Hello and welcome to the gifted life podcast where we have conversations about work in tissue and I donation and Transplantation you can always find a set the gift of life work. I'm Marie Steel I'm Joey Boudreau and I'm Nyla Schwab coming up on this episode of the gift of life You've heard of the transplant games, but we know you haven't heard of the transplant games film festival because it's brand new So we'll be talking about that coming up next and I'm gonna share a new acronym that I learned halt Which is really a word German word stop that can change your life actually. I like it and I really believe you So I'm gonna be listening that more right here on the gift of life hang on Here on the gift of life podcast honored to introduce you to our friends. I hope that they all consider us friends too We have mr.
Robert horsey novelist screenwriter and critical care nurse and is returning here to the podcast. Hey mr. Robert I don't thank you so much for having me back. We also have mr.
Bill Ryan president and CEO of Transplant Life Foundation and mr Bill I've admired you for years because if I tended the transplant games of America Which is your baby and have seen the impact worldwide, which is pretty incredible So we appreciate you joining us here on the gift of life podcast today And I'm glad you're looking forward to it. So there's lots of buzz here in Louisiana because the transplant games They're coming up tell us a little bit about where we are what we look forward to and why you continue to do it Well, thank you enough We're here in Birmingham, Alabama from July 5th through the July 10th and Birmingham One of the bid for the games for a lot of reasons But one of the one of the most significant is that one of our our mission goals is to try and have a dramatic impact on the disparity and Oregon availability and transplant in the multicultural community Ermee and is the birthplace of the civil rights movement. So we thought this is the appropriate time to kind of Take that on and try to tackle that as a project that we're very excited about Maria were Tenants is looking very positive post-COVID and so we're excited we're in Louisiana So team Louisiana was was amping up We're excited about the athletes attending some of our donor families and they were telling us about some new things you guys added Which is where Robert comes into play but talk about the new things that were added and for those who haven't been to the transplant games I mean, it's incredible to witness, but how would you describe it to someone who's never been? Well things one the event itself is a celebration of life.
So we have we both honor donor families But it's also living donors as well as recipients who are anxious to show the world the benefit of their gift of life That was they received as part of the transplant So the games are six days they're chock full of 21 different Competitive elements for people who want to try to win gold silver and bronze medals and then the secondary thing is Not secondary and mission goal, but just the honor of the loved ones who have passed away and made the gift of life available for others Funs of case people usually very tired with a lot of programming in the middle Yes, and for those of us who haven't had the benefit of a transplant and trying to follow everyone It's a tiring experience as well, but so worthwhile So amazing. Okay, so Bill. I have a question for you since you've been doing this for many years So what's one story that really pops out to you and I know you probably have several but what's the one that comes to your head? I'll just tell you my personal story.
I've been involved with donation transplantation for 1986 I had a daughter who was 18 years old a college freshman who asked the world was a result of a car accident It signed up to be a donor. So we donated all of our organs except their lungs. They weren't doing lung transplants in 1986 So I watched helicopter takeoff at the hospital with her heart in it. It was flown a few short miles to Tampa General Hospital It was transited in a 62 year old man So, you know, so that's the one I remember the best I lost I lost a second daughter 16 years later and she was not a fan of a donation But so I have a personal connections that don't it and that's that among hundreds and maybe thousands of stories that I've had the opportunity to share on years There's many stories.
So thank you for sharing that with us because I think you just in a short amount of time Really showed us what donation is all about and then being at these games to honor our heroes and paying it forward, you know Like you've done Robert and I of course My background is very similar started as a recovery coordinator some 22 or 23 years ago at this point and And of course my aspirations were always just clinical, you know So it always interests me when I see people grow beyond, you know the clinical specific realm So first before we get into the film festival Robert if you could tell us a little bit about, you know What Pete you're interested in getting you know into the film business? Absolutely. Well, thanks again for having me I just realized Monday when I was in St. Louis doing a screening for the OPO there in America Transplant that it's 20 years ago This month I started my career in Oregon donation at that very facility So it was a real full circle moment for me to be there and showing the first episode of gifted the docuseries to the OPO community there in St.
