Hello everyone and welcome to the gifted live podcast where we have conversations about organ tissue and eye donation I'm Laurie Steele and join me is Joey Boudreau. Hey, Joe. Hey, Laurie. How's it going?
It is fantastic episode eight We're excited people are giving us five stars. Yeah, basically friends and family that we've been probably paid Yep, they were covering from the fourth of July weekend There you go, and we're hoping that we can pull it together for episode eight and help you learn a little bit about Donation and we're hoping that we prompt you to take some action and help us in some way shape or form save more lives So lots to get to on this episode, but we are hoping that you are spreading the word about the gifted life Certainly Laurie. We definitely want you to spread the word find us on iTunes pocketcast Stitcher tune in beyond pod and mirror. We got that down, bud And not only find us we want you to read us and tell everyone else about us Yes, please do and also we have a Facebook page donate life Louisiana check us out like us.
We're up to about six thousand Likes and we're hoping to surpass that this year. So help us to do that We're also on Twitter and Instagram at donate life la so check it out spread the word and we're hoping that you become part of our Family part of our volunteer team. It's very easy You just have to care a little bit about organ donation and get involved There's lots of opportunities for you to do that and try to make it as easy as possible coming up on this episode There's lots in the new segment one of the best places to work is in Louisiana. That's right and close to our hearts That's right in our recovery segment We're gonna talk about a little bit about the safeguards that I put in place for the recipients always good to know Well bust some myths today.
Can I be an organ donor if will target that in the community segment? I have a question for you Laurie. Are you good at trivia? I'm not but good question Honestly guys also in our technology segment we have folks behind the scenes How are they helping us save lives a vast of talent?
We'll tell you and of course last but not least we'll be honoring our hero as we do in every podcast one of our favorite parts Plus we'll answer your questions and there's so much more still to come here on the gifted like podcast We have reached the new segment and we are excited today, right? That's right We have some news to share coming from the Louisiana organ procurement agency or Loba because we're award winners That's right flexing our muscles. I love it. Okay, so we just received the best places to work for Millennials, which is awesome.
So Joey Knight number one had to look up millennials And all this stuff we know that Lopez a great place I know someone younger than me Just okay, all right So we had to call in the big guns to talk about what this award means for those who work for Loba those who one day hope to work for Loba but just to save lives and make life happen So we've called in our chief administrative officer for Loba miss Chrissy. Hey, hey, Chrissy. Hey, we're all smiles. We're good Yes, we love it We are award winners best places to work for millennials and Joey and I were doing research for the podcast Excel recruiting development retaining top performers and creating a fulfilling work experience So to be nominated that's amazing to win Chrissy.
That's just over the top It is phenomenal and this award is actually the first of its kind and it's conducted by the Center for generational kinetics I believe there were three thousand companies that were nominated in seventy five one and we were one of those 75 across the nation And as I'm sure you know millennials are those employees born between 1980 and 2000 So they are the ones as Joey mentioned just just younger than us Just younger than us in a previous podcast Chrissy was talking about the number bebursed that he had My alpha pager is a fancy. I literally don't know what you're saying Oh, I'm getting going uphill in the snow. That's right. That's what we do.
I literally still don't know what you're talking about We love her. Okay, I'm gonna pretend like I don't know what you're talking about. I've never heard of a pager before This is the largest workforce in America and we are I think when we ran the numbers We're 33% millennials, which is it's a pretty decent number for an organization of our size and these guys really value what we have to offer You guys know that we really focus on an environment that's family friendly. We value our people and We may have celebrated two baby showers and 30 days That's right true We want an environment and I say we because I'm just gonna identify with this with this group of people because I'm only you're off I'm gonna say that you're off Me too But we want a place that really is going to embrace our family and our lives and allow us to be a part of our children's lives And allow us to be a part of our parents lives So I think that this was a much much deserved award.
It was a surprise We didn't seek it out. It kind of came to us. That's the best part, right? When they just fall in your lap, oh, here's an award, but we've been participating in the modern health care best places to work award process since 2012 in this area our fourth year and that survey process will open up within the next few days and our employees will be taking that survey But we've been very successful with that award and we hope to be again for 2015 It's gonna be there so in 2014 we were number eight overall and the entire nation is amazing amazing How many organ recover agencies have been in this?
