Hello and welcome to the gifted live podcast where we have those conversations about Oregon tissue and eye donation on Lori Steele and I'm Joey Boudreau and we so appreciate you continuing to tune in I had the opportunity this week Joey to listen to the sister of a recipient Tell her side of the story So we know how it affects those people who are waiting on a transplant or the donor family system sister so many It's funny when we think about it. We like to think about the live save But there's so many other lives that are impacted. It's amazing and she's so emotional We were in front of high school students. They were getting teary eyed listening to her journey So we always say takes one person to make a difference.
She told her story for the first time and it was magical They said that was the most genuine speaker they had in that classroom. So that was amazing. So one person can make a difference We gotta get her on that's it. We like her.
That's Miss Maddie Smith there So thank you to her and thanks for helping us spread the word about Oregon donation and we hope that you do the same Absolutely and we want you guys to talk about it We want you guys to listen to us on our podcast you can listen to us on iTunes or whatever your favorite podcast that might be Yeah, and you know we always say hey check out our Facebook page donate life Louisiana There are pictures of Maddie and her sister Savannah who received a liver talking about donation on our Facebook page But there's Twitter and Instagram too. We want you to be connected We want it to be as easy as possible for you to help spread the word We want you to help spread the word about this podcast too today There's a lot going on that we're talking about first of all There's a huge celebration connected to the Baton Rouge iBank so helping people see great Yeah in our community segment We'll be talking to a young up-and-coming race car driver who's recently had his life completely impacted by donation That is a cool story. So we'll tell you about that We're honor a hero here on the gifted life and take your questions and answers stay tuned Okay, we have a friend who's gonna join us here on the podcast We always love that and this is a real partner when it comes to Loba making life happen increasing Louisiana's donor registry So I am pretty pumped to introduce you to my friend miss Jamie Collier with the Baton Rouge iBank She is their technical director. Hey Jamie.
Hi. I'm Ari. Thank you for having me today Yeah, and Jamie's one of those people that's really easy to get along with when we say hey We have a project going on. Can you help?
I'll be there? What do you need? She's one of those types of people which we love right? Absolutely anything to help donation There you go And so you're with the Baton Rouge iBank and we know that you guys are getting ready to celebrate quite a milestone because you guys do such a great job So fill it in thanks.
Yes next year and March as a matter of fact We will be celebrating our 40th anniversary four years of giving sight to our area to the state and to the world internationally And so talk about some of the numbers that you guys are seeing just with the Baton Rouge iBank and giving sight to folks Yeah last year we helped give sight to about 205 people and I'd say through this last four years has probably been close to 4,000 Which is I feel a huge accomplishment. Absolutely 4,000 people that can see again Spend time with their family see their families read it's amazing. So Jamie, I know you're from Baton Rouge region iBank So what areas do you cover? You know we've talked to Colleen out of Southern iBank and and for the audience We kind of talked a little bit about how you know the state is divided.
We've got three different iBank's that recover in the state of Louisiana So can you tell us a little bit about you guys coverage area? Sure. We are in the Baton Rouge and surrounding areas So it'd be Baton Rouge hospitals and maybe some of the hospitals and the parishes that surround the West Baton Rouge and living in parish And also we have one facility in Lafayette, which is our leader of Lortz. Okay, and then you guys are actually located in a hospital We are which is a huge blessing because we are close to those doctors that help give sight and we're all so close to all those nurses and physicians So we are in the middle of it and we really enjoy that.
Yeah, that's our lady the lake. That's correct. That's correct in our lady the lake in the medical plaza too We're in sweet one thousand five and recently we moved in the last couple of years to this week We were on 207 and it's been very nice. We have a larger lab Nice conference room that allows us to hold meetings for our staff and four volunteers That's great and you talked about earlier that you guys helped give sight to over 200 people last year Are there any other recipients or maybe donor family stores that really touched your heart that you can remember more than others one in particular?
There are so many but one in particular has been hazel She has been a huge force for us. She wants to spread the word anywhere. She can she was watching actually a news program I believe what John Patrick and our medical director Dr. Tom Otigal and he was talking about a cornea disease and a lot of the symptoms she had and so she went and saw Dr.
