Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Friends!

I can’t believe the Rose Parade is tomorrow morning!  I’m sure you have seen all the preparations that are taking place for the Donate Life Float on our Facebook  page. Five families from New Jersey will be participating tomorrow:

·         Floragraph of Besty Niles: Organ and Tissue Donor,
                        Sponsored by Bridge to Life Ltd.

·         Floragraph of Andrew Jova: Organ and Tissue Donor
                        Sponsored by NJ Sharing Network Foundation

·         Floragraph of Robert McCullion: Tissue Donor
                        Sponsored by Dignity Memorial

·         Float Rider Mark Meade: Heart Transplant Recipient
                        Sponsored by NJ Sharing Network Foundation

·         Float Walker Donna Albanese-DeMair: Living Kidney Donor
                        Sponsored by NJ Sharing Network Foundation

I heard we are float #36 in the parade, so keep your eyes peeled! Here are some of the stations you where you can watch, starting at 11:00am:

·         ABC

·         Hallmark Channel

·         HGTV

·         NBC

·         Univision

I hope you have a great time ringing in the New Year with your family and friends, and remember to check our social media throughout the weekend for more updates from California!

Welcome to 2016!

-Ms. Pumps, xoxo

NJ Sharing Network’s Symposium on Organ and Tissue Donation

Hi Friends:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a GREAT day I had at our Symposium! I learned about all different aspects of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. It was so awesome to see our community partners come together for a fun-filled day of education and networking. I was able to spend some quality time with our volunteers, meet all of the wonderful guest speakers, and help families make their quilt squares. This event gets bigger and better every year, and I know everyone at NJ Sharing Network was happy you could join us.

Here are some highlights of the day:

• 30 New Volunteers completed their Ambassador Certification
•      75 Nurses & Social Workers received Continuing Education Credits
•      300 Participated in a fun-filled day of learning

Thank you so much again for those who attended. Be sure to check out all event photos HERE!

XOXO,

Ms. Pumps

P.S. – Save the Dates!

Our Annual 5K Celebration of Life will be here before you know it! Join us as we celebrate our Team Captains, Donor Families, Recipients, and Volunteers at our three locations:

• April 24, 2016: 5K Walk @ Bergen Community College

• June 5, 2016: 5K Walk & USATF Certified Race @ NJ Sharing Network Headquarters
• August 21, 2016: 5K Walk @ Brookdale Community College

ECHO a Life-Saving Message!

Hello! Hola! Xin Chào! 您好!

For the next two weeks, I’ll be participating in Donate Life ECHO! I’m calling on all my friends to help me spread the word!

ECHO stands for Every Community Has Opportunity and was created to encourage people from all walks of life to share their wishes to become organ and tissue donors! The concept of the ECHO is so cool – one person shares their life-saving decision, followed by another and another! Can you hear it?!

What makes ECHO so important is the crucial role multicultural communities play in donation. In fact, out of the nearly 124,000 people waiting for an organ transplant, approximately 77,633 are multicultural patients! WOW!

Here’s how you can help NJ Sharing Network recognize Donate Life ECHO:

·         Register to be an organ and tissue donor here.

·         Have the conversation about donation with your family.

·         Fill out an ECHO speech bubble to show your support – download here:

• English
• Spanish

• Blank

·         Participate in the ECHO photo campaign on our Facebook page.

·         Host a Lily’s Laces reading at your local library or summer camp. Please contact Veronica Horvath at 908-516-5637 for more information.

 

Thank you so much for your support! I can’t wait to see all of your fun photos! Like mine?

 

XOXO,

Ms. Pumps

 

P.S. – National Minority Donor Awareness Week is coming up, August 1-7!

National Minority Donor Awareness Week was created to increase awareness of the need for organ and tissue donors, especially among minority communities. During this special time, we honor minorities who gave the Gift of Life, and encourages others to have the conversation with their families! Can’t wait to celebrate this with everyone, too!

 

 

YOU DID IT!

Hi Friends!

YOU DID IT! I am very happy to announce that the 5K Celebration of Life has officially raised $1 Million! Thank you to all who contributed to make this goal possible. Your continuous generosity never ceases to amaze me!

With these funds, the NJ Sharing Network Foundation will continue to provide support to numerous projects and programs. Some of these areas include laboratory research, donor family support, education for our hospital partners and community outreach to spread our life-saving message.

