Circle of Life Magazine: Spring 2013

SPRING 2013 VOLUME 4

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ISSUE 1

A PUBLICATION OF NJ SHARING NETWORK

April is Donate Life Month

HONORING A LEGACY OF GENEROSITY The “I am Drozd” Team Laces Up for the 5K Walk/Race

BOARD OF TRUSTEES John J. Halperin, MD Chair

Bruce I. Goldstein, Esq. Vice Chair

Vito A. Pulito Treasurer

Marc H. Lory Secretary

Patrick M. Buddle, MD Margaret Dreker Edward J. Florio, Esq. Michael P. Hedden Aline M. Holmes, RN Anthony L. Marchetta Howard A. Nelson Timothy J. Touhey

ADVISORY BOARD Michael Shapiro, MD Chair, Transplant Surgeon Representative

Loretta Aigner, RN Transplant Center Administrator Representative

Gail Clegg Organ and Tissue Donor Family Member Representative

Roseann DiBrienza, RN, MS Public Representative

Katherine Kennedy Voluntary Health Organization Representative

Stuart R. Geffner, MD Transplant Surgeon Representative

Michael Gould, MD Emergency Room Personnel Representative

Sarah E. Jensen, Esq. Public Representative

This is my first message in NJ Sharing Network’s Circle of Life magazine since the Superstorm of our lifetime hit New Jersey. All of the emergency protocols in place at NJ Sharing Network, as well as at the transplant centers across the state, faced a real-life test that came fast and furious.

As New Jersey was reeling, NJ Sharing Network was operating on a large generator, with employees staying in local hotels near New Providence. There was some scrambling, yes, but I am proud to say we didn’t miss a beat.

We coordinated a chartered plane on October 31 to bring a heart to New Jersey. It saved the life of Angel Vasquez of Newark at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, while much of the state was still in the dark (see story page 6).

Our response to the Superstorm was just one of our many accomplishments in 2012. In these pages, we center on the incredible importance of tissue donation, and how a few donors can help so many lives. Last year, we coordinated 378 organ donations and 23,712 tissue donations.

On page 5, we highlight Dr. Ronald Suarez, the Morris County Medical Examiner, and his dedication and tremendous work in tissue recovery.

Our cover story on page 9 brings the importance of tissue donation home, with a heartwarming story of the Drozd family. Pam’s husband, Mike, enhanced the lives of more than 50 people through his generous gift of tissue donation.

We also feature Michelle Brugger on page 11. She is a business owner in New Providence who learned she benefitted from a tissue donor when her ACL was repaired.

This issue also reports on our recently dedicated William Reitsma Hall at NJ Sharing Network, which honors one of our founding members. Bill served the organ and tissue community for over 30 years; retiring from his role as Vice President of Clinical Services.

Looking into 2013, we have many exciting events planned through our Foundation, as well as highlighting the extraordinary team in our transplant laboratory.

I look forward to the annual reunion of friends, donor families, recipients and hospital partners on June 9, when we celebrate the gift of organ and tissue donation at our 3rd Annual 5K Walk and USATF Certified Race.

Despite the support of so many, there still are approximately 5,000 people on the transplant waiting list in New Jersey. We are more committed than ever to working with you to increase the number of registered organ and tissue donors so that waiting lists can become a thing of the past.

You are making an incredible difference. On a personal note: Thank You.

David A. Laskow, MD Transplant Surgeon Representative

Debra L. Morgan, MSW, LCSW Transplant Center Administrator Representative

Shamkant Mulgaonkar, MD Transplant Center Administrator Representative

Trish O’Keefe, RN, MSN Hospital Administrator Representative

Ty J. Olson, MD Neurosurgeon Representative

Joseph S. Roth President and Chief Executive Officer NJ Sharing Network

John S. Radomski, MD Transplant Surgeon Representative

Prakash Rao, PhD, MBA, FACHE, HCLD Human Histocompatibility Specialist Representative

Bruce Stroever Tissue Bank Representative

Harry Sun, MD Transplant Surgeon Representative

Dorian J. Wilson, MD Transplant Surgeon Representative

Mark J. Zucker, MD Transplant Center Administrator Representative

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NJ Sharing Network President & CEO, Joe Roth, and his wife, Lori, carry our life-saving message wherever they go -- including trips to Mexico.

Joe Roth, president & CEO of NJ Sharing Network, recently appeared on NJTV as a guest of Steve Adubato, Jr. to discuss the tremendous gift of organ and tissue donation.

FOUNDATION BOARD Peter Rooney, Chair

As we look back on 2012 there are so many reasons for us to be proud. We’ve seen our Annual 5K Walk and USATF Certified Race become a cornerstone event, helping us honor our donors, provide hope to those on the waiting list, and remember the lives lost while waiting. The 5K also gives recipients a way to express thanks for a second chance at life.

I am so pleased to report that in just two years the 5K has raised more than $1 million. We are looking forward to this year’s event on June 9.

And we’ve just completed our first-ever annual appeal, a successful effort that raises even more philanthropic dollars to support our education, research and life-saving work. We are so thankful to donor family member Barbara Kuzminski for sharing the heart-warming story of her grandson, Jonathon, as part of our appeal.

I also must express my heartfelt gratitude to Donna Albanese for her three years of dedication and leadership as chair of the Foundation. Donna has been an inspiring volunteer and supporter for more than a decade.

Donna passes the torch to Peter Rooney, a senior-level health care marketing executive who brings a wealth of professional and personal experience to this new position. In these pages you can learn more about Peter and his plans as chairman of the Foundation.

We have other board news to report. Helen Taverna Reagan, an entrepreneur and interior designer, has joined the board following her husband, Mark, a heart recipient and founding member.

Also joining the board is another long-time supporter, Juanita DiNizo. Juanita lost her husband, Romano, who was on the transplant waiting list, and she knows our work is far from over. Nearly 5,000 people in New Jersey continue to wait for life-saving organs.

To all our supporters a heartfelt thanks. Together we continue our work to save lives everyday.

Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide Resident of Mendham

Marla Bace, Vice Chair Circles, a division of Sodexo Resident of Berkeley Heights

Philip S. Kolm, Treasurer Resident of Fort Lee

Alberta D’Addio, Secretary Resident of Watchung

Donna Albanese, Immediate Past Chairperson Dairy Queen of Plainfield Resident of Scotch Plains

J.D. de Leon Resident of Jersey City

Juanita DiNizo Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Resident of Scotch Plains

Phyllis L. Elin Resident of Stewartsville

Lenore C. Ford Resident of Morristown

Randi Geffner Resident of Livingston

Honorable F. Michael Giles Resident of West Orange

Derlys M. Gutierrez, Esq. Adams Stern Gutierrez & Lattiboudere, LLC Resident of Montclair

Thomas Ludlum, Esq. City of Paterson Law Department Ludlum Law Offices Resident of Glen Rock

Lisa Meyers Summit YMCA Resident of Summit

Anthony E. Pizzutillo Smith Pizzutillo LLC Resident of Lawrenceville

Helen Taverna Reagan Resident of Basking Ridge

Suzann Rizzo Investors Bank Resident of Staten Island

Elisse E. Glennon Executive Director NJ Sharing Network Foundation

H

onoring those who gave, paying tribute to those who received, offering hope to those who continue to wait, and remembering the lives lost while waiting...for the gift of life.

You can help in our life-saving mission:

Bernard Simon Resident of Edison

Myles Varley Personal Resource Management Associates, Inc. Resident of Mount Olive Township

Ex-Officio Members: Joseph S. Roth

Barry Newman

President and CEO NJ Sharing Network

Chief Financial Officer NJ Sharing Network

Elisse Glennon Executive Director NJ Sharing Network Foundation

EDITORIAL TEAM Mara Barlow Assistant Director, Marketing and Communications NJ Sharing Network

Lernard Freeman

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Register to become an organ and tissue donor Make a contribution Sign-up for our 5K Walk/Race, June 9, 2013 in New Providence Support our Golf & Tennis Classic, October 7, 2013 at Baltusrol Golf Club

Public Relations Manager NJ Sharing Network

Romelle Holmgren Lysenko, MSW, LCSW Donor Family Aftercare Coordinator NJ Sharing Network

Wendy Rothschild Funeral Home Medical Examiner Liaison NJ Sharing Network

Co-Produced by Jaffe Communications & Campbell Health Media

www.NJSharingNetwork.org

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ABOVE AND BEYOND Newark Couple’s Outreach to Hispanics Builds on Son’s Legacy of Generosity For Iris and Ezequiel Garcia, life seemed bleak. Grief over their son’s death made each day difficult; they wondered how they would go on. Their 28-year-old son, Reinaldo, a teacher at Science Park High School in Newark, died in a motorcycle accident in September of 2011.

“When something like this happens, you search for a reason to keep living,” said Ezequiel, in the living room of the family’s turn-ofthe-century home in the Forest Hill section of Newark. “We were lost. Then we realized we wanted to do something to keep Reinaldo’s legacy alive. He was sweet, caring and loving and we wanted to honor his memory.”

After the one-year anniversary of their son’s death, the couple visited NJ Sharing Network to learn how they could support organ and tissue donation, specifically within the Hispanic com-

munity. Their son, a physical education and health teacher, talked about donation with his students, and his older brother knew he wanted to be a donor.

Reinaldo’s corneas, heart valves, and bone were donated to help others.

His parents now want to build on their son’s generosity – a decision that has brought solace and new purpose to their lives.

“We visited NJ Sharing Network and we were amazed,” said Iris. “Elisse (Glennon, executive director of the NJ Sharing Network Foundation,) treated us like she knew us for years. We

“People respond better

when they hear something in their own language.

”

– Ezequiel Garcia

Ezequiel and Iris Garcia, of Newark, pin a patch the couple made in memory of their son, Reinaldo, to a quilt honoring organ and tissue donors from New Jersey.

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left that day and decided that supporting this organization is a way we can honor our son.”

The couple, both educators who emigrated from Puerto Rico and who have lived and worked in New Jersey for four decades, talk with Hispanic community and church groups about donation.

“People respond better when they hear something in their own language,” Ezequiel said. “We need more education. Some people mistakenly think doctors will not work hard to save them if they are registered organ donors, or that they would be too old to donate.” The couple also has helped translate written information about donation into Spanish, and they often talk to Spanish-language media on behalf of the cause.

Transplantation experts say health outcomes would improve for minority recipients if minority donation increased. Minorities comprise 56 percent of those on the U.S. transplant waiting list, while only representing 30 percent of living and 34 percent of deceased donors.

In their living room, near photographs of Reinaldo, as well as his two brothers and the couple’s first grandchild, the couple remembered their son as a talented athlete dedicated to his students and to his family. Iris and Ezequiel said their efforts to support organ and tissue donation build on their son’s legacy and keep his spirit alive.

LET’S GET CLINICAL Morris County Medical Examiner Plays Critical Role in Tissue, Cornea Donation In the field of tissue donation, the clock begins ticking as soon as a patient passes away.

Tissue must be recovered within 15 to 24 hours or donations could be for naught.

Dr. Ronald Suarez, the Morris County Medical Examiner, understands the critical role he and other medical examiners play in tissue donation; he does all he can to support families who want to donate.

“Not everybody can be an organ donor.

For the majority of families who want to donate, tissue may be their only opportunity,” Dr. Suarez said.

Dr. Suarez frequently facilitates the recovery of tissue before he conducts an

autopsy, reducing time as well as the chance of contamination. He said many medical examiners, but not all, follow that protocol, a measure that increases available tissue.

“We all know about organ donation; organs are lifesaving,” he said. “Tissue is not quite that obvious. We need to get the story out about how tissue donation can help children with orthopedic cancers and burn patients. Cornea donation helps preserve or restore eyesight. Heart valves help people live again. So many others are helped, too.”

Dr. Suarez said only rarely must he decline to recover tissue. A criminal investigation would not necessarily prevent tissue donation, although

Dr. Suarez generally consults with prosecutors first and on rare occasions may limit the tissue he recovers to parts of the body not affected by a possible crime.

He credited NJ Sharing Network with building strong bonds with medical examiners.

Wendy Rothschild, funeral home and medical examiner liaison for NJ Sharing Network, said some medical examiners will allow tissue recovery only after an autopsy is complete, which sometimes pushes recovery past the time limit and causes the donation to be lost.

“Dr. Suarez will incorporate our needs within his investigative process,” she said. “He completely understands and values our mission.”

Four New Jersey Hospitals Participate in National Learning Congress Representatives of four New Jersey hospitals participated in the National Learning Congress in October as part of a nationwide effort to increase the number of organ and tissue donations across America.

Physicians and nursing leadership from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, Capital Health in Trenton and Cooper Medical Center in Camden travelled to Grapevine, TX, to learn new tools to ensure every organ donation meets exceptional quality standards.

