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Happy New Year!
Happy 25th Anniversary TRIO Philadelphia!

As we usher in 2022, there is a lot of hope for the new year. Mainly hope that the COVID-19 pandemic will subside and we can once again have some normalcy back in our lives. With events like the 25th Anniversary of the Philadelphia Donor Dash and the Transplant Games in San Diego, we make plans and hope that things are safe enough to hold these events so we can once again gather in person. I am very hopeful and continue to make my plans throughout the year and then make decisions based on the numbers of those infected a week or so before the event. We have to keep moving through this pandemic even if it’s through virtual meetings. With xenotransplantation in the news as of late, I am hopeful that patients needing life-saving transplants have other options.
 
TRIO Philadelphia is celebrating our 25th Anniversary! On June 4, 1997, we received our Charter!
TRIO Phila Chapter
Meeting
Join us for our January virtual Chapter meeting, Tuesday, January 25th at 6:30 PM where we will be discussing Xenotransplantation! More information below.
 
Check with your transplant program, but . . .
As an organ transplant recipient on immunosuppressant meds, you are now eligible (five months after your 3rd vaccine shot), for a 4th Pfizer booster shot. Omicron continues to increase in cases and has not peaked yet! Be vaccinated and extra careful out there!
 
Celebrations?
If you are celebrating a transplant anniversary this month, Happy anniversary! Please drop us a note on the TRIO Philadelphia Facebook page.
 
Welcome...
... to our new newsletter subscribers and new Chapter Members. If you are not already a member, I also would like to encourage you to join our Chapter. To join, please visit our website at TRIOPhiladelphia.org under “About” “Membership”.

Congratulations . . .
to Bob Goodman of our TRIO Philadelphia chapter. As Bob steps down from his recent term as Treasurer for the UNOS/OPTN board, he has been nominated in the current election for the role of Vice President for Patient and Donor Affairs
If elected, he would serve his term beginning July 1st, 2022. Good luck, Bob.

Can you help?
Following your transplant, was cytomegalovirus (CMV) ever considered an issue or a complication? We are looking for information from individuals who have had difficulties in managing CMV post-transplant, or who have experienced multiple CMV episodes. If you have experience with this, please complete this short, anonymous poll (three questions only) to help us understand your experience with CMV.  The link to that poll is
 

 Wishing you all a Safe, Healthy, Prosperous, and Happy New Year!
Honor your gift and help other transplant patients,
Bill Soloway
TRIO Philadelphia chapter president
(215) 518-9097 e-mail: wm_c_soloway@msn.com
Observed every year on February 14th, National Donor Day is an observance dedicated to spreading awareness and education about organ, eye and tissue donation.
And on January 25th, join us for . . .
Join us for an evening you won’t want to miss!
Tuesday, January 25th at 6:30 PM Eastern Standard Time
TRIO Philadelphia Zoom Meeting
Join Zoom Meeting
 
If joining by phone only:
use meeting ID: 609 877 4493
And call:  +1 646 558 8656
Good news! Each household in the U.S. can now have four free COVID-19 at-home tests shipped directly to their home at no cost!
All you need to do is visit COVIDtests.gov and enter your contact information and mailing address
(to order click below)
COVID-19 Update
 
The COVID-19 virus continues to be a challenge for many individuals across the globe and here in the United States. The recent introduction of the Omicron variant has spiked new cases but as of this newsletter’s release, only one death from this variant has been confirmed. While a number of communities are reacting to this variant by bringing back additional mandates, there is much to be learned about this variant. With as much objectivity as possible, and with the realization that our community has additional risks above and beyond the average individual, we are evaluating reports from all reputable sources, including the CDC and the NIH. Our plans for the 2022 Transplant Games being held have not changed, but the safety and health of our donation and transplant community will always take precedence. As it stands today, we are still confident that 2022 will be a year in which we can safely re-emerge from the challenges of the Coronavirus. 
  • Bill Ryan
In 2021, 41,354 organ transplants were performed in the United States, an increase of 5.9 percent over 2020 and the first time the annual total exceeded 40,000, according to preliminary data from United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which serves as the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network under federal contract.
The three organ types most commonly transplanted all set annual volume records. There were totals of 24,669 kidney transplants, 9,236 liver transplants and 3,817 heart transplants. Liver transplant totals have set annual records for the past nine years, and heart transplants have set a new record each of the past 10 years.
And our local Gift of Life Donor Program
with the generosity of our tri-state community helped make that record happen . . .
TRIO Philadelphia | (215) 518-9097 | wm_c_soloway@msn.com |