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This Thing Called Life is a podcast dedicated to acts of giving, kindness, compassion, and humanity. Host Andi Johnson introduces you to powerful organ, tissue, and eye donation stories from individuals, families, and front-line healthcare teams. These stories are meant to inspire and remind you that while life can be challenging and unpredictable, it’s also incredibly beautiful. We hope this podcast inspires you to connect with our life-saving and life-healing mission.
Episodes
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
40 Years Of Saving Lives In Cincinnati
Community Heroes is a special extension of This Thing Called Life’s podcast. In this series we talk to community leaders, share important information about organ and tissue donation and honor those who have been instrumental in saving lives through the gift of donation. In this episode we talk to Lincoln Ware from Radio One about the celebration of Life Center’s 40th year of saving lives in the greater Cincinnati market.
Resources:
https://www.facebook.com/LifeCenterOH
Life Center Phone # 513-558-5555
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
During this episode of This Thing Called Life Podcast, host Andi Johnson speaks with Debbie Pollino, a Donate-Life Ambassador for LifeCenter. Unfortunately, Debbie’s experience as an ambassador found its roots in the death of her son Nick after a car crash in 2014. Debbie knows firsthand that grief looks different for everyone and she hopes that sharing her son’s story can help others deal with their own tragedies.
Episode Highlights:
- In January 2014, Debbie lost her son Nick to a car accident, suffering a brain injury that he could not recover from.
- Debbie had no idea that her son Nick was very passionate about organ donation until he noticed that she was one on her license.
- Nick was able to save multiple lives with the organs that were donated from his body.
- 4 months after the death of her son, Debbie attempted to become a Donate-Life Ambassador, but it was still too soon.
- After about 18 months of recovering from the death of her son, Debbie started sharing Nick’s story at schools.
- Nick was a very adventurous and outdoorsy person, driving across the country multiple summers in a row to Northern California.
- After attending Northern Kentucky for college, Nick transferred to a school in Northern California for a forestry program.
- What was supposed to be a 3-month trip to Hawaii for Nick, turned into a 5 ½ year trip.
- The Bernie Madoff pyramid scheme collapse brought an end to Nick’s trip to Hawaii.
- Debbie’s nephews and nieces were like siblings with Nick in life, children to her after Nick’s death.
- Fortunately for Debbie, her family continued to talk about Nick, keeping his spirit all around them.
- Nick had the kind of spirit that makes people proud to remember who he was as a person.
- Debbie had a meltdown recently when she was looking through pictures and realized that she will never have a current one.
- Nick made it all the way to Lima, Peru on a buddy pass for New Years, sleeping in the airport for a week.
- The first time that Debbie went to visit Nick in Hawaii, he jumped off a 60-foot cliff and climbed back up.
- With how up and down the grieving process is, it’s important to have people that you can ask for help.
- Though support groups work for some people, Debbie felt it was more beneficial to be around positive reinforcement.
- Nick was very spiritual in his own way, using nature as his church, as a way to find peace.
- Debbie and her family celebrate Nick on a variety of occasions, especially Thanksgiving, his favorite holiday.
- On August 4th every year, Nick’s birthday, Debbie’s family throws a party to celebrate his life.
- Debbie had the pleasure of meeting Nick’s heart recipient, Brian, and welcoming his family into her family.
- Brian looks and acts the same as Nick, with a similar build and a love for outdoor adventure.
- The pandemic has been especially difficult for Debbie, given how close she is with her family.
- Though it’s hard during the pandemic, don’t hide away from other people while you are grieving.
3 Key Points:
- Debbie lost her 36-year-old son, Nick, after a car accident in January of 2014. Because of his passion for organ donation, he was able to save multiple lives.
- While most days are good, filled with great memories, some days are rough for Debbie when all she wants is a hug from her son.
- Nick’s heart recipient, Brian, a father of 2, has since become a part of Debbie’s family, along with the rest of his family.
Resources Mentioned:
- LifeCenter (website) (Facebook) (Instagram) (YouTube) (Twitter)
- Andi Johnson (website) (LinkedIn)
- Nick’s Heart YouTube Video
- What's your Grief
- Grief in Common
- Fern Side
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
The Holidays Can Be Tough, If You Are Struggling Reach Out And Ask For Help...
Community Heroes is a special extension of This Thing Called Life’s podcast. In this series we talk to community leaders, share important information about organ and tissue donation and honor those who have been instrumental in saving lives through the gift of donation.
Resources:
https://www.griefincommon.com/
National suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
https://www.facebook.com/LifeCenterOH
Life Center Phone # 513-558-5555
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
During this episode of This Thing Called Life Podcast, host Andi Johnson speaks with Kris Grigsby, an incredible human being that has acted as the primary support system for a loved one. After struggling with Cystic Fibrosis for his entire life, Kris’s husband Joe had to have a lung transplant in 2012. Listen in to hear all about Kris and Joe’s inspiring story!