“The National Learning Congress helps ensure that donated organs are held in the highest regard and appropriately safeguarded for

transplantation,” said Joe Roth, president & CEO, NJ Sharing Network, who invited representatives of the four hospitals to participate.

“The four hospitals are eager to work toward implementing best practices to improve organ donation and transplantation,” Joe said.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Cooper Medical Center received the prestigious Silver Medal of Honor Award for achieving both national donor consent and conversion rates.

About 2,000 hospital and organ procurement organization representatives from around the country participated in the conference, considered the largest program of its kind focusing on increasing donations.

Attention Critical Care Professionals:

Interested in learning more about how

you can save and enhance lives in your healthcare institution? Register today for one of

McVicker Retires from UMDNJ Susan McVicker of The University Hospital’s Family Support Team retires after years of service and dedication. Her career was spent helping to support families in their time of need, and fulfilling loved one’s end-of-life decisions. Susan is pictured on her last day with Oscar Colon, a clinical donation specialist from NJ Sharing Network, (left) and UMDNJ’s Devashish Anjaria, MD (right).

our Donor Advocacy Trainings. Go to www.NJSharingNetwork.org today and sign-up!

www.NJSharingNetwork.org

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SHARING

news

Donor Mom Hears Daughter’s Heart Beat in Hillsborough College Student The moment an organ recipient and a donor family meet is a moment filled with emotion.

Time does little to lessen the feelings.

More than seven years ago, Joseph DiSanto of Hillsborough was hospitalized and on the organ donation waiting list. He would die without a new heart. He was just an 11 year-old boy.

On July 8, 2006, Natalia Crousillat, a 22 year-old, was killed in an automobile accident near Washington, D.C. Her heart gave Joseph a chance to grow up.

Jump forward to October, 2012. Natalia’s mother, Guili Crousillat, traveled to New Jersey to meet Joseph for the first time and to listen to her daughter’s heart beat in his chest. At the

meeting, she hugged Joseph and held her ear to his chest, sobbing.

The emotional first meeting was followed with talk about their lives and Natalia’s generous decision to check “yes” to organ donation on her driver’s license. Joseph, now a student at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, told Giuli that he respects his gift of life and that he wants to volunteer to spread the word about organ and tissue donation. Then he handed her the medal he won from the Transplant Games of America.

The meeting was filmed by WNBC-NY and News 12 of New Jersey. Both segments are available on www.NJSharingNetwork.org.

Joe DiSanto, an 18 year-old heart recipient from Hillsborough, NJ, meets the mother of his donor, Guiliana Crousillat, for the first time at NJ Sharing Network's headquarters in New Providence. Joe also gave Guiliana one of the medals he won at the Transplant Games of America during the emotion-filled meeting to show her what her daughter’s gift has allowed him to do since receiving a life-saving transplant.

NJ Sharing Network Schedules First Annual Volunteer Conference on April 6

Hall Honors Bill Reitsma Bill Reitsma, the former vice president of clinical services and founding member of NJ Sharing Network, with his wife Nancy, during a ceremony to honor his 32 year career in organ donation and transplantation. Bill helped establish NJ Sharing Network, where he worked until retiring last December. NJ Sharing Network dedicated its Hall of Remembrance in Bill’s honor, recognizing the profound impact he has had on the transplant community over the past three decades.

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NJ Sharing Network volunteers and those interested in volunteering are urged to mark their calendars for Saturday, April 6, for a full day of important updates about organ and tissue donation and to thank those who help NJ Sharing Network fulfill its life-saving mission.

with a Volunteer Appreciation Celebration in the afternoon.

“This day-long conference to be held at NJ Sharing Network headquarters, is a great opportunity for active volunteers to attend training to stay abreast of new information and provide new volunteers with information they will need as they begin to volunteer,” explained Sandy Erwin, assistant director of the NJ Sharing Network Foundation.

Among the many sessions will be one focused on the annual NJ Sharing Network 5K Walk/Race with advice for team captains about how to use email, social media, and the web to drive team contributions and participation.

Participants can select topics of interest, including clinical aspects of organ donation and transplantation, up-to-date facts and figures, speaker training and more. The day culminates

Joe Roth, president & CEO of NJ Sharing Network, will present the organization’s vision.

There will also be a general session on legislation governing organ donation.

Anyone interested in becoming a new volunteer can complete their training at one of the monthly new volunteer training sessions.

For more information and to RSVP for the April 6 event, contact Amanda Abramo at aabramo@njsharingnetwork.org.

For Twins, 18th Birthday is Time to Register as Organ Donors Turning 18 years old is a milestone for any young person.

Twins Lauren and Stephanie Turci, and about 25 advanced Spanish students at West Morris Central High School in Chester, decided to mark the big day – which fell on National Donor Day (February 14) – to become registered organ and tissue donors and to educate others about the need for life-saving transplants.

The teenagers invited Ezequiel and Iris Garcia of Newark to the high school to tell the story of their son, Reinaldo, who died in a motorcycle accident and became a donor. The couple told the students that knowing their son helped others has provided them with a measure of solace during their time of grief.

The program, all in Spanish, was part of a community awareness project assigned by Spanish teachers Betsy Lynch and Maria Zezes.

“We became adults and can register as donors on our official driver’s licenses,” explained Stephanie. “Teens may shy away from these issues, but it’s important that we under-

stand and can make informed decisions.”

Stephanie and Lauren are the daughters of Barbara Turci, who is Donation Education Manager at NJ Sharing Network. The teens are asking, in lieu of birthday presents, that people donate to their 5K Walk/Race team, Long Valley Laps for Life.

Ms. Pumps, the official mascot of NJ Sharing Network, celebrated her third birthday, which happens to be National Donor Day, with students and teachers at West Morris Central High School in Chester. Twin sisters, Stephanie and Lauren Turci (l-r), standing on either side of Ms. Pumps, also celebrated turning 18 on February 14. Also pictured (l-r) are: Ezequiel and Iris Garcia, a donor family from Newark, Maria Zezes and Betsy Lynch, both Spanish teachers at the high school, Barb Turci, mother of Stephanie and Lauren, and Oscar Colon, a clinical donation specialist at NJ Sharing Network.

Hurricane Sandy Did Not Stop Life-Saving Heart Transplant The call came just after Hurricane Sandy ripped through New Jersey, knocking down trees and power lines, and sending homes into the sea.

The call said a heart was available for Newark resident Angel Vasquez. The organ needed to be retrieved from a Mid-Western hospital.