The amount of funds raised is not the only milestone we reached at the 5^th Annual 5K Celebration of Life event. With two locations, and a combined total of over 12,000 attendees, we had our highest level of participation yet. We also had a record-breaking total of over 450 volunteers to help us make both events absolutely perfect! Be sure to check out all the awesome photos on our Facebook page!

Psst - I even heard talk of adding a third location next year – how exciting would that be?!

With your hard work and dedication, YOU make all of these things possible. We’re so lucky to have such AMAZING people as our advocates. Congratulations to our entire NJ Sharing Network family for reaching this achievement.

XOXO,

Ms. Pumps

PS: Just because the 5K is over doesn’t mean I’ll be slowing down anytime soon! With two cycling events and our Annual Golf Classic coming up, I have a lot of training to do! So strap on that helmet and start practicing your back-swing - I hope you can join me!

Hooray for the 5K!!!

Hey everyone!  Ms. Pumps here!  I hope you all had fun at NJ Sharing Network's 5th Annual Celebration of Life in New Providence this past weekend... I know I did!  It was great to see so many with connections to organ and tissue donation.  It was also great to meet many of the wonderful volunteers and team participants and hear their inspiring stories. I also loved being part of the “warm-up” on the main stage with Team Martial Arts for Life!  My favorite part of the day was watching all of the amazing runners and walkers who crossed the finish line!  You are all doing your heart a favor by exercising and staying healthy while helping us to spread awareness about organ and tissue donation.

 

Sunday was a beautiful day for NJ Sharing Network's 5th Annual Celebration of Life.  The weather was perfect and it was so great to see so many smiling faces and motivated teams.  With a record-breaking 10,000 attendees, this 5K was the best and biggest yet.  Here at NJ Sharing Network, we'd like to send a big thank you out to our donor families, transplant recipients, living donors, those waiting for a transplant, volunteers, elected officials and hospital, community and corporate sponsors.  All of you made this wonderful day possible.  Here at the office, we are already gearing up for next year!  We hope to see you out and about at community events and again year at our 6^th Annual 5K Celebration of Life event in both Paramus and New Providence.

XOXO,

Ms. Pumps

ARE YOU MAD?! My Kidney Donation Story

By Sara Toffoli

Until I read a People magazine article years ago about a living kidney donor, I didn't even know that it was possible to do such a thing.  I've always been an organ donor on my driver's license, but I liked the idea of being able to help save a life while still alive to see the impact. 

I was watching the late news on October 17, 2013 and saw a segment on WPIX called "Help Me Howard."  My husband Greg was asleep in his chair.  Howard was highlighting Torrey Green's quest for a kidney donor (an art teacher from the Miami area).  His story struck a chord with me and I sensed that inside this smiling man was a sad, sick person striving to stay positive and hopeful while not in the best of health.  Torrey needed a break and I hoped I could be it, so I sent  my first email to the network.  When I told Greg my idea he responded, "Are you mad?!"  He told me after surgery that he felt something had to come up to disqualify me, but I had faith that if it was meant to be, it was meant to be.  I spoke to a colleague who had done it for his niece and it deepened my resolve to pursue donating a kidney altruistically. 

On November 19, 2013, I had my first crossmatch blood test and a week later I discovered Torrey and I were a match.  On December 12, I spent a full day at NY Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center undergoing a battery of tests including drawing many tubes of blood, chest x-ray, CT scans of my pelvis and abdomen and an EKG.  I also spoke with a social worker, doctor AND a psychiatrist to ensure I knew the risks and to ensure I knew there would be no financial reward for donating.  On June 3 the following year, I met with the surgeon who eased my husband's concerns and went through a final pre-surgery check-up along with registering with the OR.  I saw Torrey, but we did not speak.  He'd been heartbroken by donors backing out and I didn't want to risk saying anything just in case my check-up came back with any reason to eliminate me from donating. 

June 12 was surgery day.  I woke up and got to the hospital at 5:00 AM.  I checked in and sat down with Greg to wait.  Torrey walked in and he looked at me, smiled and we embraced as he sobbed quietly.  I knew I was making the right decision all along and reassured him that the worst was behind him.  We posed for photos and you can see in them how we're both beaming with peace and love for each other and the decision that would soon impact both of our lives.  Two days later, I returned home and slowly got my strength and energy back. 

