Hello and welcome to the gifted like podcast where we have conversations about Oregon tissue and eye donation. I'm Roy Steele. I'm Joey Boudreau. I'm Sally Gentry and we are celebrating in Utah translate games 2018 guys.
What a way to honor heroes celebrate life and increase the registry all at once. And our gifted life podcast team is on the ground. They're there getting yes getting stories to share with all of us that's just gonna be fantastic. Yeah recipients are saying we are surviving and thriving and we're able to do this because of our heroes.
It is great so you're gonna have to stay tuned guys as these stories continue to unfold. We'll also learn today on this podcast how the transplant games came to be. So we're learning a lot. We'll have a lot of fun here on the gifted life.
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Do it. We are so excited here on the gift of life to have Bill Ryan joining us now. Hey, Bill. Hey, Bill is the president and CEO of Transplant Life Foundation, which does what?
Well, we do a number of things. But the probably the one that people are most familiar with is the Donate Life Transplant Games. We've been involved with the game since 2011. And we're excited to put that vehicle in play to help help get more names on the donor registry and focus awareness on the importance of organ eye and tissue donation.
Yeah, we are so excited. That gets underway today. The gift of life podcast crew in Utah for the transplant games. You're going to be hearing more stories throughout the weekend, throughout the weeks ahead.
So we are proud to be a sponsor of the transplant games because we know how critical it is to increasing those donor registries to increasing donation awareness. But we want to go back to you, Bill, the guy kind of behind this movement, not only are you president and CEO, but you are a donor parent, right? I am. Yeah.
And so is that your inspiration for putting all your heart and soul into this project? Well, certainly, it certainly was impetus to get more deeply involved with the games and with the mission in general. But you know, our involvement really started back in 2011. We have been approached by say, we the Sports Commission in Michigan had been approached by a kidney recipient by the name of TJ Macie Act.
TJ had participated in the games for a number of years when they were being put on by the National Kid B Foundation. TJ approached the Sports Commission to find out if there was any interest in what he called, you know, put it in quote, saving the games because the Kid B Foundation announced that they were discontinuing the games. And so it's part of a normal process that a sports commission goes through. We looked at the event as it relates to all the other things that a sports commission does.
And we thought that there was a lot of a lot of emotion involvement with the games and thought it was worthwhile to at least explore it from a financial perspective. So when we we took it on, there was only like 11 months to plan it, which normally was not anywhere near enough time to put on an event of the size. But at the time, we thought, you know, we could probably put on a smaller version of the games and keep it going and keep it purpose and mission alive. So the Sports Commission, of which I'm a board member or was a board member, I'm retired now, had decided that we would we would do this.
So we took it on and I was approached because I was a donor, father, as far as my interest in running the games. And as a side note, I have a for-profit business that does major sporting events we've been involved with the NCAA Final Four for the last 29 years. So there was some serendipity involved in that we are at event company. And so we took the games on and they were, they ended up in Grand Rapids and they were probably the third largest set of games that had ever been produced.
It was quite a it was quite a wild ride because we only got 11 months to plan and, you know, we were chasing sponsors and, you know, chasing participants all along. But it turned out to be something we fell in love with and that led us to form a separate 501c3 and start the organization off on its own legs and we're still going strong today. Nice. Okay, so for folks who haven't been to the Transplant Games, essentially, what is it?
Like we're talking actual game swimming, track and field, those. Yeah, well, the games, calling it games is probably a little bit of a misnomer. It's a festival style event that runs over six days every two years at the biennial event. And it involves a series of competitions.
There's 21 different sporting competitions that recipients and living donors are allowed to participate in to win gold, silver and bronze metals. They're often referred to as a quote Olympics. Unfortunately, Olympic is a trademark name. So it's the technical term is the festival style competition.
But the games are so much more than that. It's a celebration of life and we we pack six days with activities that both honor the recipients and competitors but also most importantly the donor families because, you know, in many cases without the donor families none of this will all be possible. So there's a very you know, very large, you know, donor tribute ceremony that that truly honors the donor families of those that make the sacrifice. And then there's a series of workshops, special events, dinners, all kinds of things, the TGA village that you've everybody going for six full days.
So do you have a lot of donor families that do come to the games also? Yeah, surprising. We the growth of the games and I can share with you that the games have grown almost 30% every year. Wow, pretty impressive.
