North America who has a desire to go to the transplant games in their country. So whether it be Canada or United States. And we support them, we support them financially, we support them with fun stuff and emotionally and physically and anyway we can.
And it's super cool because what happens in transplants that people are sort of blind to, not consciously but they're blind to you is that, is that when you're sick, you get a lot of support and when you're in the hospital you get a transplant, you get a lot of support. On the post transplant, you get a lot of medical support but you don't really get a lot of life support in terms of, you know, particularly with the kids, we support the kids and I've met a lot of families who are just scared to death. You know, imagine you're your young child getting the short straw and having to have an organ transplant and then getting them back to, to a new normal and getting them active and happy and healthy again. It's a, it's a challenge.
So I see that you're married, have three children. Does your wife think you're as amazing as we do just reading her story or? Not a chance. So I have three little ones as well.
And so they just grow up in the, in the donation world and it's like, well, why wouldn't you be an organ donor? So what's that message? So your young ones, you just have this transplants update us on that as well. Yeah, I wish they were young.
They were a lot fun, fun and imputer when they were young and less expensive. You know, I've got grown kids. I'm 54 now and so my oldest is 32. I've got a 27 year old and a 23 year old.
So they're all doing their thing on their way. My wife is amazing. She's an amazing woman. We've been married 30 plus years.
And she's amazing. She is, you know, you talk about caregivers and support and, you know, when you go through transplants, which can be very difficult. And she is without a doubt, the absolute hero of our story. There's no doubt.
We don't sound like you sit and just rest. It seems like you always, you push yourself. So tell us what you're doing these days. Well, I have been, I haven't been sitting and resting, but I have been enjoying sort of this semi retirement from very active and getting my body back to where I need it.
And so, you know, I sort of in the donation world and the transplant world and helping some OPOs with this, with this new metric and, you know, how, how we need to mobilize with this increased attention to OPOs. So I'm always doing something. So tell us, for our listeners, where we can find more information about your foundation and how people can get involved. Yeah.
So I have two websites. I got a sign in Keith.com and then I have the sign in Keith foundation.com and yeah, just click on there. We got lots of information. We, you know, we're, we're just having that.
We're just doing our little part and having a good time and raising some money and taking care of these kids and, and any, anything that people want to help us with, we're glad to accept. Have you ever met your donor family from your second heart transplant? I have not yet. I have talked to his wife on the phone at a multiple times.
We have a wonderful relationship. And I'm just not sure she's ready yet. Yeah, it's difficult. I can be.
Yeah. So we talked to lots of folks and how would you describe this? Like you lived it, you help others. I just see your story as inspirational hope given a second chance, but from your perspective, from where you sit, when you think about donation, when you, when you do this work, what is that to you?
Well, there's two sides of the coin, right? There's the, there's the recipient side of the donor family side. So on the recipient side, there's this temptation for it to become sort of who you are, so just a piece of view. And so I believe that strongly and, and so that's why I sort of get along with life and, and build businesses and had children and all these things.
And, and I think that's really the ultimate gift you can get back to your donor family is to, is to get back to normal and, and live and, and just grind every day and just, just kill life. So that's, that's the other side of the donor family side. I think it's, I think it's almost universal that although very difficult and highly emotional, and you can't understand until you go through it, I don't think, but it is clearly almost unanimously the single silver lining in horrific situations that donor families once they get a little distance from, from the desk, point to they, they, it's almost, you know, you know, universal course and you guys know this that they say, you know, just thank God that I had the courage to, to either accept that they're, to see that my, my love I made or that I made it for them. Inevitably, they, it's the one piece that they just get great condolences from.
They, it's not, yeah, if that makes sense. No, it does. And, you know, speaking as a donor family member, I just want to thank you for living life to the absolute fullest because it does matter and it means a lot to those donor families out there to hear you speak. Yeah, thank you so much.
And thank you for your courage and that those moments, because I know that, I know that it's tough. And like I said, it's, it's a one piece that I think people care around with them. Well, I'm excited to see what you do next. I hope that you choose to join us here on the gifted life again.
Simon Keith daring people to live. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you.
In every episode of the gifted life, we take a moment for mental health. Yeah, Lori. And I believe we're going to learn a lot from her on this one. Okay.
Selfish versus self-aware. That's to you. No, no, she was looking at you when she said it. Hey, all right.
Kids, let's go to the gym. Okay. So how many of us have asked ourselves or told ourselves that if you ask for something you want, you're being selfish. Yeah.
Okay. Maybe not all of us. Maybe there are some truly selfish people out there. Lori.
But I'm kidding. Click, click. I'm kidding. But really this is something that we talk about all the time, which is if you take care of yourself first, it's not selfish.
So selfishness is really putting your needs before other people's needs. And sometimes that's okay because your needs are great. And but really it's about what's enough for you and what you actually need versus what you want. And when you're self-aware, you can use a different voice and a different choice.
So you know, you can. You can. You can. Yeah.
So you can keep in mind your own needs as well as others. So recognizing that you do have needs and ones is okay. It's not selfish. It's just knowing yourself.