NJ Sharing Network arranged for a chartered plane that left New Jersey in the afternoon of October 31 with Margarita Camacho, surgical director of Barnabas Health’s Cardiac Transplant program, and George Forleo, a surgical recovery specialist from NJ Sharing Network. The team returned that evening and surgery began an hour later at the Harvey and Georgina Weinstein National Heart and Lung Transplant Center at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

The hospital transplant team performed the surgery while much of the state was

plunged into darkness, relying completely on generator power.

Angel Vasquez woke up the next day with a new heart.

The transplant was successful because both NJ Sharing Network and Barnabas Health were prepared.

“We have spent a lot of time preparing for these emergencies,” Joe Roth, president and CEO of NJ Sharing Network, told Star-Ledger medical reporter Susan K. Livio, who wrote an article on the Hurricane Sandy transplant.

“We have a very large generator in New Providence. We lost power Monday evening and there was no hiccup in our operations.

Employees had hotel rooms, and we have emergency vehicles with lights and sirens so we can get them around town as necessary.”

After beginning his life with a new heart, Angel thanked God and his doctors.

Angel Vasquez recovering after his heart transplant at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center

www.NJSharingNetwork.org

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On the front cover: Top Row: (L - R) Doug Burns, Tim Malone, Chris Drozd, Pat “POPS” Malone Middle Row: Peg Simurra, Pam Drozd, Geri Entrup Kneeling: John Olesin, Tyler Malone

Pictured here: Chris Drozd, Pam Drozd, Tim Malone

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MIKE’S

Story

5K RACE KEEPS LEGACY ALIVE When Pam Drozd and her 5K team members lace up their sneakers and move through the streets of New Providence this June, they will be honoring her husband, Michael Drozd, and his legacy of generosity in both life and death.

They will walk or run to educate others not just about the value of organ donation – but about the value of tissue donation as well.

The “I Am Drozd” team will be one of more than 250 teams participating in the thirdannual NJ Sharing Network 5K Walk/Race, a USTAF-certified race. More than 5,000 participants are expected to fill the roads for the June 9 event.

Mike, a volunteer firefighter known for his kindness to others, made it clear to his wife, Pam, that he wanted to be a donor.

“He said, ‘If I don’t need it and somebody else does, they can have it. Let them take whatever can help someone else.’ That was how Mike lived his life, giving to others,” recalled Pam. In 2008, a faulty rear axle in the truck Mike was driving caused an accident on Route 4 in Paramus. At the hospital, his heart could not be re-started. Mike’s story drives home the importance of talking to loved ones about donation wishes.

Because he died instantly, Mike was not a candidate for organ donation. A person must be on mechanical support and declared brain dead in order for organs to be viable for transplant.

“The hospital told me that Mike could not donate his organs. I did not think I could be any more devastated at this point, but I was. I felt as if I had failed him by not fulfilling his wishes to be an organ donor,” Pam recalled.

Tissue donation also can help donor families. “Mike lived his life helping others, so knowing that he was able to help people even after death brings me some solace,” Pam said.

Mike and Pam met while volunteering at the Bergen County Fire Academy. They hit it

But soon after, she spoke to transplant coordinators from NJ Sharing Network and learned that Mike was a candidate for tissue donation. Pam immediately agreed, knowing donation would honor Mike’s wishes.

“Mike was able to help 57 people. 57!

That’s an incredible number of people all over the country whose lives are better now because of Mike. When we participate in the 5K, we will be honoring Mike’s generosity and keeping his legacy alive,” Pam said.

Tissue donation can enhance lives in many ways. Donated cornea can help blind people see again. A donated heart valve can save a life.

Donated bone can prevent an amputation for a child with bone cancer. Donated skin can help a burn victim recover and live a more normal life. The list goes on. www.NJSharingNetwork.org

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off immediately; Mike asked Pam to go out that very night.

“I said, ‘I just met you!’” Pam recalled. But soon they were seeing each other regularly.

Mike worked with computers and later was a fire inspector for the Township of Mahwah.

He was a volunteer with the Mahwah Fire Department and a volunteer driver for Mahwah Ambulance and Rescue Squad Co. #1. He also served as Pipe Sergeant with the Bergen County Firefighters Pipe Band.

The couple married in 2006; Mike died 22 months later. They were together just five years. “But the way we lived and loved each other gave us more happiness than many people experience in a lifetime,” Pam recalls.

This will not be the first time the “I Am Drozd” team will participate in the 5K. Last year, 38 people came out to honor Mike, each wearing the Hawaiian shirts Mike loved.

Recently, team members gathered in Mahwah to talk about this year’s event.

“We are running again to honor Mike,” said Mike's brother, Christopher Drozd. “If you ever needed anything, Mike was there. At his wake, we heard story after story of how Mike helped people. A friend had a leak on his roof during a storm, and Mike showed up with a ladder and a tarp to help out – during the storm!

Who does that?”

Christopher Drozd said all Mike’s siblings now are registered organ and tissue donors.

“That’s another legacy of my brother,” he said.

The “I Am Drozd” team comprises family members on both sides, as well as friends, including many who knew Mike from his varied work as a volunteer. Doug Burns knew Mike from the pipe band, noting Pam introduced him to NJ Sharing Network.

“Being a donor is something Members of the ‘I am Drozd’ team at last year's 5K, wearing the Hawaiian shirts that you don't think about, but Mike loved. now we all know so much “You take an athlete who might never be more about organ donation. It’s as simple as checking off yes on your driver’s license,” able to play a sport again because of a torn he said.

ACL. With tissue donation, that person can get While some on the team are learning his or her life back,” Pam said. about donation, Pam’s cousin, Peggy Simurra, already understood the need for organ transplants and tissue donation. She is a nurse with experience working with dialysis patients. She also donated her own kidney to the husband of a friend.

“Donation has always been something I believe in,” Peggy said. “And I am happy that Mike is putting some focus on tissue donation as well. I think people know much less about the value of tissue donation, which can enhance the lives of so many people.”

Organ donation may get more headlines.

But Pam said she, too, is happy that her husband’s story can help spread the word about tissue donation.

At the 5K, Mike’s friends and family – some who met each other only through the 5K Walk/Race – shared stories of his life, another way the 5K event is keeping Mike’s legacy alive.

“When we get together, everybody has a chance to talk about Mike,” said Pat Malone, Pam’s father. Pam’s brother, Tim Malone, recalled when he and Mike both shaved their heads to raise money for a children’s cancer charity.