Louis I've always been drawn to Oregon donation even as a critical care nurse I was always drawn to those very challenging cases and any of your audiences ever been involved in caring for an organ donor They certainly are the most challenging as far as clinical management goes And I was just always always drawn to those those types of patients And so it was kind of a no-brainer for me to enter the field of Oregon donation 20 years ago this month and the reason I decided to pursue Sharing stories real donor stories from real donor families is it's it's my way to to pay tribute to what they go through The sacrifice that they make of course they'd rather not make that sacrifice But in making that sacrifice they see that there's there's some upside to it some benefit and saving the life of a complete stranger Is is that upside all right guys? So talk about how you guys came together how? This is a new 2024 event how that's gonna work and Robert have you ever been to the transplant games? Yes, I've had the distinct pleasure of being the two games.
I went to Transplant Games in 2018 and again in 2022 2018 was in Salt Lake City, Utah and 2022 is in San Diego and that bill both of those games and Just managed to stay in touch and then when I started down this road of filmmaking and completed episode one And I heard of this amazing opportunity that Bill created in the film festival at the Transplant Games America I reached out to him and and offered offered myself for the film festival because I can't think of any better audience Then the TDA and so so Bill do you want to pick up from there on why why we added that to the list and opportunities for this year? I'd like to say there was a brilliant moment that we thought of film festival would be you know the perfect position of a games But in all reality it's kind of been a part of the game since 2012 the challenges always been defined a theater In the host city that would be available for showing a film or documentary It's pretty rare that we're able to secure arrangements with a you know either the facility or you know with the creative group to do something like that, but the plan was The plan implemented because the city of Birmingham County of Jefferson has a 300 seat theater That's part of their convention center complex that was made available to us as part of the bidding process We thought this is great because literally You know a few hundred yards away from the TDA village is just either that's completely closed So then we just got to walk outside to go to this theater to get there from the from the convention center itself So we had it as part of our part of the package So then it was gonna be who'd us to try to put together a series of films that made sense for our audience And we're in fact them. There's never done it before for this expense So we're you know showing up, you know a series of showings and some of them are pretty impactful You of course gifted so we're excited to bring it to things to our audience. I love it And so Robert, I know we had spoken about gifted before but can you give us a brief overview of what that entails for those who have never been or maybe Has it come across gifted yet?
Absolutely. Thank you If it is the intention is a five episode docu series each episode will tell the story of a donor and their family Not just how that donor passed away But how they lived and how their donation is impacted not just their family But their community and those recipients and their families and just the ripple effect that organization can create In such a positive way As I said, I was just inspired to tell these stories as a way to educate the general population on Oregon donation You can't rely on the on the the medical show that you will to do that for us because sometimes it just doesn't come across Accurately and I wanted to make sure we were getting good solid information out there to the community about education Secondly just to to offer some Entertainment to viewers about donation and then ultimately to inspire people to consider their gifts of being an organ donor And if ever face with that decision, they are making decisions based on good information Okay, so if I am just I hear this podcast and I am not gonna make it to Birmingham Is there any way I can see the film or any of the the special events going on or do I just need to follow Facebook? On my website for it's called gifted-production.com There is a list of screenings that are being shown around the country through the rest of this year However, the film itself is not available for general audiences quite yet We start filming episode two in August in St. Louis, Missouri And my plan would be to put together several of the episodes and then try to get them distributed through a streaming service So that we can we can meet a mass audience that way.