I'm so glad you asked We are the first and remain in the ground and we remain the only one to be in this list And I'm not sure who actually applies for the award, but I have spoke to multiple working recovery agencies about this We're not very interested, so but you can't take the first away. I'm gonna say that no matter if they get in there You can take our first time. Now, weren't you just a governor's mansion recently? Yes We have received the 2014 Louisiana Commitment to Performance Award presented by the Louisiana Quality Foundation That is the level two award for our state the level three qualifies us to apply for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Right, so we in 2013 We won the level one award which is the Louisiana Performance Challenge Award So we are we are very excited in our Baldrige journey and we want to be the first there to their eyes say it on recording We want to be the first of our hey, I find you a hundred percent This is amazing.
It is if we keep on going like this. We're gonna need a bigger trophy case for our new building We are we should just build a building for us But it's speaking from personal experience. I came from the news background deadlines If you had to leave work because of a sick child it was just bad for business So coming here just a different work environment, but then when I can work I put in 110% because I'm so grateful and thankful when I had my babies You guys were so awesome and take your time for cover love on that baby And we want to see that baby as soon as possible baby showers like you said Yeah, a couple in there as well But it just makes for wanting to wake up and go to work every day not regretting it like some of my friends and in different businesses So they're always asking us there Great people who are gonna put in that 110% and the awards are great But the quality of life that you guys provide is just awesome I mean that's hard work on on your part to try to keep the balance of everything going So we appreciate you well Thank you, you know in the line of work that we do we see people you know Sometimes on the worst day of their lives and we don't want our staff to have any regrets And so I think that that's what we really strive for is to know that life is really short and we want our employees to really live it And that doesn't mean work 100% of the time and you guys all know that this this Organization and our purpose it's in your blood and it's in your veins and you are living at 100% of the time But you need to also remember that there's their children their parents their spouses that really need us to and we will not settle for Employees that don't really live live that philosophy. Well look at my whole families into it We're just so grateful.
So if there's a picnic or a bit going on we all go and my little daughter who's eight She knows blue and green in our colors and so when we're shopping that's what she gets her bathing suits blue and green So it's it's a lifestyle and I was just looking at one of the stipulations for this award creating a fulfilling work experience That is amazing. That is exactly what you do. So we won this award well deserved. It certainly is you guys So we appreciate hard work Chrissy.
We got more awards coming down the pike. I'm sure we appreciate it We like that some you know, we don't even put our hand in the pot for we just get so that's just a testament for the people who work here At local all these talents coming together to make life happen and we are grateful to be recognized But it's amazing the work that we can do when we're all working together Yeah, and I know I speak on behalf of the entire leadership team when I say that our staff just makes it easy really easy I mean they are they are wonderful staff We don't even we don't even really have to recruit anymore people are literally beating down our doors to get a spot here And that is just a testament to the hundred sixty semi people that we have here every last one of them They're wonderful. They make my job easier. I I cringe even calling this a job because it's so not you know It's cool is that all these different people from all these different walks of life working on one mission and that's to make life happen In our recovery segment today Joey we are talking about safeguards in place for our recipients well, Laurie We would not want to have any disease transmission when someone is given life to someone else through our nation And given that second chance of life that recipient is generally always immunosuppressed So their chances of getting an infection it rises automatically just because of the immunosuppressants that they're on so they don't they don't reject the transplant So we have to go through quite a bit of safeguards in the donation process Just to make sure be certain that this organ that is being transplanted to save that person's life Doesn't have any disease and doesn't have anything that will hurt the recipient more than help the recipient So just basically make sure it's the best gift possible We always talk about make sure you talk to your family let them know that it's your decision to help save lives It's possible and those are the people that really we need information from if you choose to become a donor Right at the onset of a case of an organ recovery case the next of kin or the family Or whoever the most suitable person is will answer a series of questions.