Episode Highlights:
- Organ donation doesn’t just affect the donor, but also changes the lives of the close friends and family.
- Not all transplant stories have a happy ending, but at the same time, not all stories end in tragedy.
- Kris’s husband Joe was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as an infant, beating the odds and living well beyond his initial life expectancy.
- When their twins were 3-years-old, Joe was operating at only 20-30% lung capacity.
- Lung donation requires a donor that has already passed away.
- Due to Joe’s convenient blood type, Joe only had to wait just over 3 months on the waitlist before getting his transplant.
- Spending 6 weeks at the hospital for the transplant, Joe and Kris went 5 weeks without seeing their children.
- Just 16 hours after his transplant, Joe was able to walk 150 feet.
- After the transplant, Kris had to change her mindset from one of a caregiver to one of a more normal wife.
- Kris continued to work full-time throughout the entire process for insurance purposes, but it also gave her some relief.
- Both Joe and Kris, very independent humans, had to learn how to say yes when people offered help.
- It took over 2 years to connect with the donor’s family, and now Kris and Joe are very actively connected with them.
- Staying connected with the donor’s family has helped with the healing process on both sides.
- Kris and Joe’s children do not remember the time when Joe was sick and unable to live an active lifestyle.
- Going through the transplant process alone is impossible, so it’s important to accept the help that is offered.
- The transplantation process is a journey for both the donor and their family/friends.
- As a result of the different recipient and supporter groups, Joe and Kris have connected with people all over the country.
- Kris’s grandpa passed away in April unexpectedly after marrying his new wife just a year and a half before.
- The funeral home director advised Kris’s grandpa’s widow to deny the option for her deceased husband to be an organ donor.
- It should be the #1 responsibility for transplant centers and funeral homes to support the family.
- We must all advocate for ourselves and our loved ones for what’s right in the moment of a donation decision.
- Leave the decision on whether you can or cannot be a donor up to the medical professionals.
- Tissue and cornea donation has the potential to help up to 50 people from one donor, and can change/save lives.
- Science is constantly evolving and as a result, the number of people that can donate is constantly increasing.
- Transplant is not a fix-all option and it’s important to remember that there will still be rough times.
- 2020, while chaotic, has presented an opportunity for everyone to grow closer to their families.
- Faith has acted as an essential support beam throughout the transplant process and life in general for Kris.
- Support groups are incredible resources for those affected by transplantations.
3 Key Points:
- Unlike kidney and liver donation where you can have a living donor, lung donation requires a donor that is already deceased.
- Kris and Joe actually watched the accident on the news that involved Joe’s donor but didn’t know it until later.
- A misguided funeral home director gave incorrect advice to Kris’s grandpa’s widow and ultimately swayed her to turn down his option to be an organ donor.
Resources Mentioned:
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Don’t Forget To Register For The Virtual Community Breakfast. It starts at 9am on 11-17. Register At https://lifepassiton.org/
Andi Johnson joins Lincoln Ware on WDBZ and today they discuss November Events for Life Center.
Community Heroes is a special extension of This Thing Called Life’s podcast. In this series we talk to community leaders, share important information about organ and tissue donation and honor those who have been instrumental in saving lives through the gift of donation.
Resources:
Register For Free at https://lifepassiton.org/communitybreakfast/
https://www.facebook.com/LifeCenterOH
Life Center Phone # 513-558-5555
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
November is the month of National Donor Sabbath, where people of all faiths highlight organ donation within their places of worship. During this episode of This Thing Called Life podcast, host Andi Johnson talks with Renee Paige and Sarah Green who have a beautiful connection that formed a few years ago, tune in for this inspiring story!
Episode Highlights:
- Renee and Sarah recall the details of meeting each other for the first time when they received kidney transplants from the same donor on the same day.
- They both share their belief in God and how they knew they had a connection.
- Did you know that lupus can cause renal failure? Renee shares her journey with it.
- Sarah shares what brought her to the place of needing a kidney transplant and how she wrestled with the news.
- Diabetes and hypertension are precursors to kidney disease.
- Andi emphasizes that Kidney disease is a silent killer and many want to be in denial.
- Renee recalls her thoughts about transplant donation prior to her journey with it.
- Some have a fear of death and therefore just don’t want to address the topic of organ donation.
- Sarah shares her time of working in the medical field starting as a candy striper and how she learned the purpose of organ donation.
- Renee and Sarah share about how they got to go through the whole process of receiving an organ together. They are each other’s kidney champions of support.
- If you received an organ, what would you say to your donor’s family? Renee and Sarah share their responses.
- After receiving a kidney transplant, new freedom is achieved. Renee and Sarah explain the difference between before and after.
