The Ultimate Gift - Episode 12

The Ultimate Gift  Episode 12  "Thirteen people die daily waiting for an organ.” – Laurie Lee   In this episode, Holly & Kristin talk with Laurie Lee about: Laurie’s early career experiences that led her and her husband to start their own business. Her dad’s life-saving liver transplant and her journey into the world of living organ donation. A beautiful story of gratitude and paying it forward. Laurie’s organ donation documentary with living donors telling their stories on stage. Many describe “the calling” as a lightening strike. Key Takeaways The amazing feeling that comes with saving someone’s life. The Kidney Champion Program helps patients seeking organs on how to conduct a social media campaign to find a donor. It’s an effective way to find an organ. People want to know that they are going to be okay if they make a living organ donation and to know that it’s not going to impact their health in the future. The cost of the organ donation is covered by the receiving patient’s insurance and there are many other resources available to make sure there is no financial impact to the organ donor.  Laurie Lee, is from Hawthorn Woods, IL, and now lives in Algonquin, IL with her husband Rob Lee. Her passions include her family & friends, adventure travel, SCUBA diving, her pets, her business Swift Passport Services , the outdoors, and transplant. Laurie is a non-directed kidney donor whose donation sparked a 6-person transplant chain on Nov 22, 2016. She was compelled to become a donor after her father, Dan Dickinson, received a lifesaving liver transplant in 2011. Laurie is one of the original members of Northwestern Medicine’s Transplant Advisory Council, that powers Transplant Village. Transplant Village is an inspired group of organ recipients, donors and their families is united in their mission to support the future of organ transplantation at Northwestern Medicine while connecting and supporting the transplant community. Her main role with Transplant Village is facilitating a monthly workshop called the Kidney Champion Program which teaches people who are in need of a kidney different strategies to attract a living kidney donor. Laurie enjoys working on projects in the transplant world that make an impact! She was one of the organizers of the 2018 Donor Rally which resulted in a Guinness World Record for the largest number of Living Organ Donors (410!) in one place. She is currently wholeheartedly invested in CrowdSource for Life and is a producer for a docuseries called Abundant which explores the concept of abundance through stories of non-directed organ donation. She believes this project is the catalyst that our society needs right now to pay attention and to take action, so that people don’t have to die or suffer waiting for an organ transplant. Her podcast, Donor Diaries, was developed to support this project and it’s initiatives. Laurie is extremely interested in connecting with people who share her interest in flooding the donor pool, so that nobody has to wait for a life-saving transplant. Resources: Visit https://www.nkdo.org/ for more information on becoming a living kidney donor and https://www.organdonor.gov/ to register as a deceased organ donor. Check out Laurie’s Podcast, Donor Diaries, at:  https://www.donordiaries.com/ Learn more about resources available and the work of Transplant Village at:  https://transplantvillage.org/ Laurie & Rob’s Passport Services Website:  www.swiftpassportservices.com   Connect with Laurie at: Email:              [email protected] LinkedIn:        https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriedickinsonlee/  or                  https://www.linkedin.com/company/swift-passport-services Facebook:        https://www.facebook.com/laurie.d.lee Instagram:       https://www.instagram.com/swiftpassportservices/   UPLIFTING WOMEN HOSTS Kristin Strunk and Holly Teska Your co-hosts of the UPLIFTING WOMEN PODCAST, Holly Teska & Kristin Strunk, are women who UPLIFT other women at work and in the world.  Every other week they bring uplifting women guests to share their personal stories of challenge and triumph to inform and inspire their listeners.  The podcast also features guests who have played a significant role in honoring women and their place in the world by serving as promoters, sponsors, and coaches to the many women in their personal and professional lives. Join Holly and Kristin as they hear how their guests navigate the world of career aspirations, life, love, and family. Get advice from successful women who have figured out their own version of "secret sauce" to create the life they love. Holly believes the world needs the best leaders it can build; those who demonstrate integrity, empathy, humility, vision, positivity, and confidence. This type of leader brings out the best in others and delivers outstanding results. Holly feels we need everyone to perform at 100% to making our world a better place. Holly's experience in leadership, executive coaching, and talent development is the foundation of her career.  She has helped bright and motivated leaders become the very best versions of themselves. Through direct feedback, reflection, experimentation, and honest conversation, she will push you to excel at what you were called to do. Holly is especially committed to helping women navigate the choppy waters of today's fast-paced workplace and evolving world conditions but works with many different individuals and situations.  She welcomes inquiries for leadership and executive coaching and speaking engagements. Kristin's experiences have led her to the simple conclusion that leadership is simple - maybe not always easy, but simple.  Her work supporting leaders in finding their voices inspired her to find her own voice in the space of employee experience and leadership development.  She often hears the question that isn't being asked and is skilled at facilitating conversations and building relationships.  She has helped executives lead organizational transformations involving employee engagement, technology, and the new "Future of Work."  Follow her hashtag #responsibleleadership on social media to learn more about simple things leaders can do to build relationships and have a lasting positive impact.   Website:         www.upliftingwomen.net   Connect with Holly: LinkedIn:         https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollyteska Twitter:           https://twitter.com/HollyTeska Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/holly.teska Instagram:      https://instagram.com/HollyTeska Personal Website:         www.hollyteska.com Email:             [email protected]   Connect with Kristin: LinkedIn:         https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-strunk Twitter:           https://twitter.com/leadadvisor Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/kristin.t.strunk Instagram:      https://instagram.com/ktuttlestrunk Personal Website:         https://regentleadershipgroup.com/ Email:              [email protected]