Chapter E-News July 2021
A message from our president . . .
Welcome to the “dog days” of summer!
 
Not only have we been hitting temperatures in the 90’s, we also are getting an incredible amount of rain! Our flower gardens love it!
 
I can’t believe that the Fourth of July is behind us and summer is in full swing! I hope everyone is remaining vigilant now that mask restrictions have been lifted! I was just at a few outdoor functions and continue to wear my mask especially if I am with people that are not part of my immediate circle.

Don't forget . . .
The sunscreen protection - use plenty and frequently!
TRIO Philadelphia joins in congratulating our president, Bill, shown above, on his 6th heart anniversary recently, as he rode this bike from Philly to Conshohocken and back, later celebrating that heart milestone over a family dinner.

Your celebrations?
If you are celebrating a transplant anniversary this month, Happy anniversary! Please drop us a note on the TRIO Philadelphia Facebook page.

Last chance
Make sure you're counted. If you haven’t taken the TRIO Membership Survey, please click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021triosurvey 

Another 'last chance'
I would like to welcome our new newsletter subscribers and also our new Chapter Members. We still have ONE TRIO Philadelphia mask available FREE to whoever becomes our newest chapter member. Visit our website at TRIOPhiladelphia.org under “About”, “Membership”.
 
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 the poll is here: https://www.research.net/r/CMVPoll
 
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TRIO Philadelphia Chapter July meeting:
Please join us for TRIO Philadelphia’s monthly virtual meeting on Tuesday, July 27th at 6:30 PM
Meeting ID: 609 877 4493 For Audio Only or Audio by Phone:301 715 8592
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Wishing you all a Safe and Enjoyable summer!

Honor your gift and help other transplant patients,
Bill Soloway
TRIO Philadelphia chapter president
(215) 518-9097 e-mail: wm_c_soloway@msn.com

Repeating as still current information:
"Penn transplant answers your questions . . ."
In a message to the transplant patient community sent today (June 21st), Penn wrote:

A recent news segment featuring the personal experience and opinions from two U.S. transplant physicians regarding 3rd doses of COVID vaccination and testing for COVID-19 antibodies has led to questions from many transplant patients at our center as well as centers across the country.

The Penn Transplant Institute, in full alignment with the CDC and the American Society of Transplantation expert community, would like to clearly address our patients' concerns regarding these topics.
Regarding 3rd COVID-19 vaccine doses and/or re-vaccination after prior vaccination for Transplant Patients:

At this time, we do not have definitive data to suggest that 3rd vaccine doses or re­vaccination decrease symptoms or severity of COVID-19 infection, or that it increases protection amongst COVID-19 infection in transplant patients. Therefore, we do not currently recommend obtaining an additional booster vaccine if you have already been fully vaccinated.

Regarding COVID-19 antibody testing after vaccination:

Currently, there is no standard value to tell us what a protective level of antibody is and it is likely that true protection against COVID-19 involves multiple parts of the immune system; antibody is only one of these parts. Additionally, there is a high level of variability between the multiple different antibody testing platforms being used in laboratories. At this time the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifically recommends AGAINST antibody testing following vaccination. For all of these reasons, and in keeping with the FDA guidance, Penn Transplant does not recommend obtaining routine antibody testing after you have been vaccinated.

We continue to recommend the following for Transplant Patients:

•   If you are awaiting transplant or are at least 1 month after transplant and have not been vaccinated, please speak with your provider about getting vaccinated.
•   Make sure your household members and close friends, family, and co-workers all get vaccinated.
•   If you are planning to get vaccinated, do not change your immunosuppression unless your provider recommends that you do so.
•   Continue to protect yourself by wearing a mask when you are outside of your home and/or around unvaccinated people whom you do not live with and practicing social distancing and washing your hands frequently. This includes when you are on the Penn campus or in one of our buildings, where masking is still mandatory.

We understand your concerns in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions being lifted in many areas, especially with healthcare figures suggesting other possible strategies for COVI D-19 vaccination and antibody testing in the media.

With the rapidly evolving literature, recommendations regarding booster vaccine and/or additional testing could change in the future, and we will be sure to inform you as soon as formal studies support changing our recommendations. As always, if you have questions about your particular situation, please do not hesitate to reach out to your team at Penn Medicine.
Join TRIO Philadelphia TODAY!

We welcome the ongoing number of people who have been expressing interest in our chapter and signed up for this monthly TRIO Philadelphia E-Newsletter.

To become a full registered member of our chapter (which includes membership at the national TRIO level too!), you would pay the $20 annual dues. In a recent review of our chapter's historical membership list (and you may be on that list from years past) we see that over 140 local PA, NJ and DE people have been members at some point over the 24 year history of the TRIO Philadelphia chapter! While some have moved away, some have passed away, but with those others and the many new people joining our E-Newsletter distribution list, we have the potential to be one of the largest TRIO chapters from across the country if you join (or rejoin) us.

Wouldn't you like to be a part of that formal membership? It's ONLY $20/person and as we say in the banners above,
"Join us in making a difference!"

Mail that check (made out to 'TRIO Philadelphia') to TRIO Phila c/o chapter treasurer, Elizabeth Rubin at 407 N Swarthmore Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081

Either way, YOU are welcome to follow the chapter's news here each month.
TRIO Philadelphia | (215) 518-9097 | wm_c_soloway@msn.com |
NEW chapter website: https://www.triophiladelphia.org/