- When you are vulnerable and share your journey, more people can relate, be encouraged, and be motivated to address their own health issues too.
- There are opportunities to advocate for the organ donation process, support others who are on that journey, and offer hope.
- How does kidney donation impact people of color?
- For those that are waiting for an organ, keep the faith. It can happen for you. Don’t feel as though you have a death sentence. When you open your eyes each day, be thankful and keep moving forward.
- By signing your name as an organ donor, you can save lives. Educate yourself on the importance of organ donation.
- There are more than 90,000 men, women, and children in need of life-saving kidney transplants in our country today.
3 Key Points:
- There are many misconceptions about organ donation that cause resistance to being organ donors. Renee and Sarah share how their viewpoints on the matter changed.
- Doctors and medical teams' only duty is to save lives. The donation piece is secondary and it’s not until death has been declared that organ donation becomes a part of the end of life conversation.
- Renee and Sarah share the limitations of living life on dialysis three days a week and the freedom they have after being given a second chance at life through kidney donation.
Resources Mentioned:
- LifeCenter | website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube| Twitter
- Andi Johnson website |LinkedIn
- Organ Donation Website
- https://www.donatelife.net/nmdam/
- Life Center’s Community Breakfast Virtual Edition will be November 17th 9-10am EST: This is a free event, open to the public, register at lifepassiton.org.
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Life Center’s Community Breakfast, Will Be Virtual This Year On November 17, 2021 at 9am. Join us To Hear Some Amazing Uplifting Stories
Community Heroes is a special extension of This Thing Called Life’s podcast. In this series we talk to community leaders, share important information about organ and tissue donation and honor those who have been instrumental in saving lives through the gift of donation.
Resources:
Register For Free at https://lifepassiton.org/communitybreakfast/
https://www.facebook.com/LifeCenterOH
Life Center Phone # 513-558-5555
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
During this episode of This Thing Called Life, host Andi Johnson speaks with John Mock, a salesman for a large wheelchair manufacturer. His life took a turn two years ago when his liver failed after 56 years of perfect health. It took a ridiculous set of miracles for John to get his new liver, but he did, and his story is absolutely inspiring!
Episode Highlights:
- John details his background as a traveling sales manager for a large wheelchair manufacturer.
- John discusses the moment, two years ago, when he realized that something was wrong with his liver.
- The doctors could not figure out what was going on with John’s liver because he passed all tests that they could throw at him.
- The ammonia build-up from liver failure was taking away John’s ability to focus.
- Excessive sleeping led John to the conclusion that something was definitely going wrong.
- John’s liver specialist sent him to the University of Cincinnati’s transplant program.
- MELD (Model for Endstage Liver Disease) goes from 6 (years to live) to 40 (death); John was a 24.
- After some mini-miracles, John was able to accelerate the process of getting on the transplant waiting list.
- A battery of tests and blood work stood between John and getting on the transplant list.
- Expecting a long wait to get on the list to get the tests run, a cancellation got John in for his test two days after his acceptance into the program.
- Canceling the family vacation was tough, but John had to be close enough to get to the hospital.
- John was accepted onto the transplant list and found a donor within the same day.
- Recipients have to manage their expectations because there is a chance the organ is not a good match.
- It was important for John to reach out to the family of the donor to express his gratitude and condolences.
- Only 6 weeks after his surgery, John was on a plane to his national sales meeting in Colorado.
- Relying on others for everything was incredibly humbling for John as a natural go-getter.
- 27 days after his surgery, John and his family were able to meet his donor family and they hit it off.
- The liver that John has now is not his own, but has been inside two other people along the way.
- It’s incredibly difficult to have a healthy relationship between the recipient and the donor family.
- What it was like connecting with his donor family and how hard it remains for them to this day.
- If both sides can see that through donation, it can help both sides move forward.
- The gift of life is shared between two families, two worlds really, in the case of organ donation.
- It all starts with the decision that two people do not have to die.
- You see life from a completely different perspective when you come so close to death.
- John works tirelessly as an advocate to make sure that his donor’s family would be proud.
- Hope doesn’t get people to become donors, but it is a strategy.
- Anyone can be a registered organ donor and give hope to someone in need.
3 Key Points:
- John’s life completely changed when his liver failed two years ago. Through some mini-miracles, John was able to get in front of the board of the University of Cincinnati’s transplant program.
- Organ recipients tend to question what they have done to deserve to live and why someone else had to die. The harsh reality of life sets in at some point.
- It’s incredibly humbling when your body and mind stop you from doing certain things and you are forced to rely on others to do things for you.
