Chapter E-News October 2020
A message from our chapter president . . .
As they say in the South, “Happy Fall y’all!” I can’t believe the temperature is already dropping. The leaves are turning. The Summer and all of its hot weather activities like spending time at the shore are behind us.
I would like to welcome all of our new newsletter subscribers! Please visit our National website at TRIOweb.org and check out all the useful information that is available. Some of my favorites are under the “RESOURCES” tab where you will find our on-line transplant presentation library, transplant movie and book reviews just to name a few. Do you have a favorite transplant book or movie that isn’t listed? We would like to know about it.
Please consider becoming a Philadelphia Chapter Member by visiting our TRIO Philadelphia website: TRIOPhiladelphia.org and click on the membership link under the “About” tab.
The Pre and Post-Transplant App that I have been Beta Testing along with other TRIO members since July has officially released! The app is called “AlloCare” and is now downloadable from the Apple Store for iPhone users with an Android version coming next Spring!
This month we will have Connie Romano, Nurse Practitioner with the heart transplant team at HUP join us at our next virtual meeting on Tuesday, October 27th at 6:30pm. Connie will be speaking on the importance of eating right and exercising after transplant. I hope you can join us. Here is the link to the meeting:
or If joining by phone only: call 646-558-8656 use meeting ID: 609 877 4493

Honor your gift and help other transplant patients,

Bill Soloway
TRIO Philadelphia chapter president
(215) 518-9097 e-mail: wm_c_soloway@msn.com
Thanksgiving: time to write that next donor thank you letter?
“Why didn’t they write?” – patient insights…
by Jim Gleason, heart recipient (19 years out)
 
In my favorite transplant love story movie, Return to Me, there is a touching scene dealing with the difficulty many transplant recipients experience in writing that thank you note to their donor family. In this scene, Grace, the heart recipient (played so perfectly by Minnie Driver), is still torturing herself about actually mailing the letter she has written and been carrying around with her since receiving her new heart a year ago. Her sister (with five small kids in tow) offers her the encouragement she finally needs to so tentatively drop that letter into the nearby mailbox there at the zoo (where, coincidentally, her donor’s spouse, played by David Duchovny, is working and they come into contact for the first time). While this may be just a movie fictional story, it does accurately capture the difficulty many recipients find in expressing themselves after a life saving organ transplant.
Reaching out to a large random sample of recipients, I asked for insights as to why patients hadn’t written to their donors, at least to express a simple thank you. The response was not overwhelming, indicating I hope that most actually do write, but enough replies came back to provide a realistic insight into that lack of communication. . . . click to read this timely full article
Click above to continue reading the full article . . .
Also, for an expanded discussion on this topic, you can read the on-line chapter #31 of my on-line book, “Gift from the Heart” (letters, shared e-mails from donors and recipients, with related resources) on patients communicating with donor families at http://www.rjwitte.com/changeofheart/GiftFromTheHeart/Section2/CHP-31-DONORCOMMUNICATIONS.pdf
Organ transplants almost back to pre-COVID levels, says Gift of Life Donor Program
There's good news for the thousands of people awaiting life-saving organ transplants. The Gift of Life says transplants are back on pace after taking a dive early in the pandemic. Click below to see/read the full video story, but know that the news has gotten even better than when this was featured on 6ABC News a few months ago . . . (also, click on the UNOS graph below for fuller details of current stats)
A special 'SHOUT OUT!' to all our TRIO members who supported the recent AlloCare Transplant Festival that celebrated the launch of a new FREE patient support app for your iPhone (Android version coming out in the Spring) - download from your phone's Apple Store now. See screenshots below:
TRIO Philadelphia | (215) 518-9097 | wm_c_soloway@msn.com |
NEW chapter website: https://www.triophiladelphia.org/