U.S. Games
Events & Activities – FOR Living Donors
Living Donor Workshops
Hilton Pittsburgh
Note: This is a preliminary program and is subject to change.
Sunday, July 13 Evening Workshops
THE POWER OF ONE
6:30 pm – 7:45 pm
Learn about ways to share your story, promote donation, and volunteer in other creative and inspiring ways in your local area. We will provide tips for using your stories to help educate the public and professionals. This session is open to both living donors and donor family members.
LIFE AFTER DONATION: EXPECTATION AND REALITY
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
This is a sharing session for living donors. Was your experience what you expected it to be? What suggestions do you have for improving the consent process, making the decision about donation, reactions of family and friends, the surgery and follow-up care?
CREATIVE ART WORKSHOP
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Living donors will create a “book” or collage about your donation. This is a way to process your experience and what it means to you. No artistic ability is required!
Monday, July 14 Morning Workshops
8:00 am – 9:30 am Living donors can choose one:
HOT TOPICS IN LIVING DONATION
Learn about “hot topics” in living donation, including medical developments, registries and data collection, post-donation follow-up care, legislative and regulatory issues.
THE JOURNEY THROUGH DONATION
For many living donors, donation was one of the most significant events of our lives. Afterwards, we may be struggling with many mixed feelings such as joy, depression, pride, elation, grief, loss. We may also be struggling emotionally with changes in our relationship with the recipient, family or friends. We may find that we’ve been so busy with the logistics of donation that we haven’t taken the time to process our emotions about the loss of our recipient’s health, and we might have a feeling of “let down” after all the activity and hard work of getting to the donation.
9:45 am &ndash 11:00 am Living donors can choose one:
THE POWER OF “PEOPLE LIKE US”
This workshop is for living donors and donor families who want to learn how to influence public policy to improve care of donors, transplant recipients (of all organs) and people with kidney disease. This is a “how to” guide for those who want to educate government officials about important public policy and legislative issues.
TURNING POINTS
This is a writing workshop for living donors about “turning points”—significant events that have changed the course of your life. How has living donation impacted who you are and where you are going?
AFTER THE DONATION: NOW WHAT?
Where do you go from here? After the stress and hard work involved in getting to the donation and transplantation, we might feel lost about what’s next in our lives. Includes information on caring for your health long-term.
SHARING GROUPS
11:15 am &ndash 12:30 pm
Living donors and potential donors can join Sharing Groups to meet others who have had similar experiences. Groups will be available on a variety of topics, such as anonymous or Good Samaritan donation, Living Donor Mentors (for potential donors who want to talk to a previous donor), The Joys of Donation, Transplant rejection or other losses, For Potential Donors who couldn’t give, and Post-donation issues. Open Sharing Groups will also be available for those who want to meet informally.
Tributes to Living Donors
The 2008 U.S. Transplant Games Program Journal will include written tributes to living donors who are attending the Games.
Please note that we can only accept one tribute per donor. The donor’s recipient, family or friends may write the tribute together. (Or the living donor can write a few words about their experience). All tributes must be received by June 2, 2008.
How to send a Tribute:
- Please note that we can only accept one tribute per donor. If other family members or friends are attending the Games, please work with them to write your tribute together.
- Please send the following information, which will be printed in the Program Journal:
- Donor name: The donor’s full name (as it should be printed). Also, please indicate that the tribute is for a living donor.
- Family/Friends: Names of family members/friends to print with the tribute (For example, “The Hall Family” or “Janice and Mike Thomas” or “Mom and Dad”)
- Tribute: A tribute of 200 characters or less, including spaces. While it may be difficult to share your thoughts in so few words, tributes exceeding 35 words will be edited to meet space restrictions. Poetry may also be re-formatted to fit the space. (The donor name and family/friends are not included in the 35 word limit).
- Include a contact name/phone/email in case of questions.
- When you register for the Games, you will have an opportunity to send a tribute. You may also email your tribute to livingdonors@kidney.org with “Living Donor Tribute” in the subject line. Or mail your tribute to: National Kidney Foundation, Attn: Living Donor Tributes, 30 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016.
- Remember that all tributes must be received by June 2, 2008.
