Transcript
TRANSPLANT NEWS
A k r o n - C a n t o n Tr a n s p l a n t R e c i p i e n t s October October Meeting
Our meeting will be October 19th
at North Canton Medical Foundation Education Building A 6046 Whipple Ave. N.W., North Canton
AGENDA
I. Are our meetings okay i.e., information and interesting? II. How can we promote our TRIO group? a.place literature in pharmacies: Davies Drugs, The Medicine Shop, hospital pharmacies? b. who will assume responsibility for doing this? could each member place literature in pharmacies in their areas c. should we participate in local health fairs, county fairs, etc? III. Many decisions have been in made in the past by just a few individuals. The onus of that decision rests on their shoulders.
email:
[email protected]
6:30p.m. - 8:30p.m.
OCTOBER FEST
*Joan Becherer will supply the brats and kraut (plate or sandwich) Members may bring a main dish if they do not like kraut or side dish or dessert *Please keep President Dick Becherer in your prayers as he is unable to attend because of the back pain. He has provided us with the agenda for the meeting. Meeting will commence with our meal at 6:30 and Vice-President Bruce Hord and Mary Fread will preside due to Dick’s absence.
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In 2011, we will use Roberts Rules of Order in setting these decisions in the form of motions, seconded and discussed by our members and then amended and voted upon for approval or disapproval. In this way, we will have true membership participation. --------------------------------PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND THIS MEETING IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. Each one of you is needed and important if we are to succeed in our mission of Awareness, Support, Education and Advocacy. Help us decide ways in which members who are unable to attend meetings and willing to help, can be put to use. --------------------------------------
Donor Sabbath 2010
“But do not forget to do good things for people and to give what you have to those who need it. These are sacrifices that please God.” Hebrews 13:16 The nation sets aside the second weekend of each November for all faith communities to recognize, remember and honor all those who have given the Gift of Life through organ, tissue and eye donation. Please join TRIO - Greater Cleveland Chapter for the Annual Donor Sabbath Service Saturday, November 13, 2010 1:00p.m. - 3:00p.m. being celebrated at Old Stone Church 91 Public Square Cleveland, OH 44113 All are welcome to attend the service, which includes a candle lighting ceremony. Recipients Quilts will be on display. Refreshments to follow immediately in the Church’s Memorial Hall RSVP Requested by Monday, November 8, 2010 Phone: 440-473-8979 or E-mail:
[email protected] Parking is available for a small fee, west of the church on Pubic Square.
NOVEMBER 16TH MEETING Town Hall Meeting: Web-Cam with TRIO International to be setup by: Jim Gleason Jacqui Scolaro & Randy Pelton DECEMBER 21ST Celebration of Life Party
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“Having gone through this in recent weeks, I do hope you will read this and remember” (Contributed by Sylvia Forbes)
LISTEN UP!! THIS IS A MUST READ FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN NURSE’S HEART ATTACK EXPERIENCE
I am an ER nurse and this is the best description of this event that I have ever heard. Please read.
FEMALE HEART ATTACKS I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is the best description I’ve ever read..
Women and heart attacks (Myocardial infarction). Did you know that women rarely have the same symptoms that men have when experiencing heart attack..you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest and dropping to the floor that we see in the movies. Here is the story on one woman’s experience with a heart attack.
I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking, ‘A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up. A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you’ve been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you’ve swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn’t have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensation--the only trouble was that I had not taken a bite of anything since about 5:00pm.
“I had a heart attack at about 10:30pm with NO prior exertion, NO emotional trauma that one would suspect might have brought it on.
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After it seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my spine. (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasms), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR) this fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws. “AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening- we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, haven’t we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, “Dear God, I think I’m having a heart attack!” I lowered the foot rest dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself, if this is a heart attack, I shouldn’t be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else..
but, on the other hand, if I don’t, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any loner I may not be able to get up in a moment. I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the Paramedics..I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didn’t feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to un-bolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in. I unlocked the door and then laid down in the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I don’t remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived.
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I saw that the radiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like “Have you taken any medications?”) but I couldn’t make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stints to hold open my right coronary artery. I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St. Jude are only minutes away from my home.
My Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stints. Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand. 1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body, not the usual men’s symptoms, but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn’t know they were having one and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation and go to bed, hoping they’ll feel better in the morning when they wake up.. which doesn’t happen. My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you have not felt before.
It is better to have a ‘false alarm’ visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be! 2. Note that I said ‘CALL THE PARAMEDICS.‘ and if you can, take an aspirin. Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER - you are a hazard to others on the road. Do NOT have your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what’s happening with you instead of the road. Do NOT call your doctor -- he doesn’t know where you live and if it’s at night you won’t reach him anyway, and if it’s daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn’t carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! the Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later. 3. Don’t assume it couldn’t be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it’s unbelievably high and/or accompanied by high blood pressure)
MI’s are usually caused by longterm stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let’s be careful and be aware. the more we know the better chance we could survive. -----------------------
Beware of Purse Snatcher
(Submitted by Sylvia Forbes)
Please be careful, especially at night because the purse snatchers can appear at any mall or grocery store. They follow in a car after someone has left the store and look for an opportunity to grab a purse from the arm and keep on driving away. Sylvia’s daughter suggested she no longer carry a large purse. When I am putting groceries in my car trunk, I put my purse in first. I make sure I keep my car keys and cell phone with me along with a note pad and pen. If someone tries this with you, please write down their license number, description of car, etc. If at all possible, it is best to never go alone. They seem to target only women they find leaving the store alone. Thanks for the warning.
LifeBanc Presentation at September Meeting
Chris Crepage, Volunteer Services Coordinator of LifeBanc was our guest speaker and we thank him for bringing us upto-date with a great Power Point message and how AkronCanton TRIO can help: *Volunteer Opportunity Descriptions *Ambassador : Discuss organ and
tissue donation with the general public and register individuals on the Ohio Donor Registry at health fair and community events.
*Event Volunteer: Assist with assorted tasks at annual LifeBanc events. (opportunities are announced when needed) For more information and to get involved contact: Christopher Crepage Volunteer Services Coordinator LifeBanc 4775 Richmond Road Cleveland, OH 44128-5919 p: 216-820-4917 c: 440-251-9772 f: 216-751-4204
[email protected] LifeBanc’s Board of Directors recently approved new mission and vision statement and values:
LifeBanc’s Mission Statement:
LifeBanc saves and heals lives through organ and tissue donation for transplantation
*Educator: Conduct education programs in local schools. Varying opportunities exist for different grade levels: middle school, junior high and high school. (additional specific training required)
LifeBanc’s Vision Statement:
Pursuing a future when the decision to donate is an honor and everyone waiting receives a transplant.
*Office Assistant: Offer support
with office tasks such as data entry, collate information packets, prepare mailings, etc. *Presenter: Share your personal story with groups of various sizes.
LifeBanc Values:
Integrity, Inclusion, Commitment, Service and Dignity
Special thanks to Susan and Ray Golden for all they are doing and for an excellent job of handling the Hartville Flea Market Fund Raiser. They continued with garage sales at their home and collected a total of $679.25 for this year. We are very grateful for the excellent job Amanda Goodwin is continuing to do in updating Akron-Canton TRIO information since her liver transplant of August 31, 2010. She really would like more photos. Is anyone interested in taking photos of our meetings and events to share?
http://trioakroncanton.blogspot.com/
Please remember Randy Fogle and wish him success with healing and the forthcoming surgeries. We hope to hear that Cindy Hart will soon be well enough to join us via e-mail. Remember Katie Gavorcik as she continues rehabilitation since her stroke. We hope she does as well as that remarkable Rosie Price has done since her stroke. I was fortunate to spend a very pleasant evening with the family of Debbie Scranton recently. She was a kidney/ pancreas recipient and past President of Akron-Canton TRIO. As her health was failing, she turned the TRIO records over to Tom Behra and myself with the request that we help TRIO grow. I have the honor of doing a quilt patch for Debbie (with the help of Colleen Gerber of LifeBanc) Please free free to contact me at any time for comments and/or additions for the next newsletter. Mary Fread, Editor Akron-Canton TRIO 1529 19th St NE Canton OH 44714-2105 330-754-7904
Amanda is keeping us updated on her journey at
http://amandasjourney.tumblr.com We are looking forward to the time she will feel well enough to join our meetings. Meanwhile, love and prayers for her continued healing.