In 11, we had we had 5,000 registered attendees in Cleveland in 2016, you know, with a total of attendance estimated around 7,000 and better than more than half of those are donor families. Oh, wow, that's great. So we have a huge number of donor families that really come out to kind of honor their loved ones through the events and the activities that the recipients participate in. It really is neat no matter what state you're from or what country you're from, these teams come together and they're all there for the same reason to celebrate life to honor those heroes.
And I think that is so amazing even if we don't speak the same language. And that's why we're all there. Bill, I have to share. So I attended the last transplant games and one of my favorite images.
It will never be raised from my memory, but we had a recipient who was doing track and field. She had a heart transplant and this was her thing because she got the transplant. She was able to do great things, one gold medals and those kinds of things. Well, when she is approaching the finish line, her donor's family is up in the stands and they are cheering so loudly for her.
Her name is Jamie and dad has a cell phone in his hand, a regular hammer in the other hand. Mom also has both hands, they're taking pictures, they're cheering. And they said that was just like my son crossing that finish line. And to me, donation means hope.
It means love. It means life. And to experience that for me to come back like that reenergized inspired me like we have to share these stories, right? It's so amazing.
I'm sure you see images like that each games. Not only each game, but we almost live it out week by week because we're always picking up stories and hearing all of the amazing things that have happened in this, you know, it's an industry, but it's more than that. It's, you know, people dedicate their lives to it. And so the story you just mentioned repeats itself over and over again throughout the week.
And then, you know, hopefully the rest of the time in between sets of games so that, you know, we have the opportunity to try to bring more people onto the donor registry to, you know, make a difference in the future. And let's talk about that because our team, Louisiana, uh, fired up, right? Like the weeks leading up to the games, that the games, it's so incredible. But one of the things that I noticed is that they try really hard because I don't know if it's a requirement or you encourage them, but to increase each state's, you know, in our registry.
So tell us how that component kind of made its way. Well, you know, the games are awarded in an unusual fashion, like, like major sporting events, they're awarded the cities that did on, did on posting games. And so when we, when we entertain bids from different communities to host the games, there's always a, there's always an underlying factor that, that involves, you know, what will we do to the further our mission by selecting this community. And I can share with you, you know, we took on Houston in 2014, and one of the major reasons was that the state of Texas had only 12% of their adult population on their donor registry.
And we saw that as a big fat target. And so we took the games to Houston as a result. And I don't think we don't claim all the credit, of course, but as a result of our participation, we were able to bring the three OPOs together in the state of Texas to form, donate life taxes. And we were, we were helpful in adding almost 3 million people to the donor registry in Texas.
So they went from 12%. I don't know what their percentage is now. I know their target was to get 8 million people on their donor registry. And I think they're pretty close to that market.
They're not over it. So, you know, so that's our mission. You know, Michigan, when we did the games in 2012, you know, the Secretary of State Ruth Johnson had taken it on as a personal mission to get their donor registry numbers up. And we, we, and working with them and putting the games on, we've got the donor registry numbers over 60% of the state of Michigan to make their down around in the 20% range.
So the game clearly has an impact. And that's always first and foremost on our minds. And you know, we've actually awarded the games in 2020 to the Meadowlands in New Jersey. And because there's a big fat target for Northern New Jersey and New York City for the same reasons.
And important to note, and I mean, if you dominate the conversation, but it's important to note that, you know, we look at these communities for not only the raw numbers to get the percentages up, but we're also intent on improving the situation in our minority communities where the need is so great. And what works great for us here is that when we have this team together from across the state, sometimes they don't know each other because they're only volunteering in their local community. So they meet these folks from outside of their areas. We create friendships, you know, relationships for change, positive change.
So we like that that attracts the attention of our local media. So that helps us to get those positive stories out there. And then here on the podcast, we always ask folks go out and do something that you don't normally do to help us make life happen. And so a lot of people said, Hey, this year transplant games.
So it's, it's fun to see what they pick, what they think they can accomplish. We have adults who are going and then we have Briggs, a little guy who I think just turned two, or three maybe, but they are planning and that family is so excited and they make it a family fair. This is their family vacation to go and help spread awareness. And I just think that's incredible.
Like all the positivity that comes out of the hard work that you and your team do. It's incredible. It's unbelievable. Yeah.
And we are excited about it. So we have days ahead of us. So what do you do while the games are going on? Because I sit and I can watch swim or I can watch track and field and those kinds of things.