“Nobody was surprised that Mike was a registered donor,” said Tim Malone. “He was the type of person who would drop everything for everybody else. That’s the kind of guy he was – and now he’s doing things for others, for all of us, even after he’s gone.”

www.NJSharingNetwork.org Presented by

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Hosted by

Business Leader Owes Her

Repaired ACL to Donated Tissue

As a business leader in downtown New Providence, Michelle Brugger has been a supporter of NJ Sharing Network.

Her team “Martial Arts for Life” will participate in the NJ Sharing Network 5K Walk/Race for the second time. Michelle supports NJ Sharing Network for its local ties and life-saving mission.

But Michelle also learned that she has a personal connection to the organization’s work. She is a tissue recipient now able to walk without pain and pursue her career in martial arts. She is owner of Martial Arts for Life in New Providence, and without the surgery using donated tissue, she would not be able to own this business that she loves.

“I was talking to NJ Sharing Network’s Jackie Lue Raia who shared her experience donating her mother’s organs and tissue. She mentioned a soccer player who had her ACL repaired with donated tissue. I thought, ‘Wait a minute! I had my ACL repaired. They told me it was donated tissue but I didn’t make the connection. But, yes, I am a tissue recipient,’” she said.

martial arts instructor. Her leg would just not function.

Now 31 years old, she recalls the surgeon saying donor tissue would be used to repair her knee.

“The surgery allowed me to be myself again, to do what I love. I never really considered where the donor tissue came from or thought of someone’s generosity to donate. I have a great sense of gratitude now. I have my life back because someone chose to give a gift that could help so many,” she said.

She is especially grateful to create a team to run in the 5K on June 9.

“If I did not have that surgery I would not even be able to walk, let alone run, in a 5K,” she said.

Michelle Brugger is the owner of Martial Arts for Life in New Providence and a tissue recipient.

The Many Ways Tissue Can Help

Her story underscores the myriad of uses for donor tissue; sometimes even the recipients are not aware, or forget, the origins of the materials used in their medical interventions.

And only because of Michelle’s ACL repair is she physically able to race in the 5K. She was 24 years old when she fully ruptured her ACL, a crucial ligament in the knee. Her leg swelled; she had difficulty walking and even standing. She was unable to run or perform in any sports, which not only stopped her from the activities she loved, but also stopped her from fulfilling her career as a

www.NJSharingNetwork.org

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A Lifelong Connection – The Story of a Daughter and a Mother

Lee Anne Walter gave the gift of life.

It was December 1983 when Darcie Weber was playing for the girls’ basketball team at Johnson Creek High School in Wisconsin and realized she was not feeling well. She had been elbowed in the gut during a game and blamed it for the pain.

Weeks passed. As her team marched that winter to the state finals – a huge achievement for a grades 7-12 school with only 250 students – Darcie knew she had to keep playing. The team needed her.

But the six-foot-tall junior was exhausted, on the verge of collapsing when the team ultimately clinched the title.

Things went from bad to worse. Living in a house with 11 siblings, one bathroom and a father being treated for prostate cancer, it was hard to get special attention.

Local doctors dismissed her strange weight gain, constant sleep, swollen ankles and lack of menstruation as teen pregnancy, or perhaps acute hepatitis.

It all reached a head at 11 a.m. one hot day in August 1984, as the 17 year-old sat shivering in her house in a sweater, under three coats, gasping for breath. A brother drove her to the University of Wisconsin Medical Center in

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Madison; she continually vomited in the van during the ride.

Doctors took a barrage of tests, the results were evident: Her liver was destroyed; she was about to die.

donation,” said Jane Walter, now 75, a soft-spoken widow living in Fort Pierce, Fl. “I remember they asked me if I wanted to donate Lee Anne’s organs and tissue. I really didn’t know much about it, but we just decided to do it.”

Miles Away

Because of this generous gift, Lee Anne helped many, with her eyes, her kidney, her heart and, of course, her liver.

Some 925 miles due southeast that same day, Mary Ellen McGlynn had just started working as a transplant coordinator for Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. She was called to Somerset Medical Center to evaluate Lee Anne Walter, a beautiful, blond-haired, 17 year-old girl who had died from injuries sustained in a terrible car accident.

Devastated from their loss, Lee Anne’s parents found the strength to make the lifesaving decision to help others through organ and tissue donation. Mary Ellen started making calls to transplant centers to find recipients when she learned of an urgent need for a liver at the University of Wisconsin.

Within minutes, plans were made for a Wisconsin transplant team to fly to New Jersey and bring the liver back. That next day, Lee Anne’s donated liver was placed inside Darcie, saving her life.

“I didn’t know a lot at the time about organ

Ten Years Later By 1994, Darcie was a 27 year-old surgical technician in Milwaukee. She thought often of Jane Walter – the mom whose selfless act in a moment of grief had saved her life.

She wondered if Jane was still alive. If so, how could she thank her? Darcie finally put words to paper; the words flowed about her life in Milwaukee and about how she was so thankful for the life-saving organ.

Weeks later, she received a hand-written response from Jane, with a photo of Lee Anne.

Jane told Darcie how Lee Anne died in a car accident. “I looked at that letter at least once a week,” Darcie said. “I looked at that picture of that beautiful girl with the long blonde hair.

I tried to figure out what she liked and what she did.”

“My brain clicked,” Mary Ellen said. “1984.

Walter. Oh, my goodness!”

“I asked Jane what her daughter’s name was,” she said. “When she said ‘Lee Anne,’ it all came back to me. The flight from Wisconsin…

The liver transplant that saved a 17 year-old girl’s life... All of it.”

Mary Ellen McGlynn, RN, NJ Sharing Network Manager, Family Aftercare Program

In 2011 Time would pass again; the two would not swap letters again until 2011. Re-enter Mary Ellen McGlynn – the transplant coordinator – into the story.

By 2011, Mary Ellen had been working for two decades at NJ Sharing Network, now managing the donor family aftercare program.

In May that year, Mary Ellen was running a bereavement workshop for donor families coping with a recent death.

Sitting among the group was Jane, who Mary Ellen had never met. Jane quietly said she was there because her husband, Arthur, had died in 2010. But she noted she first became involved in organ and tissue donation in 1984, when her daughter died.

Letter-Writing Tips for Recipients • Acknowledge your donor family’s loss with an expression of sympathy.

• Say “thank you.” It may not capture all of your feelings, but it’s a start.

• Tell your story – explain how your transplant experience has changed your life. Tell them about yourself, your family, your hobbies and interests.

