Hello, and welcome to the Gifted Life Podcast, where we have conversations about organ, tissue, and eye donation. I'm Lori Steele. I'm Joey Boudreau. I'm Sally Chintry.
And we are smiling, let me say yes. All smiles. This is a special episode of the Gifted Life, because guys, we got to spend days with Team Louisiana and watching folks from across the country at Transplant Games 2016. What?
Oh, we're all in. Yes. We were able to speak to some donor families, organ, tissue, and eye recipients, some of them being veterans of the games, some were here for the first time. And having attended the Transplant Games in the past, we were so excited to be able to share this with you.
Yeah, so we are going to tell you these stories just inspirational, and we know that it's going to put a smile on your face, too. Here's the thing that we need to favor. We want everyone to hear these stories. So we need you to spread the word.
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You can listen to us on iTunes, Google Play, or whatever your favorite podcast app might be. Yeah, and if you haven't liked us on Facebook, Sally, I know you have. Yup. Donate Life, Louisiana.
That's where you get to see the pictures of what we're talking about. You see some of the players of the Transplant Games, those emotional stories. It's just incredible. So follow us there.
We're at Donate Life LA. Or you can always call us. Yes, girl. Please do.
504-648-3477. We'd love to hear you want this to be interactive. We may even play your audio as part of this podcast. We want you to get involved.
We want you to help us make life happen. Let's do it today. You guys ready to get started? Yup.
Let's do it. Laurie Steele here at the Transplant Games 2016 just watched ballroom dancing, and I was blown away. We wanted to talk to other dancers of Team Louisiana, Miss Wendy Lipsi. Proud recipient.
How are you? I'm doing wonderful. I'm so proud and excited to be alive and well today. My goodness.
So Wendy here with some Luke. This is my son Luke, and I'm so grateful that he could come with me and be a part of this fabulous event. It was great. You had so much energy.
I'm a fan going wild in there. We had fun. How did it feel, Wendy? It felt amazing.
It's just proof that there's life after Transplant. You can do anything you want if you want it bad enough. Just go for it. Live life to the fullest.
Now Luke was sitting in the crowd. He had a huge tin. He was holding up because mom was awesome. So tell us your feelings, your thoughts, watching mom do her thing.
Mom did amazing. She showed me and anyone else in the room that if you just put your mind to something and just focus, you can do anything in the world. She really showed that. And I got a big hug after the dance.
It was incredible. What you may not know is that this woman is about a year out from Transplant. So kidney and liver transplant. Candy and liver transplant.
March 2nd 2015. Right. So you were about 72 hours away from death. Yes.
I was in the ICU. I was in a coma. The doctors came in and said if I didn't have a liver and a kidney in 72 hours, I would not be alive today. And I proved them wrong.
I got a liver and a kidney and I'm alive and well today and I've never been feeling better in my life. And then Wendy and Luke's mission to pay it forward to save more lives through Transplant. So you guys speak. We speak.
People don't have grateful. We are for organ donors for people putting their heart on their driver's license and saying yes to be organ donors, I'm alive today because someone said yes. And I am grateful to be alive. And I never take a single breath for granted.
I know that you got a license and what's on that license. I got heart. And I was not going to get a license. If it didn't have a heart.
We like that Luke. We like that that heart. So dancing you took on this challenge because dancing is that in your past? So dancing when I was little and I danced in a little competition in April.