Oh, I found the screenings. Yeah, so these private screenings I may have to take a road trip or either I'll have to take a road trip to Birmingham Yeah, I hope to see y'all there Yeah, we hope that she comes to she's fine And I've been a couple of times so in Salt Lake we probably crossed paths Robert didn't even know it then But one of the things that I take away and when we talk about Transplant Games or someone's thinking about joining our team team Louisiana I just think about all these teams there and watching them interact and communicate and thinking how this hope that's provided by so many Crosses these language and culture barriers, and it's all about love and life. It's such an amazing experience Mr. Bill probably you could put it in better words than I can but I leave there So inspired to go into my community and do even more So you're not gonna be part of Transplant Games if you can't we ask that you support Transplant Games You can do that transplant games of America dot org and there's a lot of work that's put into it You guys always stay on the latest trends to make sure that everybody has what they need But for those who haven't been that I do a little bit of justice describing what it is that's happening at these events Yeah, I think yeah, right, you know one of the things that were we have not In the deal yet that we are currently negotiating with Alabama public television to broadcast the opening ceremonies live on Saturday night So you know if you stay tuned to the website they'll be an announcement as soon as that deal is done that We think that's gonna be an awesome opportunity for people around the country to be able to say people in Alabama I'm sure it'll be recorded and they're available on some some sites somewhere but to see the opening ceremonies So And then everyone is just so excited and you can just feel it in the room and then it begins like it's so amazing Transplant Games of America thanks to you both for being on the podcast today for giving us a glimpse of what'll happen in Birmingham And thanks for all the work that you guys continue to do and helping us make life happen.
Thank you very much my pleasure as well Let's take a moment for mental health always looking forward to these parts of the episode right Well today we're talking about hot and that's a new one to me. I don't know maybe it's been around for a long time I do believe that they used it in addiction recovery and if you think about HALT So hungry angry lonely tired and it's just and so I've been practicing it with my family and so my kids And one of the kids was like halt halt. I was like now's like hungry. Yes angry Yes lonely not so much because we were crammed into five others in a bar, but tired yes So but it really can encourage us to kind of slow down do a check because when we say hungry that can be physically or emotionally I mean sometimes we were just hungry for attention We're hungry for filling our you know filling ourselves back up filling our bucket and hungry Just it I mean Joey you could tell us I'm sure a little bit about like what happens to the body when we're hungry I mean it takes a toll on us.
So when am I supposed to use the acronym all day? Halt yeah halt but it is it's a chance to really do check and I mean Before I speak yeah, but you know really when is it an emergency? I mean as a nurse or your first responder there is an emergency or if somebody's gonna get hurt You know as a parent but a lot of times we just think oh we made up our mind And we're just gonna make this decision because we're based on emotions Or we're based on how we feel in our body and this is encouraging us to slow down and think about before we say something or do something Are you hungry? Are you angry?
Are you lonely? Are you tired? And a lot of times once we take care of those basic needs then we are gonna think more clearly and we can actually it can be helpful to Relationships and communication whether you're at work or in the home or out in the world halt Practice it when you say you hold alt I mean that was our military thing, you know halt who goes there when it's a journey world That means stop just stop and just think for a minute before you say something so you said you put it into into play in your own family So so how is it in practice not just in theory? Well, it was great when it's turned on me I don't know how creative people but I mean at least all of my family have they've embraced it and so if we can catch it I think it will help us communicate better.
Yeah, I mean we have all different ages in my family and my immediate family So, you know, we really do need something that says slow down and hear me No, because you're about to say something and you're not ready like I'm not ready to hear what you have to say or maybe you're not ready to say What you need to say better if you wait or two hours maybe because if it's not an emergency Why do you have to say something thing and add a plastic social media? We see so much of that now. Oh, man, sometimes I'm like my husband. I was like, I wish I could be their filter Yeah, yeah, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know yeah, I know yeah, I know hope those people That's why I just stick to my kids and achievements for my family.
That's it. Yeah, all right That's a great topic. Maybe you have a topic you like us to cover you can email us at info at the get the life. Oh wait I can I go back and one day?
No, yeah, we are like don't always get a halt in grief I mean because that's what we work with right and so even for our families who are grieving This is a great word to hang on to because again It gives you a chance to check yourself because a lot of times I mean lonely that is such a dangerous place to be and in grief, you know, we need a community to heal and so sometimes when we're We're in a hard place halt can be a very encouraging word for us to take care of ourselves Mm-hmm. I was just thinking me my friend. We always say reset. Yeah, we're gonna reset and we're gonna move on We're moving past this reset.