Resources Mentioned:
- LifeCenter (website) (Facebook) (Instagram) (YouTube) (Twitter)
- Andi Johnson (website) (LinkedIn)
- John Mock (Facebook)
- Hope is Not a Strategy - Book
- United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
- University of Cincinnati Medical Center
Tuesday Oct 19, 2021
Tuesday Oct 19, 2021
Did You Know You Can Donate A Part Of Your Liver? Andi and Lincoln Ware Of WDBZ Discuss, in this episode of Community Heroes.
Lincoln Ware and Andi Johnson discuss Life Centers involvement in the community educating and advocating for those in need of a transplant. In this episode they focus on expressing gratitude for the employees of the BMV who are on the front line of creating awareness for the opportunity to become an organ, eye and tissue donor.
Community Heroes is a special extension of This Thing Called Life’s podcast. In this series we talk to community leaders, share important information about organ and tissue donation and honor those who have been instrumental in saving lives through the gift of donation.
Resources:
https://lifepassiton.org/
https://lifepassiton.org/who-we-are/leadership/
https://www.facebook.com/LifeCenterOH
513-558-5555
Americantransplantfoundation.org
Liverfoundation.org
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
During this episode of This Thing Called Life podcast, host Andi Johnson talks to Dr. Govil,who has been in health care for many years, specifically working in the area of kidneys and kidney health He is a professor of medicine at UC Health as well as Director of Transplant and Chief Section of Transplantation.
Episode Highlights:
- Dr. Govil shares has been in this field for over 20 years and he has dedicated more than 15 years of that time to take care of patients needing kidney transplants.
- Dr. Govil shares why he chose this area of medicine to practice in.
- One of Dr. Govil’s first exposures as a medical resident was with a patient who had trace protein in the urine. All of them, as residents, ignored that component of lab finding and did not realize that their finding was a world-renowned figure in diabetic kidney disease.
- One in six of the US population is at risk for kidney disease, and more importantly, one in 10 out of the US has some element of kidney disease or chronic kidney disease.
- Dr. Govil says kidney disease is very silent. You may only have pain in the kidneys when you have physical problems like kidney stones or any cyst that is hurting you.
- The only way you discover kidney disease is through the blood test and routine numbers analysis.
- Diet does play a role in making kidney disease worse or stable, but a lot of that has to be done with how we manage our primary disease, which is causing kidney disease.
- It is very difficult to ask one patient to stop eating salt because everything we eat around us is loaded with salt, and it is very difficult to break that cycle, says Dr. Govil.
- Andi asks, “Is this kidney disease more prevalent here in America, or is it more prevalent in other parts of the world?”
- There are definitely certain aspects of kidney disease that we do not understand, which means that they may have familial clustering, says Dr. Govil.
- As we progress, we now can identify certain genes that make one more prone to have kidney disease, which does not mean that everyone who has it will present with it.
- Andi asks about Dr. Govil’s experience specifically, “Do you see more of Caucasian patients? Do they seem to have more success in identifying living kidney donors? And if so, why do you think that is?”
- When we look at the transplant or people who are receiving dialysis, 1/3 of them are African American, which means that there is definitely more propensity of any disease in this group of patients than any other group.
- Dr. Govil says, “When we look at the number of people on the list compared to the people who get transplanted and then compare it to the number of people who are on dialysis, they just don't add up completely.”
- Dr. Govil clarifies the myth that kidney donation can harm a donor in the short run and in the long term.
- As per Dr. Govil, education is the key, and that is what he feels when he goes to multiple outreach clinics in the tri-state area, and he realizes a lot of these barriers are related to misinformation.
- Dr. Govil gives recommendations for keeping your kidneys healthy.
- Don't count on kidney pain as one of the symptoms because kidney pain really is not a symptom of kidney disease -that is just a mechanical problem, which could be because of a stone in the kidney or some cyst.
- Diseases are frightening in many aspects; These are things that could be prevented if we took the proper steps and proactively saw our doctors.
- Changes in organ allocation will generally increase some of the volume, but it will definitely increase the volume for certain centers to do more transplants.
- A donor that may have hepatitis is now able to give organs to the patient in need of a transplant, and then that can be treated, says Andi.
- The dialysis survival is really dismal over a period of time. So, a 10-year survival on dialysis is around 10%.
3 Key Points:
- Dr. Govil explains what leads someone to having kidney failure. We have to realize that the kidneys are affected by a lot of things that happen in our body, whether it be high blood pressure, diabetes, or any other changes that may be related to some problems happening at the level of the kidney itself.
- Kidney disease means we are in a tier of the kidney, which is a very silent process and so essentially, your kidneys really do not have to hurt and actually they do not hurt at all when you fail your kidneys over a period of time.
- If we have a healthy, balanced diet to stabilize our diabetes and high blood pressure, it will indirectly help keep our kidneys happy and healthy.
Resources Mentioned:
- LifeCenter | website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube| Twitter
- Andi Johnson website |LinkedIn
- Organ Donation Website
- https://www.donatelife.net/nmdam/