Dancing for Big Buddy and Baton Rouge and brought home the trophy for fan favorite for that, and I got my jointed and I just did the best I could. I just loved it. And my dance part of Keaton, Keaton Shields from New Orleans. recipient absolutely my dearest my dearest and closest and I couldn't be luckier and more proud than to have danced with Kenan and we're gonna talk to him but you guys kind of match spirit and style we do we are connected we are bonded we are family for life whether he wants it or not I love that so you challenged yourself to prove to you into the world that there is life there is life and you can do anything you want just live life to the fullest and have fun and everything you do always have spirit and love enjoy for anything you do we love it thank you guys for continuing to talk about donation to K at Ford Luke at the end of the day what would you give mom I give mom perfect score she did she did so good and just because I'm a son I would say she got a perfect score but she really did get a perfect score she did so well and she and Ken did a great job and they really showed you can do anything if you just put a little effort and put your mind to something better myself we're East deal here at Transplant Games 2016 are excited yeah but the Shields family and we are here supporting this guy right y'all this is the Shield is a patriarch and he has a good heart what happened 15 months ago I received the second chance in life I received a brand new one at this point only I know the heart of a 20-year-old and today I feel 19 and so you're here to honor that person I'm here to honor that person and to honor all people who consider being donors given that gift of life I don't know if you saw the vigor and the energy in my partner Wendy oh and you too let's not come on but Wendy is just full of energy and it's amazing to see what Transplant Foundation can bring on just look at a person like I am amazed by by both of you okay guys so we just watch them compete they were incredible right yeah so you're gonna see the video but my favorite was that the hat was smooth man that's smooth right all right so so proud wife here caregiver what's your thoughts at this point my thought is that they were absolutely fan fabulous I'm so excited for the both of them I am so excited even more so for the donor families because this would not have taken place without them being so selfless in their giving yes and we love them and we pray for them every day and everybody in that room you would allow us to believe right you guys were close second so these right joy right here wonderful great looking family so we're just gonna go down the line tell us how dad did tell us what's your what's your feeling right now he did really good though you I'm teaching I thought oh he got my approval today even though the video that I recorded came out powerful because I couldn't even say I must eat so yeah because if you were screaming to my second I think they did a great job and we just grateful and thankful that way for me here and then we had the second chance but he did an amazing job because we're so excited to see it yeah I know it was fun and then we had a chance to kind of dance in between breaks you're a smooth operator you got your moves from dad or from mom so what are you feeling today I feel like he just showed him who's bad I was the one that told him about the head it was a family affair but again we were here to celebrate life is what we did judge and fan favorite by far right in that room and I and I and I and I did not that is your first time to transplant games so overall just a great experience for everyone right it is an awesome experience it's just so much love I mean from from the time at the airport to the arrival of the hotel every step that you make it's just love it's awesome and it's it's so it's not the words can't describe how I feel but completing these games is has given me and I know it will give me that energy that I need to return to work for duty because this was my goal and I'm a police officer and all isn't and I love my job I love serving people I love helping people and becoming a part of seeing Louisiana receiving a second chance and and and I am just prone don't they like every step that I get in every part of my job that just will allow me to do it even greater so I'll be doing two jobs and one there you go and it's beautiful it's challenging yourself setting new goals meeting those goals I mean for all smiles and everyone here seems to be smiling we're just having a good time we're enjoying ourselves each other and I could not have done any of this without my wife and my kids it's I am extremely blessed and I have to we always get all thanks to God because he is controlled about it and we are so grateful and the last thing I have to lead you it yes it will be greater later I've got a couple of times I'm gonna strip you with the Shields family live yeah we're gonna say to Louisiana on three one two three let me steal your transplant games 2016 making friends this is putting a what team we want to lose the Anna we love that and a true veteran when it comes to transplant games how many games have you been five games this game games so that means your transplant dates back a while yes 15 years 15 years at the age of what 11 10 or 11 10 you were diagnosed yes okay so 10 years I know so 11 we got the heart transplant so what happened at 10 so I was a regular child never been sick of MLA if you know 15 e to sports with my friends all ball team no ethics perfectly normal got a virus I'm not sure if they ever worked out what it was I know it started to strip throat so but anyway we're sick for like a month not getting better went to a school function with mom and the school nurse was there and she noticed how bad I was looking and literally told my I was down there she's like they're white there's no blood return with a nail cuticle you need to go to a yard right now and I'm like well stop home and she can get changed over a fancy no now now immediate yeah so um took me to children's where they determined I was in heart failure finals final state of charge failure dilated cardiomy obviously and I would need a transplant and they don't do them there I would need to go to Osho the virus that you had a factor heart yeah you're