But you got to get ready for the next huge event. So we honor donors at one event, we have the opening ceremonies, closing ceremonies, and you have a lot of people that you have to account for. So I guess tell us your perspective. Well, in many respects, it's a lot like a roller coaster ride, you know, you're, you know, all of the months leading up to the games themselves is kind of like sitting in the front of the car as the thing is chugging up the hill on the incline.
And once you get to the games themselves, it's kind of like the car rolling over the hill. And at that point, you're hanging on for your life. So that's kind of the impression that we have when we get into it. But the reality is the event is designed to accommodate the interests and the desires of a great variable crowd.
I mean, the athletes are anxious to compete. And the donor families are anxious to see old friends and kind of experience the thrill of all of the different events. So, you know, we pretty much scrambled, you know, from the welcome reception on opening night to the, you know, the Gala event, of course, is opening ceremonies, which is on the second night. And then the donor tribute, which is the, you know, the major event on the third night, and you know, just keeps going from there.
So the village is the heart and soul of the event where people gather. And it was designed after the Olympic village where families and athletes and coaches all kind of gathered to hang out, trade pins, share stories, get advice, you know, it's kind of a catch-all for everybody. And it turns out that that's a, you know, that's one of the major attractions of the event is the opportunity to kind of hang out with friends. We have a, I was laughing while you were talking about having all these great memories of our last transplant games.
We have a recipient who, when she goes out and volunteers, wears her gold medal that she got from transplant games that she wears up dead back this week. And I just want to thank you first for everything that you've done in organizing. And second, you know, for the changes that you've obviously made throughout the years that have turned it from primarily transplant recipients to having such a focus on the owner families and the heroes, and then of course the registry, which ultimately, you know, is one of the most important things, which is why, you know, we're all doing what we're doing. And the other thing you mentioned that you are a big part of the NCAA Final Four and putting that together.
I'm curious, with everything that you're talking about right here, how do the two events compare as far as the pressure that and the challenges that you've got to go through? Well, you know, if you, you know, it's a different situation in the fact that the NCAA is a client, you know, so I don't know if you're, you know, that you're a pretty strong and rigid organization. So when you're, when you're working with the NCAA, and you put on an event like the Final Four tournament, there's 14 sites that really happen all at the same time. So, so where our involvement is on the technology side.
So we deal with media across the country, you know, TV broadcasters and radio stations and writers. So our world is, you know, pretty pretty frantic. This event is all about emotion, you know, and transplant games brings up completely different perspective to it. There's not, you don't have the, you know, the big TV and the, you know, the all the things that go along with that that, you know, the emotional impact of the transplant games, far surpasses, you know, anything that we've ever experienced in the event world that we live in on a day to day basis.
Well, when we see at the transplant games, when we see other ceremonies, we can tell why you're there, your passion. So we appreciate you. We are proud to get to life to be a sponsor of the transplant games. And we are excited to bring those stories of surviving and thriving these heroes home.
Earlier in the podcast, we mentioned that Bill is a donor parent coming up on the podcast. We always honor a donor. He's going to allow us to get to know his hero, Michelle, that's coming up. So for folks who aren't able to join us in Utah, how can they get a taste of the transplant games, Bill?
Well, I would send them to their website, which is transplantgamesofamerica.org, where there'll be a link to the peak in and get a, they can watch the opening ceremonies live and also pick up daily broadcast feeds from an event we call live from the TGA. All right, transplantgamesofamerica.org. We appreciate it, Bill. Okay, thank you.
On the gift of life, more learning from in-house, right? Yeah. And Sally, so of course, since this episode is all about the transplant games and everything that the athletes have been putting in, poured, competing in the competition, the benefits aren't only physical, right? For them.
There's a lot of mental benefits, mental health benefits that also accompany all this exercise training and stuff that they put into it, right? Absolutely. And you know, part of that too is some of the research points to the fact that any of us, if we exercise, if we're feeling a little down, if we're feeling just not quite right, exercise is getting out in nature and enjoying yourself. You don't have to be necessarily a runner or a hurdler or, yeah.
Yeah. And I think everybody else out there that's like me. Okay. That it does give your, both your mind and your body a break.
And I think with the athletes that are participating in the games, I know they have been through an awful lot when it comes to the physical part. And I know mentally it's been very challenging for them also. So I'd like to think that both the physical activity that they're engaged in does give them also this mental health break too. I think when you see them, the donor families involved with it, there's that euphoria that comes from being involved like that.