• You may want to tell the family that you would like to hear from them or meet them in the future (if they choose) and that you will respect their feelings on this matter.

Letter-Writing Tips for Donor Families • Share whatever is comfortable for you about your loved one, their hobbies and interests.

• Tell them why the decision to donate was made.

• Wish them well in their recovery.

Jane asked how Darcie was faring. Mary Ellen said she did not know, but it prompted her to reach out to the University of Wisconsin for an update.

“I learned that Darcie was doing great and would love to have contact again with the donor family,” Mary Ellen said. “I was able to send the information on to Jane, and I felt really good that they wanted to have personal contact with each other.”

Was I sounding selfish?”

Darcie spilled out her life in a four-page letter, including a photo of her family. It took Jane some time, but she again replied, noting she had recently lost her husband, whose tissue she also donated.

There was some talk of Darcie and her family stopping by Fort Pierce on a vacation to Florida, if finances would allow. Jane said she would welcome that visit.

But Darcie’s mind continues to swirl. What would she do when she finally met Jane, after all these years?

“If I got to meet her, I would give her the best hug ever,” Darcie said. “I would ask her about her daughter. And I would thank her again and again.”

By 2011, Darcie’s, life had become hectic.

She was 44 years old, married (now Darcie Zietlow), with two young boys and a mortgage, while juggling life as a full-time surgical nurse.

But when she had learned someone from New Jersey was looking for her, all she could think about – once again – was Jane Walter.

It was time to write another letter.

“One of the hardest things to do is write this kind of thing,” Darcie said. “You don’t want to brag, but I wanted her to know a part of her daughter was still on this earth. I didn’t know how to put it in words without sounding bad.

Darcie continues to celebrate her gift of life with her family at their Wisconsin home.

Why You May Not Receive a Letter in Return It may take months or perhaps years before an organ recipient and/or family member of a donor is ready to send and/or receive a letter. Be aware that you may never hear from them.

An organ transplant is a major surgical procedure and it can take several months before a recipient feels healthy again. Other times, the transplant may not have been a complete success.

Although some organ recipients may be open to receiving correspondence, others may feel overwhelmed and find it difficult to express their thanks and gratitude. “Survivor’s guilt” often is felt by an organ recipient, making him/her unable to respond to a donor family letter until they come to terms with these feelings.

On the other side, some donor families may not write for personal reasons. Certain people find it helpful to disconnect from situations that remind them of their loss. However, once time has passed, some donor families are able to communicate with recipients.

It’s important to keep in mind that everyone has a right to privacy. And, that every individual deals with situations differently and in their own time.

• If you would like to hear from them, let them know. www.NJSharingNetwork.org

13

Journeys of t he

Heart

Heart Recipient Rides Donate Life Rose Parade Float to Honor Donors and Spread Message of Hope Mark Reagan recalled standing on the Donate Life Rose Parade Float, the cool wind against his face and throngs of people applauding block after block.

“The emotion I felt from the audience was as powerful as the emotion I felt meeting the donor families and recipients riding on the float with me,” Mark said. “People on the parade route were giving us the ‘thumbs up’ sign and cheering us on. We were so close to the curb and the crowd never let up. It was spectacular.”

Mark, a heart recipient from Basking Ridge, rode on the Donate Life float at this year’s Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena as one of 32 riders who were recipients, living donors, or who represented deceased donors.

He stood next to the “floragraph” of his 18 yearold donor, Jorge Gonzales. In the crowd was Jorge’s family.

Mark Reagan spends time with the family of the late Jorge Gonzales, Jr., whose organ donation saved Mark’s life.

Pictured (left to right) are: Helen Taverna Reagan, Mark’s wife, Magaly Gonzales, Mark Reagan, Lucia Gonzales and Jorge Gonzales, Sr.

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SPRING 2013

Mark rode on the float to honor his donor and spread the word about organ and tissue donation to more than one million people along the parade route, and another 40 million who watched on television.

“The float was a celebration of the whole Donate Life process,” Mark recalled. “It was a celebration of my story and the stories of so many others.”

The tenth-annual Donate Life float was constructed with a pathway of looping hearts lined with 72 “floragraphs,” or depictions of deceased donors, including Jorge, created through flowers, seeds and organic materials. The theme of the float was “Journeys of the Heart.”

Mark knows these journeys. A successful businessman in the construction industry, he was on a business trip in the Amazon in 1995 when he contracted a viral infection that attacked his heart. He went into cardiac arrest in 1998 and doctors told him his only hope was a heart transplant. He spent nearly six months at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in 2003 before he learned a heart was available.

The heart came from Jorge, an 18 year-old from Florida who had attended a program for the special needs children his father worked with in the state. After the event, the teen told his parents to go home, he would stay late to clean up. He died in a car accident while driving home.

Hours after Jorge passed away, Mark was wheeled into the operating room. He woke up to

a second chance at life. After his transplant, he wanted to meet the people who made his new life possible. Eventually Mark and his wife, Helen, traveled to Florida to meet the Gonzales family.

“The Gonzales family had a wonderful, young, healthy and terrific 18 year-old who was doing a good thing,” Mark recalled. “His family exhibited incredible generosity amidst their unspeakable grief.”

A few years later the Gonzales family flew up to Boston for a Reagan family gathering, and this New Year’s Day the two families met in Pasadena.

“It was an incredible four days,” Mark said.

“To see the donor mom listening to your heart and hearing her son’s heart beat ... There are really few words.”

Mark has brought comfort to the Gonzales family, said Jorge’s sister, Lucia, who accompanied her parents, Magaly and Jorge Sr., to Pasadena.

“Losing Jorge is not something our family will ever get over. But Mark is very special to my parents. And I cannot imagine not knowing Mark in my life. We are like family,” Lucia said.

She was moved by the parade and the Donate Life activities surrounding the event.

“Mark truly honored my brother. And seeing people who are alive today because of organ donation was amazing,” she said. “Having Mark in our lives has brought light to our darkness.”

Elisse Glennon, executive director of the NJ Sharing Network Foundation, joined the New Jersey delegation at the parade.

Floragraph on Rose Parade Float Honors 11 year-old Organ Donor

Heart recipient Mark Reagan is holding a photo of his donor, Jorge Gonzales, while he proudly waves to his donor family who is watching this moment from the grandstands. Jorge's floragraph is appropriately located right next to Mark.

“For me, one of the best moments was seeing Mark on the float, locking eyes with his donor family in the grandstand,” Elisse said. “It was very moving and reminded us all how fragile life can be.”

