Dialysis from the sharp end of the needle

Decision to Donate Washington kicks off with film screening

By Bill Peckham

Tonight I went to a film screening that launched a new campaign - Decision to Donate Washington. Decision to Donate Washington is an effort to increase organ donation in WA and MT. They are trying to get 100,000 clicks (one for each person on the organ waiting lists), so click here to find out more about the Decision to Donate Movement. If you're a WA or MT resident you can register to be an organ donor, but for everyone they have suggestions on how you can increase organ donation awareness. And you can find information on being a living donor.

The movie screening was of a documentary featuring John, who decides to give a kidney to his long time friend Larry, who has PKD. The movie is great. It's produced by Seattle's Massimo Backus and Alex Rubin, Masimo is John's son. I thought Masimo and Alex did a great job telling the story of John and Larry. Decision to Donate can be viewed online on the film's website.

I took the film's message to be that you too can be an altruistic organ donor, that it feels good to give someone a kidney, that all you have match is blood type these days and that live donations work better for the recipient. Check out the film (it's an entertaining 17 minutes) and then check out the Movement - Decision to Donate Washington.

Celebrate National Donate Life Month with Transplant Man

By Bill Peckham

April is the 6th National Donate Life Month. Checkout the Renal Support Network's Donate Life Month page for links to up to date transplant information and while you're there checkout the Operation Transplant Man game. (h/t IHD's Okarol)

Donate Life Rose Parade Float wins Queen's Award

2009 Tournament of Roses Parade Donate Life float video is now online on the local TV station's web site, KTLA. The Donate Life float won the Queen's Award for best use of roses; look for the float at the 3:27 mark (part VII):

Congratulations to all the Stars and Riders. The photographic images incorporated into the design, the floragraphs, honor donors "who in their passing gave life, hope and health".

Donate Life Float in Rose Parade

By Bill Peckham

Miriam writes reminding me that there will be a Donate Life Float once again in the Rose Parade. Anna reminded me that I do have a Donate Life Float category - I wrote four float posts last year. I had planned to have a post up earlier but the Nephrology Oral History Project is too compelling to break away from (Zach is right that the background noise is distracting during the Friedman interview but I'm sympathetic ... Eli would be a great person to have dinner with).

Miriam pointed to this years float theme Stars of Life and her aunt who is one of the Walk of Fame honorees. 14 community leaders are recognized with stars on the 'Stars of Life' Walk of Fame which seems to comprise the float. Another honor goes out to float riders.  I Am. Are you? has a float rider reporting from the scene and I know another of the float riders from the Renal Support Network. I'll be looking for post event video and pictures.

What it took to make the Donate Life Rose Parade float

There are nine well edited Youtube videos that track the work that went into making the DonateLife float in time for Tuesday's Rose Bowl parade. For a float to participate in the Rose Parade it must be made entirely of flowers - it is a painstaking task. But the finished result was amazing; here is the video of the finished DonateLife float in the parade (the DonateLife float is in segment 3 toward the end starting at the 12:20 minute mark)

More DonateLife float news

• Online video of the 2008 Rose Parade. The DonateLife float is in segment 3 toward the end starting at the 12:20 minute mark. The Honda Float at the 4:15 to the 7:40 mark of segment 3 is pretty cool too - a pickup made of flowers transforms into a rocket ship made of flowers.

• The Albany Times Union has an article about Alvin Grant, one of 24 transplant recipients to ride on the DonateLife float in today's Rose Parade.

• Here is a press release about five winners and a bio page of each winner of a Astellas Pharma contest to ride on the DonateLife float: Tracy Copeland (article from today), Claire Goudeau (article from 12/11), Bill Ismer (article from 12/27), D.J. Lampert (article from 11/26) and Jill Miller.

DonateLife float in the news

• The DonateLife float was the 25th float/band in this year's Rose Parade; they marched between the Illini Marching Band and the Tournament of Roses President CL Keedy.


• The Contra Costa Times has an article about Nicholas Ermak, one of 40 organ donors honored by the DonateLife Rose Parade Float.


• The North County Times has an article about Brian Wos, another of the 40 organ donors honored by the DonateLife Rose Parade Float.


• The San Bernardino County Sun ran an article on the DonateLife float yesterday.


• From the Contra Costa Times the float from New Mexico's state Tourism Department won the Grand Marshall's trophy, stirring up a bit of controversy:

Kidney Float to be in New Years Day Rose Parade

The Renal Support Network's KidneyTimes has an interesting article describing the annual Rose Parade's Donate Life float. This the fifth year in a row that there will be a Donate Life float sponsored by the Los Angeles area One Legacy group.

The article has pictures of floats from past years and includes an artist rendition of this year's float: