organ donation
D TOUR Events Drew Potential Donors and Increased Awareness of Organ Donation
(left) D TOUR director Jim Granato and (right) June R. Wallace, Community Affairs Coordinator, California Transplant Donor Network at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Throughout the month of September 2009, Community Cinema presented free preview screenings of the documentary D TOUR. Each of the 36 events between September 1 and September 29 connected audience members with information about local organ donation registries and shared the stories of transplant recipients and the donors who saved their lives. The emotionally moving film follows indie rock drummer Pat Spurgeon on a “dialysis tour” as he waits for a kidney transplant match and tours with his band, Rogue Wave. The film lead to many deeply personal and heartfelt discussions with speakers afterward. Even if you missed one of our events, you can still easily connect with the local donor registry in your area.
And, you should. The need is dire. Every 13 minutes another person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list. One in nine American adults— more than 20 million –have kidney disease, and most don’t know it. Nationally, about 106,000 people are awaiting transplants of all kinds. In the Puget Sound region around Seattle there are over 1600 people waiting. In the DC area alone, there are nearly 2,000 people waiting desperately for an organ to save or enhance their lives. More than 3,400 individuals live in the New England region waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. 20,000 people on the wait list live in California.
Every D TOUR event gave audience members a chance to hear the local stories of transplant recipients, donors, doctors, nurses, and/or those living their lives while waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
Maggie Gyllenhaal Discusses Organ Donation and D TOUR
Here is a shocking statistic: on average, 18 people die everyday waiting for an organ transplant.
Watch the exclusive video below with Independent Lens host Maggie Gyllenhaal who discusses D TOUR, which chronicles musician Pat Spurgeon’s search for a living kidney donor and the challenges associated with finding a viable match. The program will air on November 10 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).
Spurgeon’s story highlights the need to regularly monitor kidney health for those who are in at-risk categories. Throughout the month of September, Community Cinema presented 36 free screenings of D TOUR with local organ donor registries and support groups. Based on observations at our events and talking to our partner organizations afterward, we estimate that at least 50 people signed up to become organ donors with their local registry (including one of our own regional event producers and two ITVS staff members) at D TOUR events. Up to 50 lives can be saved or made better by each donor, which means that about 2500 people could potentially benefit from connections made at D TOUR events in September.
Learn more about kidney disease, organ donation and the film >>
D TOUR Events Draw Potential Donors and Increase Awareness of Organ Donation
(left) D TOUR director Jim Granato and (right) June R. Wallace, Community Affairs Coordinator, California Transplant Donor Network at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Throughout the month of September, Community Cinema presented free preview screenings of the documentary D TOUR. Each of the 36 events between September 1 and September 29 connected audience members with information about local organ donation registries and shared the stories of transplant recipients and the donors who saved their lives. The emotionally moving film follows indie rock drummer Pat Spurgeon on a “dialysis tour” as he waits for a kidney transplant match and tours with his band, Rogue Wave. The film lead to many deeply personal and heartfelt discussions with speakers afterward. When D TOUR airs nationally on PBS on the Emmy Award winning series Independent Lens on November 10, 2009 (check local listings) you can still easily connect with the local donor registry in your area.
And, you should. The need is dire. Every 13 minutes another person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list. One in nine American adults— more than 20 million –have kidney disease, and most don’t know it. Nationally, about 106,000 people are awaiting transplants of all kinds. In the Puget Sound region around Seattle there are over 1600 people waiting. In the DC area alone, there are nearly 2,000 people waiting desperately for an organ to save or enhance their lives. More than 3,400 individuals live in the New England region waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. 20,000 people on the wait list live in California.
Every D TOUR event gave audience members a chance to hear the local stories of transplant recipients, donors, doctors, nurses, and/or those living their lives while waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
DC: Building a Transplant Community One Person at a Time
This past Saturday the second of two free screenings of the film D TOUR was held in Washington, D.C. Michon Boston, our Regional Outreach Coordinator for the DC (and Baltimore) area shares her experience at this recent event and one held a few weeks ago.
Washington DCJCC screening 9/13/09 – left to right Ellen Weiser (kidney recipient), Elaine Weiss (liver recipient), Jean Cook (Future of Music Coalition), John Odgen (WRTC), Ellen Blaock (donor parent)
Sunny days in September usually spell bad news for an indoor Community Cinema DC event. So do home team football games, and street festivals. We welcome everyone at our events, nevertheless. Thanks to our community partners the Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC) and the Future of Music Coalition (FMC), we had four perspectives represented at our two D TOUR screenings: the donor family, transplant recipients, living donor, and music community.
At our first screening – hosted by the Washington DC Jewish Community Center – Jean Cook, executive director for the Future of Music Coalition, talked with the audience about their program HINT (Health Insurance Navigation Tool), which helps musicians navigate the health insurance maze and find an affordable plan. This will be a session in the FMC’s upcoming Summit October 4 – 6 in DC.
The WRTC has built a local community of supporters, many of whom speak from experience at events like our screenings. Representing a donor family perspective, Ellen Blalock shared her story about her daughter Jennifer who died from injuries from a car crash in 1993. Jennifer, who was 16 at the time, was returning home from a long-day of volunteer work driving from Virginia to Maryland when she fell asleep at the wheel.
Q&A with Indie Musician Pat Spurgeon at Community Cinema Screening in Philadelphia
On Wednesday, September 23 at 6:30 PM, the College of Physicians of Philadelphia will host a Community Cinema screening of D TOUR with a special “Skype appearance” afterward by Pat Spurgeon from the indie rock band Rogue Wave.
D TOUR chronicles Spurgeon’s search for a living kidney donor and the challenges with finding a viable match. Learn about the myths and facts of organ donation from a panel of local experts and get a chance to ask Spurgeon questions about his life, what he’s learned and how he’s moving forward. Staff and volunteers from the Gift of Life Donor Program will also be on hand to sign up organ donors and answer your questions.
Donate Life California and ITVS Partner for D TOUR Community Cinema Screening
Currently there are more than 100,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, of which 20,000 on the wait list live in California. Due to a lack of donors, 18 patients die every day awaiting a second chance at life.
Donate Life California and ITVS have recently partnered to spread awareness about organ donation for the upcoming Community Cinema screening of D TOUR in Oakland, CA at 6:00 PM, September 23, at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. The film chronicles musician Pat Spurgeon’s search for a living kidney donor and the challenges associated with finding a viable match.
Taking a few minutes to register as an organ and tissue donor can mean a lifetime to someone else.
For those living in California, register on the Donate Life California Web site >>
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