The Donate Life families in Pasadena attended a brunch for 500 people. Mark met a child with cancer whose arm was saved from amputation by a donated femur. He met other heart recipients, as well as the family of a baby who died in infancy and whose organs saved the lives of many other children.

Before he left for Pasadena, Mark stopped at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, where he spoke to two men waiting for hearts: Trevor Williams, a 22 year-old Summit resident, and Brian Eaton, a 48 year-old Pine Beach resident and father of two teenagers. He hugged the two men and offered hope.

“You will get your life back,” he told the two men.

Mark, a founding board member of the NJ Sharing Network Foundation, continues to support the mission of NJ Sharing Network and his wife, Helen, is now a board member. But he quickly objects to the assumption that he feels an obligation to educate others because of his good fortune.

“Obligation, no, not at all,” he said. “To me, having the opportunity to spread the word about organ donation is truly a gift. I see my efforts as a gift I have been given and not an obligation at all.”

After 11 year-old Jason Jiaa of Livingston died of an allergic reaction, his mother did not immediately agree to allow his organs to be donated. Distraught and confused, she reached out to friends and family and spoke to a transplant coordinator from NJ Sharing Network.

“I spoke to many people and at the last minute I made the best decision,” said Sue Jiaa, whose son died in 2008. “The decision of generosity came from the strength of many people.”

Others are alive today because of that decision. An eight year-old North Carolina girl received Jason’s heart, a 33 year-old New Jersey man received his kidney and pancreas, a 55 year-old Wisconsin woman received his other kidney, and a 47 year-old Maryland woman received his liver.

The floragraph, created by volunteers in California, was made of flowers, seeds and other organic materials. It was one of 72 included on the Donate Life Rose Bowl Float at the New Year’s Day parade in Pasadena, Ca. To honor Jason and to spread the word about organ donation, Jason’s mother and father, Sue and Henry, put the finishing touches on a “floragraph” at a December event at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation in Cedar Grove.

Elisse Glennon, executive director of the NJ Sharing Network Foundation, attended the Tzu Chi Foundation event, along with local and Chinese media. She said she found parallels between Tzu Chi Foundation philosophy and the mission of NJ Sharing Network.

“The Tzu Chi Foundation believes in showing great mercy and love, even to strangers, with no expectation of getting anything in return. At NJ Sharing Network, we support donor families who give the gift of life to strangers with no expectation of getting anything in return,” she said.

Elisse added that NJ Sharing Network works every day to help the 5,000 New Jersey residents on the transplant waiting list get the life-saving organs they need. “Our work would not be possible without people like the Jiaa

family making these generous decisions,” she said.

Jason’s mother said knowing that her son’s organs saved others has given her some measure of comfort in the midst of pain and truly reflects her philosophy.

“We must help each other to make the world beautiful. I learned that if I really loved my son I needed to give his organs to help others live,” Sue said. “If you have heart for your own son, you have heart for others,” she said.

The Taiwanese family continues to receive support from the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, which supports organ donation.

Sue said helping others helps her heal.

“If you only think about yourself you will become depressed. You must reach out to help others to help yourself,” she said.

She described Jason as an academically gifted student who played the piano and violin, and studied karate. His music teacher said he had superior memory. Jason often was able to master the school work of his older siblings.

Sue, who works in human resources, says she has come to understand that life is not just measured in years lived.

“Jason never complained. He showed me how to be a better person and let me spend those years with him. I feel blessed,” she said. “After he passed away, our family clung together and we became closer. We are all part of him.”

Donor mom, Sue Jiaa of Livingston, put the finishing touches on a floragraph rendering of her son, Jason, at a decorating ceremony hosted by the Tzu Chi Foundation in Cedar Grove, NJ. Jason’s donated organs saved five lives. The floragraph was displayed on the Donate Life float at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA on New Year’s Day. Debbie Chen, executive director of the Tzu Chi Foundation, is also pictured at the decorating ceremony.

www.NJSharingNetwork.org

15

life

SOCIAL Kudos!

Hard to find a seat at Café Gourmet for the “Make A Difference Fundraiser” benefiting the NJ Sharing Network Foundation.

Pictured (left to right) enjoying the fundraiser are: Jan Hines, NJ Sharing Network Manager of Hospital Services, Bob, a heart recipient, Kathy, the daughter of NJ Sharing Network volunteer and heart recipient, Nick Cerbo, who is seated next to her, Matthew Pierone, owner of Café Gourmet, and Nick’s cousin, Allison. Many thanks to the Morris County Transplant Group and Café Gourmet for organizing this event.

Mara Barlow, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications for NJ Sharing Network, displays the 2012 MarCom Award. NJ Sharing Network was named a Platinum Winner in the prestigious MarCom Awards for its media campaign supporting the “NJ Sharing Network 5K Walk/Race.” The 2012 international awards competition recognizes creative achievement by marketing and communication professionals.

D.C. Bound…

Elisse Glennon, executive director of the NJ Sharing Network Foundation, met with Ken Orchard, president of TriState Capital Bank and board member of the NJ State Chamber of Commerce, aboard the train for the 76th Annual Walk to Washington. NJ Sharing Network spread the message of organ and tissue donation awareness by distributing green bracelets and sunflower seed packets to fellow riders.

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Many thanks to our new partners at the Sanford-Brown Institute in Iselin for inviting NJ Sharing Network to speak to their allied health students during Family Wellness Week.

Sanford-Brown has also committed to forming a team for the 3rd Annual 5K Walk/Race.

Welcome Team Sanford-Brown!

While presenting at the 61st Annual NJ Nursing Students Convention in Atlantic City, NJ Sharing Network’s Sharyn Sawczak, manager organ donation services, and Alyssa D’Addio, resource development coordinator, spent time with Tina Conner (pictured on right), a living kidney donor who helped save her husband’s life and Suzie Carano, a donor family member, whose brother saved and enhanced the lives of over 20 people.

Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden will light the hospital’s iconic 30-foot, 15-ton statue of the Blessed Mother green each time a patient is undergoing an organ transplant at the hospital. The statue will stay lit for several days.

The hospital plans to make this a tradition for years to come.

Donate Life Around the World

NJ Sharing Network’s own Alida Sandoval brought the life-saving message of organ and tissue donation and transplantation to the historic wall that surrounds Old Jerusalem. Pictured (left to right) helping Alida carry the message are her parents, Ruben and Carmenza Sandoval, and aunt, Lilia Bustos.