I couldn't have done this without the loving support of Greg, his family and all of our friends and colleagues.  To see Torrey returned to the life and vitality teaching his students art and enjoying life again is all I ever wished for when I started the process almost a year earlier.  Our story aired on WPIX in early July and seeing myself motivated me to get myself into better shape and I'm now twenty five pounds lighter than I was during surgery.  I'm embracing life more than ever and have Torrey to thank for inspiring me.  I wish I had more kidneys to donate!

 

Torrey and Sara- Before

 

Torrey and Sara- After

Start Preparing for the 5K!

Hello Everyone!

Ms. Pumps here!  It is almost June and we all know what that means, 5K season!  As you know, on April 12^th I participated in NJ Sharing Network’s 5^th Annual 5K Celebration of Life Walk with nearly 2,000 friends. The day was beautiful and it was so exciting to see everyone being active…while keeping their hearts healthy and pumping.  Now it is time to start preparing for the June 7^th 5K Celebration of Life Walk and USATF Certified Race- located at our headquarters in New Providence! 

 

With Memorial Day weekend approaching, make sure to get outside and start training for June 7^th.  The forecast looks sunny and warm, which is perfect weather conditions to get outside and go for a run.  Remember to sign up online if you want to join me!  If you have any questions feel free to email the wonderful staff at NJ Sharing Network at 5K@njsharingnetwork.org and they will be more than happy to answer any of your questions. 

That’s all for now! 

 

XOXO,

Ms. Pumps           

April 12th Was a Perfect Day for a 5K!

Hi Everyone,

I hope you have all been enjoying all the Donate Life Month activities that have been happening around our community. I have been one busy girl! I participated in NJ Sharing Network’s 5th Annual 5K Celebration of Life in Bergen Community College this past Sunday April 12, along with nearly 2,000 of my closest friends…and we had a blast!

Donor families, transplant recipients, living donors, those waiting for a transplant, volunteers, elected officials and hospital and corporate sponsors came together and enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day to honor those who gave, pay tribute to transplant recipients who received a second chance at life, offer hope to those still waiting, and remember those who died while waiting…for the gift of life.

Here I am with my friend Mr. Pumps and members of Team BCC, including the president of Bergen Community College, Dr. B. Kaye Walter!

 

This was NJ Sharing Network’s first 5K in Bergen County and we were very lucky to have partnered with Bergen Community College, who was our host. Our 5K Celebration of Life actually served as a kickoff to Bergen Community College’s Health Week, which makes me very proud, because as you know, I like to keep my heart healthy and pumping! :-) Although this was a 5K walk, I saw many of the participants running, which was great, but I was just happy to see so many people be active and enjoying the outdoors again!

We had very special guests join us for the program, including Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno who is extremely supportive of NJ Sharing Network’s life-saving mission plus Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco who shared a touching story about his connection to organ and tissue donation. Z100 radio personality Greg T got the crowd pumped as they lined up to start the walk and at 10 am, the sea of walkers took off to the beat of the bag pipes from the Bergen County Firefighters and Pipe Band. It was quite a sight!

There were so many great activities for all ages. We had selfie stations which many participants took advantage of, we had great music and entertainment throughout the day and we had our NJ Sharing Network tents in which participants could admire the beautiful Quilts of Love and sign the memorial banners. Our Kids Corner with arts and crafts, face painting and a bouncy house was extremely popular! Another great activity offered was the water bottle repurposing tent, in which anyone could bring their used water bottles and make them into reusable art such as bird feeders and planters. So cool! We should all do our part to conserve the environment.

I was also very excited to see the variety of healthy refreshments that were offered. There were salads, egg white sandwiches, fruit, granola bars, etc. Everyone seemed to enjoy the treats and they definitely kept with the “Healthy Week” theme. My favorite was the yogurt parfait. Yum!
Thanks to all of you who participated at our 5K on April 12th. If you haven’t done so already, make sure you check out our 5th Annual 5K Celebration of Life – April 12 photo album on Facebook for a sneak peek of our event day photos! Also, the event got some great media coverage, so please visit our Newsroom so you can read all about it!

Okay, I need to go get ready for my practice run for our next 5K Celebration of Life on June 7 in New Providence, which is a 5K Walk and USATF Certified race. Want to join me? Make sure you sign up online. If you signed up exclusively for the April 12 event but would like to join us for another great day, simply e-mail the wonderful staff at NJ Sharing Network at 5K@njsharingnetwork.org and they will take care of you.