We call it kind of it's a medical behavioral questionnaire It's very similar Laurie to I don't know if you've donated blood But it's almost the same questionnaire very similar because they're looking for the same types of Infections that can be transmitted and when we're in health classes They want to know what type of information would you need to know and so one of my examples a lot is has this person been out of the Country right have they traveled you know What when did they travel because some diseases are more prevalent in certain areas it become endemic in certain areas Especially at certain periods of time. So that's very important for us to ask I know you know we get that like what that doesn't make sense of why doesn't matter if I was in England in 1980 or Other things that will ask you know about specifically about the medical history does he or she have diabetes or high blood pressure because we have to make Certain that the organ is suitable for transplantation But one of the other things besides obviously the medical history that we ask is about the social history and behavioral history Because we want to safeguard against other things not just like diabetes or high blood pressure We also want to safeguard against transmission of HIV or hepatitis B or hepatitis C or other viruses and bacteria that once they would Set into the organ and then be passed on and transplanted can potentially be fatal to the recipient So we want to try to safeguard against all of these things So we start with the medical social history right and then we don't stop there because obviously sometimes family might not know every single thing Right their loved one, you know, we know most about our loved ones, but you can't know everything So we then also draw blood and we send the blood off to we have a special lab I actually we have a couple of them just in case, you know one of them's busy or something's going on as a backup and We do what we call serology testing and what we're looking for are those that are the most commonly transmissible diseases like I mentioned HIV Hepatitis B and C even things like syphilis, you know and other disease processes So this is part of that timeline for donations This is exactly part of that timeline and part of the reason that you know I've said in earlier podcasts that you know There's that misconception that the organ donation and recovery takes place immediately This is part of the reason that it doesn't you know We have to be absolutely certain and to take that even one step further so we draw these serologies and We can tell whether that person has been infected or contracted that disease to around a few month period now There's still that window of uncertainty, you know that they may have the disease But it's just not showing in these tests just yet So we then we also do an additional test what we call a net test or nucleic acid test that is a lot more specific and timely To be able to catch these diseases almost actually within about a week to two week period So it would it is very very difficult for a disease to slip through now even in blood donation You know back in the 80s there was a lot of hepatitis that that was transmitted through blood donation because they didn't have the safeguards You know and now with the serology testing and also with the additional net testing It's become an infinitesimal amount basically a point zero zero percentage You know point zero zero zero to or you know percentage that chances of transmission versus back in the past So there's a lot of safeguards put in place of course and then goodness for it absolutely There's always inherent risk of contracting something You know you can't have any surgery without at least a small risk But we do everything in our power to make sure that risk is as minimal as humanly possible take all those steps Yeah And we appreciate that and I'm always amazed to hear and learn more about the donation process behind the scenes because we hear from the recipients The donor families those waiting and then you see a TV show like Grey's Anatomy that gets brought up a lot in classes about how fast Everything goes but we're learning here that so much time and attention is to make sure that that gift is the best if possible for that person to receive and so we appreciate that we appreciate those safeguards that are in place and it's all about learning and spreading the word It's time to squash some myths mr. Boudreau you ready to go. Let's do this.
All right I can't donate blood so I can't be an organ donor is the myth that's out there So we have a volunteer who had diabetes forever then he received kidney pancreas No longer as diabetes and is one of our biggest advocates But he said his way of thinking before he learned about donation was that I can't give blood because I'm a diabetic I can't do this because I'm a diabetic so I can't be an organ donor But he said he just wasn't armed with the facts until now So now he knows that he can be an organ donor and we just want other people to know that they can do and that's that's an absolute certainty You see some disease processes like like the diabetes that he had preclude you from becoming a blood donor for various reasons for different reasons But one of the reasons is that there are so many blood donors out there so many people can become blood donors And it's a lot more readily available the other thing is that we do a lot of testing on the front end Like I mentioned earlier with a safeguards We have a lot of safeguards in place just to make sure that there's no disease that's gonna be transmitted So we do all these tests on the front end will of course send the blood what we call stat You know now and it's done now so we have all the results of the tests before we even start the surgical procedure or the recovery itself So we take care of all these things from the front end We do ask that same questionnaire that that they ask are similar But we put in the other safeguards in place well ahead of time so that we can still give that person the opportunity to donate and save lives Through our donation and I guess the lesson learned here is that don't rule yourself out You know at the time of your death we have these safeguards that are in place So if you can help save our enhanced lives, we're gonna help you do that in the best and safest way possible So learn the facts be armed with the facts loba.org is really a one-stop shop So check that out also if you have more questions about what we just discussed or maybe you want us to hit on another topic Info at loba.org info at loba.org we want to hear from you and we want you to join our team and saving lives In our community segment I have a question for ya. What's that Laurie? How does trivia help loba? Do you like how did that?