Haggle and lo and behold she was diagnosed and he Transplanted her shortly thereafter and ever since she has said what can I do to help? How can I spread the word and she's been great and people are drawn to her? I love me some is hazel we share her story at the time Yeah, and we see folks like Miss Hazel and an event that's not coming up We got we partner with you guys it's Lopa and the iBank and it's the Thanksgiving service and that's coming up on November 18 But it's really just a great place to go celebrate life happening and the partnership that we share that is very true and It's moving to watch these donor families and and recipients get up in light of handle in memory of either someone They've lost and it's helped so many or someone that has helped restore their site and I really look forward to that every year I know it's really beautiful And it just you take a step back and you just really appreciate life after hearing all these stories and meeting with all these folks Very true and I had a question you talked about you know A lot of these donor families and recipients there at the service are any do any of them know who their donor family was from a recipient standpoint and vice versa They do they do sometimes they meet up we actually had one year where there was a person going around trying to find their donor family and lo and behold rare chance they did meet up it was beautiful and heartwarming to see Both of them a connection that they so desperately wanted we love that and we love that your volunteers are called visionaries Like that we know that I see them out at health fairs And they are just talking about the greatest gift that we received the gift of sight And so so you guys use them in the community to help spread the word. Yeah, health fairs They also help organize events for us I know we're hoping to maybe put something together for next year and so they're a large part of that organization in the community getting out Asking for sponsorships spreading the word finding the facility doing every step of the way they are Just great.
So you said you mentioned that they they found each other trying to find you know The other whether it was a recipient or donor family So if if a donor family was trying to reach a recipient how would they go about doing that the best way would be contact? I think directly because everything's confidential until both parties reach me and so they could contact us directly our phone number 225 766-8996 they could also email us or check out our website at www.ibankbr.org and we can at that point sit down with them Learn their story and hope we connect them. All right Thank you, miss Jamie the technical director for the Baton Rouge I Bank a great partner for Loba in increasing our donor registry and just spreading awareness About donation if you have questions about something that we talked about you can always hit us up at info at Loba.org Joey full-speed ahead here We're talking about promoting organ donation outside the box thinking one person really making a difference and because Is close to his heart. That's right.
Yeah, we've got on the line here. We've got kitten coke He is with the emsa imsa prototype light powered by masa and laura. He is the four-time Champion right now and he's got a huge tie to donation. Hey, how's it going?
Kitten? Can you hear me? Yeah, yeah, I can hear you loud and clear. Awesome.
So thank you very much for coming on our podcast We wanted to touch base a little bit and kind of get your story So what got you interested in donation? What was your tie to donation? Well, it's a it's a pretty cool story and it's uh You know, my mom is actually a recent recipient of a heart and she was on she was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy About 14 years ago. I dilated cardiomyopathy of the hardening of the muscle So it doesn't really allow the heart to pump that well and it got too bad for her to actually You know use her heart anymore.
So she had she put on the uh, the heart transplant list after you know being on a defibrillator and You know the defibrillator was obviously an implantable one so she had that for you know six seven years now But you know, no, of course she's on all the drugs But the thing was you know, she received her heart in January and you know, she's been doing awesome ever since and it's just really cool To you know to have her back to you know, the old mom I used to know Full of energy and you know just uh doing what she used to do I love sitting here and listening to you talk about your mom the way that that you're talking about her I lost my mom right after high school So I love to see those connections between moms and children and this is a really strong connection So, um, we think that Miss Karen did some some good parenting there on her part So you grew up as a as a racer like from eight years old you you you love that and that's something that you use to help promote donation Yeah, I started racing when I was about eight years old and um my mom And I you know we really wanted to try and help I get this to be more aware and and at the level i'm at right now There's a lot of audience to be had and there's a lot of people to you know to reach out to so we have a unique opportunity to you know to help raise awareness for Oregon donation through my racing endeavors So, you know, there's anywhere between 25 to 75 000 people on a race track at the rate of that and you know It's it's pretty You know, you just put that out at the table in front of your in front of your paddock But the thing is it's it's more There's a lot of other opportunities. I'm just you know helping from out at the track So it's uh, it's pretty cool and you know a unique opportunity to try to help raise awareness So so take us back a little bit. I know you kind of touched on it earlier, but take us back You know to i'm sure mom was probably very present You know in your racing and and cheering you on the entire time and in that time you found out Uh that she was as sick as she was to need to transplant. Can you take us through that a little bit Yeah, it was uh a little over a year now when she got put on the the heart transplant list Um, and she she's pretty much gone to ever race and then anytime she kind of go to her race You know she was glued to the computer uh looking at the live timing and scoring sheets and you know Anytime I got back to my phone after getting out of the car, you know, it was lit up with fact messages from my mom So it was you know, it was one of the things where she really wished she was there You know, and it was really bad when she got her her heart transplant or she was on the list because well She couldn't travel anymore because you have to stay within a certain distance at the hospital unless you get a phone call So you can be you know ready and admitted and you know go through that whole you know whole floor deal Um, so it was kind of it sucked because she wasn't there and you know there was times where it was hard Um to not have her there just because you know, you know, you like to see your mom sharing from the sidelines, but Uh, you know, she was at home and you know She was hard for her to sleep every night just because she didn't want to miss the phone call So Those six months of waiting for the actual transplant were were the rough to find her Um for multiple reasons.