So how do we, you know, distinguish that? So self-aware is kind of the balance. Yes. Selfish is more okay.
I've got a 10 to my own needs and wants. Look over here. Right. Which is right.
And where I self-aware is yes, I recognize that I have these needs and wants and maybe I need a 10 to them and I also need to be aware of how the impact others in society. Right. So who's needs are more? Who's the priority and sometimes that is you.
That's situations, right. And that's okay. You need to confront what your own selfish label is. So if you can look at yourself and say what actually is selfish versus self-aware, that's the first step.
A really good trick to say is if someone was asking for something that you're asking for, would you consider that selfish? Yeah. So say if your friend was like, I just need to do one hour of laundry today. Would you look at them and say, that's kind of selfish.
No. No. So why do you need to get done? Yes.
So why do you, why do we do it to ourselves? So confront that label for ourselves first and then just start exploring it and you know, use that to increase your likelihood of vulnerability. So you need to tell people what you need and what you want. It can be hard, but if you do that and if you're open and honest and clear with your communication, you can get results and you can be tended to.
You know, guys, I know this isn't a great source, but Facebook, let's go throw it out there. Yeah. There's the memes going around. So a sort of ladies in the workplace, all to round upon.
Right. Right. Yes. Right.
That's right. But it's true, you know, for women too, like we're kind of raised to be a little bit more giving or care givers, right? A lot of women identify with that. So it might be a little bit more difficult for moms out there to recognize that saying what you need is okay, because your needs are just as important as the needs of your family.
Loud and proud. I'm drowning. Yes. That's good.
Take out that trash and more people should be like that. You really should say that to your family and communicate that at work at home. Whatever you need is just as important and you are just as important. How many conversations do we just for because of that?
I hope we get home. Watch out. Yeah. Maybe you have a topic you want Sarah to cover.
We'd like to hear from you info at the GiftedLife.org. In every episode of the GiftedLife, we honor a hero. Today's hero is Michael Sigler. And his story comes to us from our friends at Nevada Donor Network.
Michael Mikey Sigler was born October 17, 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada to Courtney Kaplan and Charles Sigler. Mikey made the decision to register as an organ donor when he went to the DMV for his motorcycle endorsement. He took the application from his mother's hands and proudly checked the box to register without hesitation. It made sense.
That's just the kind hearted person he was. Only a few months after that visit to the DMV, an unthinkable motorcycle accident changed the Kaplan Sigler family's lives forever. On May 17, 2019, just a few months after Mikey registered, the family humbly honored his wishes to donate. It was the very first honor walk at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada to say their farewells to young Mikey a few short days before what should have been his high school graduation.
Mikey was able to donate five life-saving organs as well as many healing tissues. Mikey's mother, Courtney, shares, we appreciate all the love beyond measure. I embrace donation with all my heart and know my son's legacy lives on. For us, this is a chapter closed and another one opening.
I hope one day I can meet the people who are alive today because of Mikey. Remember to hug the ones you love more often. Tell them you love them. Life is precious and I'm so proud of my boy.
I still feel him with me every day. He keeps me motivated to tell his story and encourage others to be a hero like Mikey. To read more inspiring stories, please visit nvdonor.org. And now we pause and say thank you to Mikey for the gift of life.
And our question and answer segment today. I am a registered organ donor on my driver's license. We like that. Is there anything I can do that can be legally recognized to support my wish to donate at the time of my death?
Something that the living decision maker cannot supersede and go against my wishes due to grief, etc. Great question. And we appreciate you guys reaching out to the gift of life podcast. Joe, you want to feel this one?
Yeah, so it is a great question. And the answer is your registry is a legal authorization for donation in every state. So of course it is in this state, but it is in every state at this point. Now the important thing that the challenge that we still have to overcome is the med social, the medical social history to be able to match up the best potential recipient for you at that point.
While that is very important piece of the donation process, if you believe that your family is going to be next if you can, it's going to be too emotional to be able to answer these questions, then I think it's important for you to then appoint a medical power of attorney that still knows all these answers or maybe you can fill them in on some of this so that they can have the question or they can have the gist of your medical history to be able to answer these questions to follow through with your decisions as you previously laid out. Yeah, and you know, I work with a lot of families and their first question is what kind of questions are going to be on the medical social? And just if you've ever donated blood, it's very similar to that. And it's definitely a great question.
If you have questions for us, we just want to remind you about our email, which is info at thegiftedlife.org. Another episode of the gifted life in the books. Yes, special thanks to Simon Key for coming on and sharing such a great story and then of course paying it forward through his foundation and also for being an inspiration to all of us in the OPL community. Yes, thanks to him and thank you for listening guys.
If you haven't signed up to be an organ tissue eye donor, we inspired you today, register me dot org, register me dot org. It's a one stop shop no matter where you are. The best place to find us here at the gifted life is on our website, thegiftedlife.org. You can listen to all our episodes on our website or wherever you listen to your podcast.
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Until next time.