I love it. How does it help loba? Because we have a sin law trivia challenge coming up that we're hoping you're gonna be interested in and want to help out with But to give us you know behind the scenes information we invited the one the only Miss Larry B Thompson to join us and she is one of our loba favorites hey larry B. Hi, thanks honey.
Hey larry B Well, we appreciate you you're a go-getter your mama and you're doing this trivia challenge, which is awesome But before we get into all the fun stuff I do want to talk about on this little beam of light in your life that makes you so passionate for not only life But for loba as well if you don't mind telling us a little bit about Garrett. Yes Yeah, what's our six-year-old son who passed away in 2007 and he was able to become a hero through organization He was able to save a lot of four children and his gift to do those children and their families is what continues to give us comfort in our grief as we continue to grieve and miss him and it gave me a mission to be able to talk about him all the time and To make sure that people understand how important donation and transplantation is and how important it is that we talk about it before Faced with try to be and how to make difficult decisions are very difficult time and larry B Speaking for the staff the loba staff you are one of those that inspire us on a daily basis when we have difficult days You know when we get really busy we look upon people like you, you know Like we've spoken before about Libby and Pam and others, you know who just keep us grounded keep us focused and inspires on a daily basis No, thank you We just love you miss larry And we appreciate you doing this and we do want to talk about what you're doing to keep Garrett's memory alive and to help save other lives And you have come up with a cool way to do it and you are a self-proclaimed nerd Is that what you got? Yes, I have a head full of youth with knowledge I'm putting I'm putting that to good youth to help work out. Good.
Okay. So this trivia challenge We've heard about this because you're getting into your fifth year, which is pretty cool So the sin law trivia challenge started how ma'am? We actually I have some and I and six other of our friends actually started as players and a similar trivia based fundraiser for another organization Back in 2008 actually and that organization was unfortunately unable to continue and so we kind of adopted their format and use it for our own special cause To help bring awareness and funds for Losa We have a lot of fun putting it together and so it makes it really easy to put a fun event together to help Just call it the dear to us. Okay, so it's coming up in August But kind of give us the layout because mr.
Joey Boudreau's over here thinking he could sweep up the pot right for winners Ragging right there nothing else but kind of give us so you have a theme you're looking for teams right and because it's in Law trivia challenge, but we've had players come from as far away as Monroe and Baton Rouge We have what the staffers who have come from Shreveport and last yet, so this is a statewide event I don't think that there's anywhere too far to drop this until we can be able to help us out and so have a lot of fun So basically it people form teams of six to eight players I did 12 and up and each player pays an entry fee of $20 and so far that's $20 They get a meal and they enter 10 rounds of trivia of various categories some academic categories like science and I Will and so I'm doing out that this year's team is donors rock and with a music kind of theme and so there will definitely be a Category about music and we'll go from there now This is happening at first night at Methodist Church in Pineville But Joey one of my favorite things because this is gonna be the fifth year and sometimes Laraby needs help picking a winner for those who Choose a cool team name or if they decorate a certain way and so over the years We've had some do's when it comes to the names that kind of keep us chucklin I'm very that's right. That's one of the ways team can earn a little prize last year We had a leading anything and we had teams like the hudat donation and Life and the new organs lady So people are really creative in their team names and then of course we encourage the team to decorate their table according to whatever That's even is already here and of course this year it's music So we open it a little bit early for folks to come in and decorate their table and get everything ready before the meal is served and get ready to play Awesome So this is August 22nd now if you're thinking hey This is something I want to take part in we can actually get you in touch with Larry Like Joey if he's looking for friends You know six to eight per team Joey sorry, but info at lopa.org info at lopa.org tell us what you're looking for It would be the trivia challenge and we'll get you in touch with Larry B So that you guys can get together and make this happen So this is the fifth year and the proceeds always benefit lopa right Larry B That's right. All right, so you go out and help educate and make life happen So we appreciate that this is just a fun way to help educate and we appreciate you a donor mom a go-getter being behind it Oh, thank you And if you want to learn more about Garrett I know that we talked about him a little bit and we'll talk about him more in this podcast But if you go to lopa.org faces of donation you can read about her little nugget as well So thank you Larry B for sharing your story. Thank you for what you do and thank you for being an inspiration Thank you so much.
