Aaron Rouselle was athletic throughout his life, playing college basketball and a variety of other sports, including arena football and baseball. He utilized his deep-rooted passion for sports to create and run his nonprofit for kids and sports. In 2015, his life changed when he was told he needed an emergency liver transplant. He was told the situation was similar to a car with a sudden poor transmission.

Kaitlyn Amos was a promising college athlete attending Baylor University in Texas who had never really had health issues at this point in her life. She was diagnosed with a life-altering disease at the very beginning of her adulthood, at the age of 18 years old. In her freshman year at college pursuing soccer, she began to struggle with physical symptoms of shortness of breath and fatigue.

A crucial part of organ donation and transplantation is the healthcare workers that make it possible, one of those being Dr. David Weill. Dr. Weill is the former Director of the Center for Advanced Lung Disease and Lung and Heart-Transplant Program at Stanford University Medical Center and is a leader in the field of organ donation and transplantation. Dr. Weill is also a long time advocate for pulmonary health and organ donation and has worked with and is on the board of many nonprofits and institutions and has even testified in front of the US Senate and several state legislatures.

5-5-5-5 is the signal that was transmitted on February 16th 2022, for Firefighter Jesse B Gerhard of Ladder 134. Gerhard, 33, was a 7 year veteran with the department. He suffered a medical episode while on duty in his firehouse in Far Rockaway, Queens. He was transported to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital where his passing was announced. Gerhard operated a 2-alarm fire the previous day.

Meet Riki Graves, a diligent business development specialist and a loving mother of two. As a Business Development Specialist for the JC Walter Junior Transplant Center, she focuses heavily on marketing and working with other transplant centers. Riki acts as a physical liaison between the hepatologist, a liver doctor, and the patients.

With all the things that have occurred in the past year, very rarely do we hear a story about goodwill and selflessness. 22 year old Abraham Rohig , donated his kidney in 2019, which saved the life of a young man with Lupus. Abraham’s story is one that inspires and shows us how organ donation is a safe and effective way to help save someone’s life and make a change.

Chelsey McNeil was born with cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disorder that impacts the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. At the early age of four years old McNeil was diagnosed with this disorder and she was able to manage the responsibility of cystic fibrosis up until her early 20s. McNeil had finished college, was married to her high school sweetheart, and recently had purchased a home; the pressure of her disease only began to further impact her lifestyle.

In 2021, New York University performed two cases of successful genetically modified pig kidney transplantation which brought people’s attention into the research area of Xenotransplantation. In this article, we are going deeper in the research history of Xenotransplantation. Then, further discuss what are the advantages and disadvantages for Xenotransplantation to solve the organ shortage in this century.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association of Surgery reveals new possibilities for those diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The findings of this new research suggest that patients with liver-confined colorectal cancer may benefit from living-donor liver transplants. Colorectal cancer patients can then potentially undergo tumor removal at a faster rate, increasing their survival rate.

Joey Gase is a professional racing driver whose passion for racing started at the age of eight. Gase has competed in competitions ranging from NASCAR Cup Series to the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Since making the difficult decision to donate his mother’s organs after she passed away, he has collaborated with Organ Procurement Organizations to continue his work as an organ donation advocate.

Hailey Steimel stands at the forefront of change in the organ donation community where she tells her story in an effort to advocate for organ donation. Steimel’s organ transplant journey was one that was both physically and mentally demanding, but her heart transplantation left her stronger and let her embrace a community that supported experiences just like hers.

New Year, New You – Become an Organ Donor Today!

It’s 2022! As the year rolls in, many people decide to pick up new habits to try and become their “best selves.” For example, some start a new workout regime as a part of their New Year's resolution. What if I told you there was another great bodily resolution that could affect you and countless others?

What is Human iPSC?

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (Human-iPSCs) are cells that can be found mainly in the umbilical cord or bone marrow. They can be reprogrammed back to embryonic stem cells, which have the unique ability to develop into any type of human cell. For example, they can become nerve cells, liver cells, or blood cells. Human-IPSCs are widely used for disease modeling, drug development, and regenerative medicine.

The organ donation community and the healthcare industry takes a huge leap in advancements as the first pig kidney was successfully transplanted into a human. This scientific breakthrough consists of a pig kidney that was genetically altered in a manner that made it suitable for human function. The procedure was performed on a patient who was pronounced brain dead and was on a ventilator at NYU Langone. After performing the procedure, the medical researchers observed the progress of the foreign pig kidney in the human system and they were able to find that the body accepted the kidney with no concern. Although this one trial pales in comparison to the further research that needs to be done to be performed on a regular basis, it is still revolutionary due to the impact the research can have on the lives of many that are long waiting on the organ transplant list.

Brenda Cortez uses the power of sharing stories in order to help children understand the complexities of organ donation. Brenda Cortez is a published author and a live organ donor who has created an outlet to guide children through the different perspectives and implications of what it means to be an organ donor. One of her books is titled “Howl the Owl”, Howl meaning “Help Others With Love”. Brenda states that this motto was meant to “promote kindness and helping others” which is shown throughout her work and her own life.

Covid-19, the plot twist of the decade, has impacted everyone’s lives in ways that we can’t even imagine. Activities were shut down, education went online, and the world flipped upside down. Nearly every area of life was visibly hampered, but one aspect that wasn’t in the headlines was the organ transplant community. The Covid-19 impact on the organ transplant community is best explained through kidney transplant recipients. When an individual has a kidney transplant, they go through a therapy process afterwards. Unfortunately, this process creates immunosuppression, which reduces the overall activity of the immune system. Generally, there are ways to offset this against common diseases and illnesses, but the pandemic presented a whole new problem.

National Donor Sabbath is a three day observance period that focuses on the intersection between religion and organ donation. Every November, two weekends before Thanksgiving, leaders from a wide range of religions come together to speak out in support of organ donation and attempt to remove the stigma around it.

First and foremost, we want to pay our respects to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. We stand with you, we support you, and we love you. ODAC would like to show solidarity with our members of the black community at this time. Also, we encourage those of you who haven’t yet to educate yourselves on the long history of violence and trauma that have built up to the current events today. Black Lives Matter.

Hello everyone, and happy Donate Life Month! As the co-founders of ODAC, we wanted to write to you to wish you safety and good health during this time. In doing so, we thought we would start writing to you all every month just to stay in touch! It’s important to us that you know who we are and understand why we started ODAC. It’s our hope you will join us in our mission to have more people become organ donors! To kick off our new blog, we thought we’d start off by sharing a little bit about the origins of this nonprofit.