a single one yeah so learning from the story that happened when you're so little now you've been to this is your fifth transplant game and you brought home a lot of metals a lot when the double digits so we were just trying to do it off top of our heads were thinking 16 yeah another one today yeah what's this from yesterday from bowling as well yeah awesome so that is so great so you feel great you're celebrating life absolutely yeah and why do you keep coming back to the games I'm thinking you like it I think it's just the spirit of what the games is yeah what people are here for and you know it is that you have the friendships that you make here and that you meet other people with the same organ or you meet somebody with a similar story but it's a different organ but it's not just that it's that the games promotes life and what after transplant is and I think a lot of people don't realize how well people do after and what a donation means right I don't think a lot of people know the numbers and the games is a way to hit those numbers out there and advertise and yeah you know I was even advocating it to my friends you know at opening ceremonies I think in pictures and I was like guys there's 6,000 athletes this year there's about 124,000 people on the waiting list right and the 6,000 athletes represent the roughly 6,000 who received their transplant a year powerful yeah yeah folks are inside effort donation you would tell them what if you had to you need to research what it is and learn facts on the facts you know they're they're not gonna just take your organs because you're an organ donor because you're an accident they will try to save your life they're gonna do everything medically possible donation to you means what in one word life life life I love you spirit I love that you're so happy you want to spread the word thanks for doing that alright transplant games 2016 Lori's still here transplant games 2016 making friends making memories we have Collins and Helen Lewis here and we are really supporting this guy right here right yes yes love her love her love her love her had the games love her watching you play that you're playing on your day one right alright so you received a heart heart heart always 22,000 14 does that date ring a bell that's my wife's birthday yes yes and so I see him I see on the basketball court which was awesome but you're athletic healthy energetic but that wasn't always no no so why don't you tell me about that because you said it was hereditary yes well my father died of 50 morning on the day 52 and I knew I was gonna have a problem I just hope it came down further down the line when it did come I've never had been in the hospital it came in 43 when I mean 43 and he told me my father got sick at the same time and so when I made 43 and I started having problems I acted suffered for a whole year because I didn't think about it I actually was going to work in the morning I suffered I get about two three hours sleep at night because I couldn't lay down but I still suffered through it because I really didn't want to go to the hospital and finally why I went to the hospital what the action of that day and the guy told me you're not going home because you need your transplant so yes because I never was in the hospital and they kept me in there for a while and I said I fought with them because I didn't think I was sick but every day later I was and Dr.
Manage was the one that says if I send you home in too much you be there we kept praying that we find a doctor or somebody that would be able to help them because he was going down fast he couldn't walk very far he couldn't sleep he wasn't eating things were really going down fast so then on your birthday on my birthday he gets the cold he gets the cold and he's like I got a heart I'm on my way to the hospital I'm like no joking he said no I see I have a heart I almost passed out I could not believe it I said well I wonder if he's gonna get it on my birthday so we got together and I met him and we went to the hospital and he didn't know if he was getting it for short but we stayed and they worked them up and he's at midnight oh my gracious happy birthday happy birthday that was great birthday and so what is it like now so he's on the basketball court with those smoothies on the basketball court yeah he's doing things that he has not done in years and it's just great to see him and as always I'm constantly on your shoes you're in your home yeah go re-instant yeah you say to you always you know the loudest I think beyond yes we're gonna be down great the basketball a lot of people ask who that team is and feel it we then that's always a feel like for you to be able to do all these things oh it's a wonderful feeling it's I really want to get back to work I'm not fully fully healthy but I'm a 8% that's better than the whole me man I suppose news you know you push yourself but you have a level where doctors slow you down because you might think you can do one thing but your body says I think we got the long term we got a dancer here right years to come so we're here we're celebrating live and we're spreading awareness about donation and we're honoring donors and so we have to keep that in our minds to that we're here to honor but we don't know names yet no so tell us you know yeah we wrote a letter to find out how daughter but we haven't received any information yet and wanted to thank him so much because Collins went through a lot he had a stroke while waiting for a heart he was in a coma while waiting for a heart so he had a pretty rough time and it was stopping go so but a donut to give you no for us to receive a heart like that I mean we could not thank the donor's family for giving us another chance another gift and we just love you guys whoever you are we'd like to meet you as soon as we can and also it makes me an advocate I find myself asking everybody yeah donut donut don't be back to city like to make sure they're not lying but I make sure I might make a party right after my heart six months later and we had a lot of people in I had a table just with a bit of time we love paying forward that's all about the same life like this guy right something though understand a lot of people think that if you're a donor they're gonna kill you off and take your office of money a lot of it's a lot of it's a lot of people learn something from that night because Dr. Manjes I told and a lot of doctors that was sharing their information for me it's just I don't think people are not a donor because they don't want to be I think they're not a donor because they're not they're not they don't have enough information yeah education is key we believe that so in Louisiana we focus on education and we'll talk to one person because you know me I'm kind of loud and or we'll talk to a big group right you know the same level but we also do the Get to My Podcast which is new and we're trying to go through social media to reach those same people that you're talking about so download that podcast on your podcast app is called the Gift of Life you guys can share this with your friends as well and we're gonna have more with you on there especially after you meet that donor family and your story continues and it grows my crazies I've enjoyed watching you perform I've enjoyed watching you support him thank you that's the biggest support right there transplant games 2016 wonderful experience real estate transplant games 2016 what a world man right guys yeah I'm gonna introduce you this lady probably seen some video stories about her before Jamie Napolitano here earning medals at the transplant games we're doing it great well look great yeah if I was great for Jamie is that she has a lot of support here just these special folks here so why don't you introduce us to who you have here and why we all see this handsome face everywhere well this is Janice and royal barlesson and they are the mom and dad of Cameron barlesson and Cameron it's heart beats inside of me so Cameron was my heart donor and his third parents so I understand he was quite the athlete quite the award winner right okay so lots of medals were earned lots of metal yeah basketball football I was proud that right there huh what any still winning medals yes yes yes I saw you guys up in the stands watching Jamie so you've been competing in lots of events so tell us we're I'm doing the 100 200 400 1500 long jump and shot yeah challenging yourself there but to you that sounds natural we could keep him still just a boy just overall boy just running jumping can I go here can I go there very energetic football the most and he's a racquet the hurdles 220 the 100 pretty much what Jamie's running yes so you guys understand what's going on here the track and field event so you guys up in the stands saw this peak flash girl and I saw two guys go yeah so I feel like you guys that's great it's awesome yeah yeah to see the results it's awesome it changes the way you feel changes the way you think this whole this whole thing that we're experiencing is a conundrum of uplifting spirits so so uplifting it's just difficult to describe yes it is just all inside so all inside so now you guys have all been doing everything together so tell us how that feels for you have your family here your husband your children your sister mom got all those folks in here and these folks right well and at this point when I say my family I mean they know they know my parents and my siblings and you know me sent it's it's just unbelievable that you know we could come together and then this is a family event for us and you know Cameron keep bringing in the medals yeah it's not something that would have happened you know eight years ago or ever before that what's great is I'm I see your children so you just sweet keep twins you know you don't like we see a Facebook page but it's like I love you I love that family and extended family now we were a couple of days out but we did show everyone video thank you for allowing us to share that but you made special gift so describe that and then let's talk about that now a couple of days out we were emotional at the time yes so you want some more to pass I did the last games where we first met one the only medals that I ever ran you know one four sports was at the gate and I went to Golden Bronze and Silver and you know after those went home with me that's not their home because they belong to the people that said yes to organization it was hard and like I said it would not happen now you were emotional you were speechless which I've never seen but it was a nice nice get it was very nice it just represented what he's still going yeah what Jamie's still doing through yeah I know it was beautiful it was a beautiful moment I'm still getting chills thinking about it so for you donation means what life the best possible gift you could ever give someone life to see her children and her mom and dad just to have their daughter who's being here to participate in extra so you guys are confident in your decision yeah I just told Jamie the other day I do it all over again Texas so donation to you means what? Sherry, Sherry, everything you have. We're in here to see what it is.
I'm a young player. We live to love what this is a miracle. Yes. We get to watch it here again and again.
That's what donation means. So Miss Jamie, you donation means what? Well I do get to realize my second chance and you know when you're when you're waiting when you're told you need to be listed. You're in a medal right?
It's a medal time. Great break we gotta go get a medal. We'll be back and we're back. From getting a medal.
But not just any medal. No! I saw a lot of heroes and I want to bone down. I saw this guy right from say I'm gonna get my picture.
So what does a moment like that? I'm trying to capture every moment of this graceful period. That's what it's all about. So you see me with camera and say all phones.
Yeah yeah yeah and he was doing both hands. I was like wow they won. So once you finish out your thought donation to you means. Well I originally said you know it means a second chance of life but it also means you know the little things like you know see my kids first day at kindergarten and you know being home when they get home from school and doing homework and just things that I would not be there to do if I not had a heart.
So just living every day because people might take for granted you know I'm grateful I get to do it. My kids and my family and I'm grateful I get to do it with the children. Yeah I don't think that's what I mean if you guys travel. So this is your second game together.