That’s it for now. Enjoy the rest of Donate Life Month and stay healthy!

XOXO,

Ms. Pumps

Spring is finally here…and so many exciting things are happening!

Hi everybody! It’s been a while since my last post, but boy have I been busy! My friends at NJ Sharing Network have been working on many new and exciting initiatives that we will be launching this month so get ready, because you will not want to miss this!

First and foremost, it is April…and you know what that means!? It’s National Donate Life Month! I encourage you to join the many businesses, hospitals, schools and communities across the state who demonstrate their support by hosting events or by simply wearing blue and green on national Blue and Green Day on April 17th! And please, don’t be camera shy! Take pictures of your best blue and green frocks and post them on our Facebook or Twitter pages using #NJSN and #BlueGreenDay or send them to John Valentine at JValentine@NJSharingNetwork.org to enter our Donate Life Month photo contest! Too bad I’m not allowed to enter the contest…you all know how much I LOVE pictures of me! To learn how else you can help spread the word of organ and tissue donation during Donate Life Month, download our electronic resource kit here.

 

By the way, have you visited our website lately? One of the major projects I was working on over the winter was the makeover to our website and we just refreshed it this month, so please make sure you check it out – www.NJSharingNetwork.org. It looks beautiful, if I do say so myself!

Finally, I can’t think of a better way to kick off Spring and celebrate Donate Life Month than with our 5th Annual Celebration of Life 5K Walk at Bergen Community College in Paramus, NJ on April 12th. I am so excited, I am pumping for joy!! After the winter we have had, I cannot wait to go out there and welcome all our wonderful families and enjoy this fun filled day, which includes music and activities for all ages. If you haven’t signed up, what are you waiting for? Sign up today! I hope to see all of you out there on April 12th! This is the perfect way to get your body moving and in shape in time for Summer!

Here I am, just about to sign up for the 5th Annual 5K Celebration of Life Walk on April 12th on our great-looking updated website!

Stay tuned for my next post and Happy Donate Life Month!

XOXO,

Ms. Pumps

Start off the New Year with the Rose Parade and Donate Life Float!

Happy New Year everyone! WOW, what a year 2014 was… So many amazing memories we’ve all shared celebrating the gift of life, honoring our loved ones and sharing stories with our community. Our NJ Sharing Network family has grown to be so HUGE and all I can say is “How lucky am I to belong to such a wonderful group of people!” I mean really… where else can you find so many dedicated and compassionate people in one place? Thank you all for being so special.

As you may know, the Donate Life Float will represent the gift of life through organ and tissue donation in the 2015 Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day. Start off the New Year in an exciting way and tune in! This year, there are six families in Pasadena, California with a connection to NJ Sharing Network. Organ and tissue donors will be honored on the Donate Life Float, while recipients and living donors will ride or walk alongside it. The honorees are:

• Joseph D’Addio saved two lives and enhanced the lives of over 80 others as an organ and tissue donor. Joe’s floragraph will be on the float.
• Joe DiSanto received a heart transplant at 11 years old and will be riding on the float in the parade.
• Reenie Harris donated a kidney to a complete stranger and will be walking alongside the float with other living donors.
• Riley Kogen saved the lives of two people as an organ donor and her floragraph will be on the float.
• Melissa Mercado was only six weeks old when she saved the lives of two people. Her floragraph will be on the float.
• Anthony Rizzo saved five lives and gave the gift of sight to two others as an organ and tissue donor. His floragraph will also be on the float.



Here’s what you need to know:
• The telecast of the 126th Annual Rose Parade on January 1, 2015 will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
• The Rose Parade will air on several networks, including ABC, NBC, HGTV and the Hallmark Channel. Please check your local broadcast listings for more information.
• The Donate Life Float will be 25th in the lineup.
• The theme of the 2015 Donate Life Float is “The Never-Ending Story.” It reflects the compassion, courage and life-changing experiences of organ, eye and tissue donors and recipients. The Donate Life Float also reflects the overall parade theme, “Inspiring Stories,” which encourages everyone to celebrate the many people who elevate the human spirit.

Don’t forget to tune in, and if you won’t be home to check it out, be sure to have a friend DVR it!! ;)
Thanks to everyone who made 2014 so spectacular! Here’s to an even better 2015!

XOXO TTYL,

Ms. Pumps