So we're glad she has one now and you said you know, she was waiting the whole time You know and she couldn't sleep waiting for that phone call and then she finally got the phone call How anxious excited, uh, you know nervous where you at that point i'll tell you what there was who was pretty much all the emotions you just explained Uh, you know nervous, uh, you know excited and happy and tears of drolee and you know pretty much Pretty much every emotion you can have was present in you know, one period of time So My mom got the call and I wasn't at home. Um, but I walked in the door probably, you know five minutes after she got the call and she was you know Gathering her things crying and getting stuff ready to go to the hospital and you know, we got to the hospital and you know Everything happened and you know, the actual transplant itself, you know, it was the roughest part was probably watching her You know probably saying goodbye as she went into pre-op. Um, and you know, you know, that was that was a rough part because you know You never know what's gonna happen. So that was we were constantly getting updates not throughout the uh, the procedure And you know when we heard you getting so that we were like, you know, dear to myself It was nice.
All right. And so we hear the connection that um that you have and we know that she must be a proud mom 21 years old very accomplished a business major at cal state Fullerton Um, your eraser your very accomplished racer. Um, and then you take on this cause that you don't have to do Um, but you put it out on the forefront because you know it can save more lives now in the racing community itself Um was this cause embraced as well. We know why it's important to you.
Um, but when you tell your story do you see it making an impact? Yeah, it definitely definitely is we've had multiple people Uh, the influence by this and that's just on a personal level. Um, and we've touched multiple people as hard set the track with with our story And um, another story that's you know, really really, you know, actually gaining some momentum is I don't know if he has a part of jessin Wilson, but he was a famous indie card driver that just recently passed um, you know a few weeks ago Uh, and you know, he is organized to save six people alive So the fact that um, you know a national or international superstar like jessin wilson, you know, it was sad that he was passed And she was one of my one of my heroes, you know, he had a great heart and great person and personality and you know It's it's just really cool to see him keep on giving you know after after life and that's that's the whole point of this is you know It's to try to you know, keep getting people like after, you know, you you've ended yours and it's it definitely helps You know, but for a better cause of deciding up to be an organ donor So I have to ask so how's your mom doing today and and how is she you know after her heart transplant compared to before? She got well, I'll tell you what she's not home right now.
So she's out about doing her thing You know doing everything that she used to do so it's it's cool to see her, you know out in the mountain You know, like, you know, just like a spring flower, you know, it's it's cool to see her You know just blooming with brilliant energy and you know if she goes on her morning walks and you know Even though we've had this california heat that's been like, you know 95 degrees at nine o'clock in the morning She still goes out and walks with a dog and goes on her three mile walk every morning And you know she's been doing better than she ever had she didn't really realize how about she felt until she got that part So she was quite glad that she she did get it But you know before she was, you know, quite on emotional roller coaster and not knowing what to do and actually like it really worth it And I'm like mom come on like it's worth it This is it. Oh, it sounds like she's doing great. We appreciate it We appreciate you sharing her story and we also appreciate the fact that as you travel you try to partner with the different Oregon procurement agencies across the country to help spread awareness and we tried to do that here in the bayou state in Louisiana But we got rained out that was a bummer. Yeah, sadly Yeah, but this is the next best thing, right, you know, we can we can always continue to work together.