So it's gonna similar a little bit. Thank you All right. Thanks Nyla If you have a topic you like us to cover all you have to do is email us you can do that at info at the get-to-life.org In our question and answer segment how long can someone live with a donated organ? I love this it's first interesting conversation when you're in classrooms or even in a a business setting That's a great question and oftentimes the answer is as long as you would have lived regardless You know, obviously that each organ type has different challenges I'd say the lungs for instance are constantly exposed to antigens and the outside atmosphere and everything so there It's it's a little more challenging to get all the medication and things right, you know for a long period of time But what they're working on and we've had in previous episodes right like with OSM research with taking over tibro bodies and Sort of desensitizing the recipient with the donors stem cells if you guys remember back And so so that you know that's around the corner That's right there and they're able to figure out the whole medical piece a lot better than they did 20 and 30 years ago So so even you know, we're seeing patients right now 30 years out, right?
I mean, it's you know and they would have gotten there There their their second chance at life. Maybe at 30 and now they're 60 for instance and they're going strong and Imagine that those got their transplants like in 1990. So we're 30 years later The medical medical surgical side is even better the medical side is even better. So, you know, that's that's it remains to be seen You know, honestly, but we're getting constantly improved Outcomes, so that's amazing and then we we love our little volunteers when they come in there shared their stories And the one that's just at the top of my brain right now We have a liver recipient who's 21 years out and then she listed all of the milestones She was able to reach because of her anonymous donor.
He rose. She never got to meet that family She's tried to reach out and we've talked about that here on the podcast how that system goes But it was just so amazing to hear her story in 21 years of living and adjusting to this new life And then just celebrating it was pretty cool and how many medicines is she on that? Yeah, I know we were gonna go there, but she is on zero Education they started weaning her off and so I think that's a big part of her story. No medication Doing well thriving about to retire and then all the wacky ideas she has to try and retirement, right?
She goes to go she has this motorcycle that she's looking at and all these fun things that she said I just never thought that I would get to this point, but thanks to my hero. I love the limit. I know very motivated We love the questions. So please if you have a question give us a call 504-648-3477 In every episode of the gift of life, we honor a hero Today's hero is Keith Sonnye We learn about Keith from his family Keith was a faithful employee for the Lafayette Fire Department with 33 years of service until his untimely death on October 11th 2021 his compassion was helping others He was the guy that helped others no matter how big or small the need was and enjoyed doing the task at hand Keith was the go-to guy not only for the fire department, but the community as well Keith loved being a father of two and grandfather of one, but still had enough in him to help others The void left will never be filled, but his legacy will forever be remembered We were touched by an angel with many talents here on earth and will forever miss his presence until we meet again And now we pause and say thank you to Keith for the gift of life That will do it for episode 242 of the gift of life Thanks for listening guys and remember you can register as an organ eye and tissue donor anytime register me that work Yes special thanks to our two guests who came on first Robert Horsey the creator of gifted the docuseries And and what he's done of course himself growing from a clinical coordinator like myself to to someone who's able to To see donation in a different way and to be able to provide that to the public the way he does That's awesome To have the real stories out there as opposed to kind of some of the made-up stories that we see sometimes in the in the movies in television And of course Bill Ryan What can we say you know the the man behind transplant games of America to?
To establish first establish transplant games of America and to see the growth that it's had and for those guys to come together and just Continue building on each other and building you know to again to make life happen to be able to tell the story I love that they take their passion and spread that out to everyone. It is such a ripple effect to do a great job Best place to find us guys at our website the gifted life dot org tell your friends listen there and find links to listen on Apple Podcasts botify I heart radio Pandora wherever you listen to podcast and if you listen on Apple Podcast please leave us a five-star rating It really helps others to find us on social like our page on Facebook. Please it's the get-to-life podcast You can also follow us on Instagram at get-to-life pod Thanks for spending some time with our gifted life podcast crew today Our ask is that you go out and do something you wouldn't normally do to help us to make life happen until next time This is a production of the Louisiana organ procurement agency or LOPA the gifted life is hosted by Lori Steele Joey Buetro and Malashwa producer Ischilon Caraway and we are recorded engineered and mixed in our cuttington Louisiana studio by Troy Perez