Can you edit the first game? We're better in now. We are bringing out more medals. Yes!
So Cameron may all this. He's a true hero. He's a true hero. We're gonna do this for him.
We're gonna honor him honor all donors and we're celebrating life right? She has more races, probably more medals coming home for Team Louisiana. That's right. For all smiles.
It's a good day. All right. More from Transplant Games 2016. Thank you!
Woo! Wow that was just so amazing hearing all those wonderful stories. Laurie I can't imagine how great you guys must have felt you know sharing such emotions with the families, the donor families and the recipients. It must have been just a wonderful experience for you guys.
It was it was very emotional. It was a long couple of days because there was so much power packed into it. These recipients showing what they can do celebrating life honoring those donors and the donor families who were able to be there from across the country. It was just amazing.
What a great event for the recipients, the donor families and everyone involved with the Transplant Games. Yeah just really rejuvenate you. What we're doing is so important and you know if you listen to anything we hope that it inspires you to get involved in some way, shape or form. But happy to be back in the studio carrying on with the gifted life guys and it was another tool that we used out in the field to help promote donation not only here in Louisiana across the country and out further which is an amazing gift for so many people.
Absolutely. At this point in this podcast we want to honor a hero. Today's hero is Emily Kristin and this is from her family. Emily was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.
Therefore she stayed in the hospital for several weeks during surgeries. Her older brother for the time didn't want to leave Emily at the hospital alone when we couldn't be there. So he bought our stuffed lamb. This lamb went with her from room to room at the hospital and soon became her favorite toy home.
When Emily was admitted again at nine months the lamb was there again. After Emily died, Jordan has slept with the lamb as a special memory of his baby sister. Though our situation was very tragic they say we are glad another child has benefited from Emily's very loving heart. We hope that everyone would consider organ donation so that even if one life ends another can begin.
You're doing a wonderful service with this quilt and knowledge. And I do want to point out Joey and Sally. We talked about quilt squares before here on the podcast but on this particular quilt square. It's the little lamb which is just amazing.
So you can see it on our website and you will want to go there because there's more information there. We have a number of quilts that are now on our website including the quilt square honoring Emily. If you will you can go to www.lobra.org under our heroes section. You'll be able to see different quilts that are there or you can go to lobra.org slash quilts.
And the best part is you can view and share with friends and your family on social media. What a wonderful way to honor these donors and let's pause at this moment and say thanks to Emily for the gift of life. Our question and answer today guys has something to do with transplant games. I'm excited.
So I've seen pictures on Facebook, heard bits and pieces from transplant games 2016. Where can I get more? Well it's so easy. Even I can find it.
Oh my goodness. You know how IT challenged I am. Just get on our website, www.lobra.org. There's a YouTube icon at the top and you'll click on it and you can not only see the parts of the games from this year.
You can also see from 2014 as well. My stories are incredible. We use them in classrooms across the state. It's just good stuff.
You'll be inspired after. So thanks for asking about that. Check that out. We have an incredible IT team who's been working to put this together.
That's who helps Joey get on Facebook too. So anyway you have questions for us. In vote at www.lobra.org don't forget about our hotline 5046483477. Give us a ring.
We have reached the end of yet another gifted like podcast. I like that because we're making progress. We're joining our partners and we're making life happen. Yes we are.
Number 34 is in the books. And I want to first give thanks to everyone who was involved in the transplant game. Such a wonderful event. Also I want to thank you guys from the gifted life podcast team that went over there.
And we're able to bring those great stories back to us. We know it was great. Everybody loved the podcast. They knew to look for us.
And they wanted to be on the podcast because they know that folks across the country are listening to us. And across the world are now starting to tune in because this is about donation. And we're all working on one goal and that's making life happen. So it was pretty neat to see that happen and unfold in front of our eyes.
So it was great that we were able to do that on behalf of the podcast. But if you want more, you want to see more pictures, all kinds of fun stuff from the transplant games. Easy to find. You go to teamlaweasana.ca.com.
You'll see all sorts of different pictures from the different events and folks that you might even recognize. So we hope that you take time. You check it out. You get inspired and then you go out and do something that you don't normally do to help make life happen.
Do it today. Join our team. Have a good one. Bye.