Yeah We're waiting for your your second visit and we're kind of getting prepped for you. Joey and I went to a no-lir motor sports And we think that we got a pretty good chance of competing against you. I spent a lot of my time in the grass Tell me how to do avoid that. That would be great.
I'm gonna challenge you to a go-kart race. I figure those things out I can't go too much. I'll be beating Yeah, I don't think so. Yeah, but we appreciate you promoting donation on and off the track.
We know your facebook page You also helped to promote donation And through your website as well kitten coke that's koch racing calm or the facebook page, which is simply kitten coke, right? Yeah, it's pronounced coke, but it's completely all right. Yeah Yeah, koch is how you spell it and you just go to kencoke racing calm. Sokoch and that's the website there And the same thing for the facebook pitch.
All right, we appreciate you taking the time Thanks for what you do and we can't wait to see you out on the track. Thank you sir. Thank you for having me. All right We appreciate it.
Okay, Joey now is a time where we really focus on the true heroes when it comes to donation and that would be our donors Right now we want to focus on robin do our all we got this letter from her sister Rachel Robin was a hero back in 2004 family still you know processing that that happened that she became a hero But they go on to tell her story and it's quite an incredible story So, you know, this has come from the sister side and she said that her and robin were very best friends through elementary school And just going to school together. They were friends. They were sisters. They did things together They also you know how it goes fought sometimes when you have brothers and sisters you know how that goes and she says she'll never forget Teenage years learning to drive Doing the driving test together got the drivers license and of course the omv's they asked you do you want to be an organ donor?
She said they said yes, they committed to doing that They're only 15 years old at the time But they knew that it was something that they should do but they really didn't know what it meant to be a donor And um, but she knew that they were committed to helping save lives. Yeah, and then fast forward to october 2004 which was some 20 years later Robins accident happened she was rushed to the hospital and then you know, of course the family made it in and and they heard you know The bad news that she might not make it Of course they had a driver's license and they saw that she had a red heart, you know, red heart right there on the license You know, Rachel her sister already knew that because that's something that they had done, you know, 20 years prior together And Rachel talks about how you know, God gave me the honor to have known robin for 34 years She had the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known my family and I believe because of her kind and generous heart She wouldn't want to help others in any way that she could Because of her generosity and unselfish active love five people are blessed to still be with their families today Rob and Dua Ral a true hero and she's helping us save more lives today by drawing attention to the topic of donation In years past she was a floor graph so honored during the rose parade and that's in front of a national audience We still share her story. Um, she's on our faces of donation page if you visit lopa.org You can see the person that we're talking about you can read her story there and you can see those other heroes of donation as well So, um, please take time to do that at this point though in this podcast We want to pause and we want to say thank you to robin Dua Ral for the gift of life Here on the gift of life we love to have folks become part of the podcast and the way that we do that is we ask folks to send us questions here At info at lopa.org and we try to tackle as many as possible and give you the right information so that we can serve those healthy conversations about donation So the question coming in was a donor family received a letter with some initial information shortly after their loved one Became a donor which is commonplace, right? So now time has passed and they would like a follow up.
How are these recipients doing? Is that okay to ask? Absolutely. Yeah, we have such a really good family services department local And they will get an initial letter just giving a little bit of information and then of course letting the family know that this person is doing well But certainly you can at any point call back and and we will investigate that situation We'll investigate and try to find out more information for them We as in the family services department and and we'll get that information back to you Yeah, we provide you with as much support as possible to do that to communicate directly with those family service coordinators its family services At lopa.org family services at lopa.org you can email them today The end of yet another gifted life podcast It's such a blessing to be able to talk about donation to talk about those who are really making a difference in the world of donation and just making life happen Absolutely.
Laura. We definitely want to give a special thanks to jamey collier Who's the technical director of that ruse region? I've been forgiven so all that insight on I don't know Like that and then we want to thank kitten coke He's certainly an up-and-coming star in the racing industry. He's a winner on and off the track helping us to promote Organition and I donation.
I like that Joey very good and I like that he loves his mama So he got like that but we always talk about one person making a difference He doesn't have to do what he does but he doesn't have the kindness of his heart the goodness of his heart He knows about donation and he wants to help us spread the word and we know those who are listening right now want to do the same It could be sharing a post from our facebook page or telling someone about this podcast do what you can to make a difference today And thanks for listening here on the gifted life