So again Joey I hope you're writing this down if you're interested in the trivia challenge you think you have the know how that's right I will here wins and bragging rights. It's August 22nd at Virginight of Methodist Church and Pineville Maybe have friends up that way you want to send him out to help lopa out But info at lopa.org info at lopa.org and we'll get you the information that you need to help us It is time now for technology segment here in the gifted life podcast And I just wanted to talk about our team of experts our information technology team because they do so much number one They help us with our data for example at LSU We do a class every semester about donation and they're always wanting to know how many folks are registered donors from this Dibcoder that they have to pull that data and they keep that together But there's so much more that they do you just came back from a conference not too long ago Yes, I was I was a friend well association of our procurement organizations are what we call a yobo and we have an annual meeting in the summer We have the best IT department in the country in my mind and a opal also agrees So that's those are people from not only from state This is a national organization of all the ordinary cover agencies in the country and who they call on every single conference to do all their Important duties to make sure all their technology everything all their the microphones are working all the headphones are working all the screens for Presentations they call on our IT guys we are lucky and they do that for us as well for our annual meetings and things that go on as well And I just laughed when I think about what I must sound like to them because I go to them with you know all of our technology questions and I had this idea for a Logo or design for our race that's coming up the Rob Blake run for life on October 3rd And so I stuck this picture on this design that LSU students help us with and I said we can't use this picture So I'm gonna need you to draw it And I'm gonna need you to do these hands and then it's gonna be red But I just need like two colors because I don't need three colors and if we do this and we put this on a shirt You know what I mean? And this is what I got yes, and I'll be back with you and it looks great and we use it across the way But you know some of the people that team with us they know that we have this talent on our team as well So so they ask for that assistance and we provide it for races in the Lafayette area as well when we have our donor family picnics We have them providing music and different types of things It's just a multitude of talents that they provide they do to keep this going and most importantly of all they get it You know they understand what the depths of our job and how important our job is in saving lives And they do everything in their power to make sure that we're doing it as proficiently and efficiently as we can so all All I ever get from from the guys from my IT department looks semi-help desk ticket and is done You know whether it's designing like you mentioned you I'll put it together like an idea in my head and say hey I'm sure they have something in my head looks fabulous. It does and they bring it to life Even better than I could have even thought of myself.
I'm like yep, that's exactly what I was thinking about That's my idea right there. Yes, I know You know non technology people talking to technology people and then they don't make you feel bad about the lack of knowledge Technology arena right I can barely press buttons on my phone So I guess what we're trying to say here the bottom line is we love them and we appreciate their talents And we always talk about different people from different walks of life who do different things well And we all come together for this one mission and that's making life happen And so we all throw our talents into the ring and look what comes about So we appreciate them and I'm glad that you go to them with the same thing I go it makes me feel better about myself, you know what I mean? Oh, yeah, and then they'll be answering the questions or anything that you have at info at lupa Yes, I don't work, so let's bomb board them, but we appreciate them. Thank you IT It is time to talk about a hero somebody from here in the great state of Louisiana who has helped save lives We heard a little bit from this little nuggets mom Larry B.