I think there's a piece, I think there's a certain part of innate healing that happens that many of us are not even familiar that goes on within our minds or our bodies when we are exercising or attempting to exercise. So I think that this is something that's probably very beneficial. Like you just mentioned, a major benefit for not only the transplant recipients, but the donor families. And actually, you can have vicarious benefits of watching someone engaged in a physical activity.
And I agree with that being a spectator at the transplant games, you know, two years ago. And now it's amazing. And also, when the athletes cross the finish line, no matter if they get a gold, silver bronze, it doesn't matter like the relief on their face, the smallest genuine, like it is amazing. So I agree great topics now.
So maybe there's a topic you'd like Sally to cover info at lopa.org. As in every episode of the gifted life, we honor a hero. Today's hero is Michelle Ryan. And we learn about Michelle from her father Bill.
You know, my experience with donation and transplant state patients started many years ago. My daughter, who was a college freshman, had just turned 18 in August. And you know, with a lot of young kids when they reach that age, at least back then, they were getting the driver's license change from a portrait version to a landscape version, which is a kind of a big deal. I guess when you're a kid.
And she went out of the, you know, the MV in Florida to get her license changed. And one of the things that she asked for them to do is to indicate that she wanted to be a donor, an organ donor. And she got home that afternoon and realized that they did not put the sticker on her driver's license like she had asked. And she actually got back in the car and drove back down to the DMV and had them change it.
So, you know, I'm always amazed by the fact that, you know, she was that intent upon making sure that they had it right that she went back to make that happen. Unfortunately, six weeks later, she was killed in a car accident. And in our introduction to the world of transplantation started then, back then, transplantation was not as visible a program as it is today. The fact that her heart was transplanted made the front pages of the local newspaper.
So, you know, she was kind of a pioneer in many, in many ways. And just to give you a perspective on how that, I think that world has changed. You know, we buried an 18 year old girl with a healthy set of lungs. And we weren't doing lung transplants back then.
So, in a way, it kind of tells you that how much the medical miracle has progressed since, since 1986 when this all happened. So, that's my story. And of course, you know, we've kind of lived her for many, many years and it gives me great pleasure to be a part of it on a regular basis even more intently today. And at this time, we pause and say thank you, Michelle, for the gift of life.
The Q&A segment this time, Lori, this question is going to go out to you. Oh, I'm listening. If I were to become more involved in the transplant games coming up in 2020, where would I go to find out more information about my team in my local area? Actually, great question.
And each state has their own leader. So, it's this person who, in charge of the fundraising and charge the participant shirts that they have to order, the shirt sizes and all kinds of fun stuff. So, they have a lot on their plate, but they take it on, thankfully, to get everybody to the transplant games to represent the individual state or area. So, if you want to know more, because as we said, they happen every two years, the transplant games.
So, after this game is over, we'll start preparing for 2020, but transplantgamesofamerica.org, there is a teams tab. Okay. And so, you'll find out all the information that you need there. And we heard Bill earlier in the podcast and he said, we are looking towards New Jersey for 2020.
So, that's going to be fun. And hopefully, you'll see the Get to Life podcast through there as well. Always a fun time. A great question.
We love hearing from you. We do. And you can always give us a call at 5046483477. We'd like to hear from you.
Episode 88 in the books, guys. I guess you can call this on our Transplant Games episode. I like that. And we got to thank our friend Bill.
Yeah. I want to thank Bill. Not only for coming on to the podcast and sharing everything, but saving the game, so to speak and evolving it into more than what it was before with just the transplant recipients, including the donor families and, of course, promoting the registry. I love it.
And remember, we are honored that the Get to Life podcast is a sponsor of the Transplant Games. So, we are boots on the ground. We are collecting these stories. So, watch on Facebook a lot of what's happening in Utah.
You'll see there from Team Louisiana and more. Also, in the days and weeks ahead, you'll hear these stories of thriving and surviving post-transplant about honoring these heroes and about ways that we're working to increase the registry. Yeah. Maybe this will inspire you to go out and help increase the donor registry.
Yeah. Go to RegisterMe.org. That's quite simple. We'd love if you do that.
Also, we want you to go out and do something that you wouldn't normally do to help us make life happen. You can do it. You're part of our life-saving team. Have a good one.
This is a production of the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency, or LOPA. The gifted life is hosted by Lori Steele, Joey Boudreau, and Sally Gentry. Our producers are Kirsten Hines and Shalom Caraway. We are recorded, engineered, and mixed in our Mary Louisiana studio by Troy Perez.