LifeSource

Registering to be an organ donor is a simple step that can lead to big impact! However, in the Upper Midwest only about half of men are currently registered, even though men make up 62% of the waiting list. Our new public awareness campaign tackles this issue, giving men a nudge & an easy way to register online. Help us change the statistics and increase the number of registered men today! Learn more at MenAreTheAnswer.org.

In honor of #WorldEmojiDay help us celebrate by dropping an emoji(s) in the comments to describe your connection to organ, eye and tissue donation! Answer with all that apply to you. You never know what connections others may have - so let's find out and get inspired! 🏆 Registered donor ❤️ Heart recipient 💚 Liver recipient 🧡 Kidney recipient 💜 Lung recipient 💛 Pancreas recipient 💗 Small intestine recipient 💙 Tissue recipient 👁 Cornea recipient 🌹 Donor family 🥇 Caregiver 🎉 Friend is a recipient 💝 Friend was a donor 💔 Loved one/friend/family member died while waiting 🦋 Family member is a recipient ⏰ Currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant 💪🏼 Living donor ⭐️ Donation and transplant professional 🩺 Healthcare provider ♻️ Believer

In June, Nichole Salaam, Director of Equity and Engagement at LifeSource, attended a North Minneapolis event that focused on improving health outcomes within the African American community. She had the opportunity to share information about donation and engage in conversations with community members. Thank you to everyone involved for letting us be a part of this meaningful work! Check out more about the event in this great article by MinnPost https://bit.ly/3Y5Osjo MinnPost photo by Deanna Pistono

This Friday kicks off the Transplant Games of America, happening July 5 – 10! We’re thrilled to share the official Team MN-DAK roster. Join us in wishing them all luck in the comments!    The 2024 Transplant Games will bring together thousands of transplant recipients, living donors, donor families, caregivers, individuals on the waiting list, donation and transplant professionals, supporters, volunteers, and spectators for a truly unique and inspiring week.    Follow along all week and check out our Stories for all happenings from the Games. We’re grateful to our sponsors who are supporting Team MN-DAK this upcoming week: Mayo Clinic, M Health Fairview, Gift of Life Transplant House, Lions Gift of Sight and Katie McKee & Matthew Webster.

Happy Pride! Show your pride and share the love with others in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond! No matter who you are or where you’re from, everyone has the power to save and heal lives through organ donation.

❗ Deadline Approaching❗Our limited-edition LifeSource apparel store closes TODAY Friday, June 28: www.life-source.org/store The LifeSource Pop-Up Store only happens a few times a year. Don't miss out on our exclusive wardrobe must-haves, featuring our new logo.

Our Donor Family Aftercare team works with both donor families and transplant recipients to facilitate meaningful connections, such as letter writing. This is just one of the many ways that LifeSource provides continued support - for months, and even years to come. Many transplants recipients - like Melanie (below) - feel compelled to reach out to their donor’s family to thank them for sharing the selfless gift an organ, eye or tissue donation. "Recently, I sent my donor letter. (Well, technically GG did 😉) Now you might be thinking to yourself… 'Recently??? Melanie, aren’t you TWO YEARS post transplant?? Shouldn’t you have done this already?? I thought you had it together!' Answers: Yes. Yes. Yes. And fooled ya — I’m a mess. I’ve been drafting this letter for two years. Endless revisions, endless rewrites, endless perfectionist procrastination. And at the two-year mark, I finally let go. It’s a good letter. But no letter will ever be perfect because no letter will ever be enough to express the amount of gratitude my donor family deserves. Words can’t bring their loved one back. But words can help heal. I wish I’d been able to let go of this letter sooner. I wish I’d been able to sit down once and have the words pour out. I wish I’d been able to erase their loss with my pen strokes. Writing a letter like this can feel like an impossible task. What I’m able to offer them is so small in comparison to what they’ve given me. And yet, this small thing is so incredibly important. I hope this letter will help them in some way. And I hope they can forgive me for not sending it sooner. I love them and my donor with all my heart. Their gift will never be forgotten. ❤️ If you haven’t sent your letter yet, make today the day.🪻✨" - Melanie, 2x heart and kidney transplant recipient. Follow Melanie's journey on Instagram at @openheartmel for more powerful moments like this. You can also check the full story of her transplant(s) on our blog! https://lnkd.in/gNzhwFHs

Please join us in welcoming our new team members who started this week! Left to right: 💙Alex Walker - Graphic Design Intern 🧡Deborah Oredola - Tissue Recovery Coordinator trainee 💙Beth Anderson - Surgical Recovery Coordinator 🧡Hannah Dobias* - Organ Services Administrator 💙Liz Hereford - Payroll & Benefits Administrator *Some of you may recognize Hannah. She is a rehire, previously on the Donation Coordinator team. Welcome back, Hannah!

MTF would like to announce and celebrate the outstanding achievements of our Recovery Partners, who were honored at the MTF Biologics Leadership Summit on May 6, 2024. These prestigious awards recognize excellence in tissue recovery services, setting a benchmark for success and inspiring us all. “At MTF Biologics, we proudly honor our Recovery Partners for their outstanding achievements in 2023 and dedication to excellence in tissue recovery. The award recipients have established a benchmark of excellence, inspiring themselves and others toward greater success. The relentless efforts of all our Recovery Partners are vital in enabling us to supply essential allografts to patients in need, both locally and globally,” said Mike Real, Vice President, Procurement. Thank you for your dedication and hard work! Let's continue to make a difference together! Read more about the Technical Awards here: https://lnkd.in/eznBJVNQ Infinite Legacy, LifeCenter Northwest, NJ Sharing Network, LifeShare Network, Inc., Lifebanc, Midwest Transplant Network, LifeSource, DonorConnect

Earlier this month I was honored to be asked to participate in the Progress Pride flag raising at LifeSource. I’m grateful to work for an organization that is so welcoming and affirming. It’s important to me, and the public visibility of solidarity at our Minneapolis Headquarters is important too. I shared a bit of my personal experience as a gay man who came out more than 30 years ago. And I encouraged us to join together to not only celebrate Pride, but to continue to work for change as leaders in the field of donation and transplantation.