Thompson who works here at Lopa who's just an all-around great person We just love her right. I mean you can't help smile around absolutely Like I said earlier she is an inspiration on a day with me So great she does a little bit about her boy Garrett who was six on the call and G But to hear her tell his story is just you know something else she describes him as bright as the Sun He was a charmer he loved cars. They could be tricked out, you know He just loved his cars, which I love he was an athlete and one day back in 2007 He fell he was injured while at vacation Bible school I thought it was okay until that trip to the ER and she says she had to learn quickly about Organ donation and she said she wanted that boy to be a hero and we're still talking about him today and again That was back in 2007 and that is one mama who works very hard to keep his memory alive Stay for children So he is indeed a hero and one of the things that she has going now is a trivia challenge something that her and her husband enjoy But a way to honor Garrett and a way to help Lopa spread the word when it comes to donation So Laraby is an inspiration to all of us here at Lopa We're still sharing Garrett's story and we appreciate her sharing him with us and with others because that is what she does You can read more about Garrett. You can see his sweet little face on our website Lopa.org if you click on faces of donation You can read not only about Garrett Thompson, but our other heroes as well But at this point in our gifted life podcast we do want to pause and we do want to say thank you to Garrett Thompson for the gift of life Those questions rolling in at info at Lopa.org so if you want us to tackle a topic or talk about something in particular I'm shoot as an email info at Lopa.org our great IT staff will make sure they get to us So we appreciate them but today Joey we want to talk about donor families and recipients meeting is it normal for donor families and recipients to meet When our world today, yes, yes and Lopa has been kind of at the forefront in facilitating these meetings way back before my day You know it was a little more difficult You know it was a little more resistance because you know that especially the organ recovery agencies were kind of fearful of that meeting What that meeting would look like and they didn't want to intrude But then we realized some time back that it's not really our decision We leave it up to the families the donor families and the recipients and if it's something that they both want to do Then certainly it's something that we should help to facilitate and we have a fantastic family services department Who really help these donor families through the process?
So we just had a donor family contact us and they said I think we're ready to write to the recipients But we have no idea what to say where to start what do you put in that letter? Well, then that's when I pick up the phone and we call Libby or Sally and we ask for advice They will you know help them they'll sit with them, but really it's just from the heart What do you want them to know and then from the recipient side? I'm ready to write to my donor But how do I say thank you that's hard for them? So Sally and Libby can help with that as well what I get is the after effect.
They've met They're comfortable and now they formed a family So when we have these events across the state you'll have the donor family and you'll have the recipients together And it's just an incredible whirlwind But as you said the donor families and the recipients everybody has to agree that we are ready for this We are ready to move forward Everybody is comfortable with it And of course we offer those resources here at Loba to help facilitate all of that and to make sure that's just a positive Experience for all it is a very emotional experience up in part of a few now and of course being on the front lines It's always an emotional time for everyone involved Even if you're not connected to that family, right? Even even if you're not these these meetings about a year ago I was part of one and it was one in which the donor family met the heart recipient and and I was asked because I have a stethoscope so they borrowed my stethoscope to be able to listen and The first moment that she was able to hear her son's heartbeat and the recipient was one It sent chills down my spine and I don't think there was a dry eye in the entire place It was it was just an emotional beautiful experience for everyone involved It's something that does not leave you it stays with you and it makes you work harder for those families And if you want to check out Loba.org we have a family services tab So if you're donor family out there thinking you may want to write to the recipients I was at a church and there was a donor mom and her son became a hero over 12 years ago And she said I kept meaning to do it But now I'm worried that it's too late well We put her in touch with our family services division so that she could get all the details the information that she needed for her hero So if you go to lopa.org family services tab writing to a donor family writing to recipient We have all those resources online plus just those wonderful women who care for these families like it's their own to help make things happen So check that out lopa.org and yes donor families and recipients. They do meet well Joe We have come to the end of yet another podcast one more conquered there you go episode eight We appreciate everyone's helping putting this together Kirsten Troy shalon and all the people from Lopa who help us put this together Hopefully as a tool for you to use when spreading awareness about donation But we appreciate those who joined us today on the podcast we definitely want to give thanks to Chrissy Hagen the CAO who came and spread the Good news about all the awards and of course getting ready for those big trophy cases for our next building Yes, indeed and then Larry Thompson who's sharing and not only able to share Garrett's story You know but helping with the Sin-La Trivia challenge and doing her part bring promote awareness in central Louisiana Alexandria And really spreading that education for donation and August 26th the trivia challenge at first United Methodist Church in Pineville You want to take part you know somebody and that part of the state who may want to get in on that It's info at Lopa dot org and any questions comment something you want us to tackle something you want us to go into more detail about We want to hear from you info at Lopa dot org and of course our one-stop shop for information about donation in Louisiana Lopa dot org Thank you all for listening if you shared this podcast if you help spread awareness in some way shape or form by Retweeting us or sharing a Facebook page post or something like that We just want to say thank you because you are making a difference like we said it only takes one person and we appreciate that one person being You have a great one. We'll talk to you next time here on the gifted life