NJ Sharing Network volunteer and kidney recipient Colleen Amaro was thrilled to carry the organ and tissue donation and transplantation message to Jamaica for another installment of Donate Life Around The World. Colleen also celebrated the eighth anniversary of her life-saving kidney transplant on the white sand beaches of the Caribbean.

Mollie Rubinstein, NJ Sharing Network 5K Team Captain for “Linda’s Home Team,” traveled to Washington, DC, to participate in President Obama’s Inauguration ceremonies. Thanks for sharing the message with the other 800,000+ attendees, Mollie. Hail to the Chief and to YOU, our Captain! See you on June 9th at our 5K Walk/Race.

NJ Sharing Network hosted a Pediatric Designator Requestor Program at Morristown Medical Center. Barbara Kuzminski (right) spoke about her grandson, Jonathon, and the gift of life he gave to three other children. Wyatt (middle) received Jonathon’s liver.

Wyatt’s parents, Kimberly and Matthew, shared their experience and thanked the Kuzminski’s for saying yes to organ donation.

Congratulations to NJ Sharing Network’s financial whiz, Barry Newman, for being honored as one of the top chief financial officers in the state at the annual NJBIZ CFO of the Year award ceremony. Pictured with Barry as he accepts the award are the judges for this year’s competition.

Way to go Barry!

NJ Sharing Network Hospital Services Manager, Zadith Colon, sat down with Telemundo’s “Buenos Dias Nueva York” morning news anchor, Allen Villafana, to talk about the importance of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. (Photo on left). In another television news program, NJ Sharing Network Senior Family Support Coordinator, Jay Arriso, Jr, promoted organ donation with Dr. Tallaj, host of La Salud de Nuestra Comunidad, and Ezequiel and Iris Garcia of Newark, donor parents.

Friends and collegeaues attend a ceremony honoring Bill Reitsma as we dedicate the “Hall of Remembrance” in his name.

To see more pictures from our events, please visit www.NJSharingNetwork.org.

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Sunflower Program Shines Light on the Legacy of Donors When Ena (Po-Po) Lue died in a car accident on January 23, 2010, all her family could think about was the sunshine.

They recalled how Po-Po would sing “You are My Sunshine” to her children and grandchildren. When family and friends attended her wake, they were given felt pins in yellow and orange, shaped like happy sunbursts.

“It was a very, very cold day,” recalls her daughter, Jackie Lue Raia. “We all needed a little sunshine; a little bright spot.”

Po-Po, which translates into “grandma” in Chinese, donated three of her organs. Fortythree other people benefitted from her tissue.

From the tragedy of Po-Po’s death, there has been a rebirth – a grassroots effort of providing sunflower seeds to raise awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation.

The effort was spearheaded through Jackie, who joined NJ Sharing Network in March 2012 as the manager of foundation development. She calls the sunflowers “Po-Po Petals” after her mom.

“When we plant one seed, it forms into a beautiful new life that creates many other seeds,” she said. “It is an incredible symbol of

what donors do, and how the gift of life can touch so many, including their own loved ones.”

Since the program started, NJ Sharing Network has distributed more than 1,000 sunflower seed packets to groups large and small – from hospitals to schools. Recently the Woodbridge Metro Chamber of Commerce placed the seed packets on 250 seats at a holiday luncheon.

“One of the most impactful things we have done with our sunflower seeds campaign is to collaborate with our donor family council to create letters of thanks on behalf of donor families to go into our partner hospitals to present them not only with sunflowers but the sunflower packets as well,” said Jackie.

“Hospitals can proudly display that they have partnered with NJ Sharing Network and are helping to continue the gift of life through organ and tissue donation.”

Jackie also helped distribute the seeds on the train to Washington, D.C., where 900 state lawmakers and business leaders traveled to the

To obtain packets of seeds, please contact Jackie Lue Raia at jlueraia@njsharingnetwork.org

Faith Leaders to Talk About Life Saving Donation In the event of unforeseen tragedy, families often turn to their faith leaders for spiritual support. The topic of organ and tissue donation often enters the conversation. To increase support and understanding of organ and tissue donation, NJ Sharing Network offers FaithBased Community Gatherings.

Every major religion supports donation. At the gatherings, a panel of faith leaders, such as Jewish rabbis, Catholic priests, Protestant ministers, Buddhist leaders and others talk

18

SPRING 2013

annual New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Congressional dinner on January 31.

“My hope is that people will take the seeds home, plant them and continue the legacy,” Jackie says.

about how their faith supports donation.

“They talk of how donation is a generous act supported by their faith,” said Jay Arisso, senior family support coordinator for NJ Sharing Network. At the gatherings, spiritual leaders hear perspectives and personal testimony about how organ and tissue donation saves lives, restores health, and offers healing to families who have lost loved ones.

Donor Sabbath is a national weekend in November that focuses on how religious leaders can spread the life-saving message of organ and tissue donation. “At our Donor Sabbath gathering, faith leaders talk about how their own faith motivates them to support donation,” Jay said.

Another faith-based gathering is planned for October 9. For additional information, contact Jay Arisso at jarisso@njsharingnetwork.org.

NJ Sharing Network Holds Annual Bereavement Workshop Donor families came together at NJ Sharing Network’s offices in New Providence for an annual bereavement workshop in early December to prepare for difficult holidays without their loved ones.

The two-hour program was designed for those coping with recent loss. Participants were encouraged to surround themselves with loving family, friends and memories.

“During the holidays, some people are really lost and hurting,” said Mary Ellen McGlynn, manager of the family aftercare program at NJ Sharing Network. “This was a chance for people to come together. The event was moving and very personal. It was a small group; we lit candles and we talked about loss.”

2012 – A YEAR IN REVIEW 115,000 people are waiting for a life-saving transplant nationwide… …and 18 people die each day waiting One organ donor can save up to eight lives and restore health to 50 others 4832 NJ residents wait for organs (Source: United Network for Organ Sharing)

Kidney Liver Heart Kidney/pancreas Pancreas Lung Intestine Heart-Lung

4084 536 71 62 41 33 3 2

139 Organ donors gave the gift of life 252 Bone donors gave the gift of mobility

Lives Saved through Organ Donation* Bayshore Community Hospital Capital Health Regional Medical Center CentraState Medical Center Chilton Hospital Clara Maass Medical Center Community Medical Center Cooper University Hospital East Orange General Hospital Hackensack University Medical Center Hackettstown Regional Med. Center Jersey City Medical Center Jersey Shore University Medical Center JFK Medical Center Morristown Medical Center Mountainside Hospital Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Ocean Medical Center Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center Overlook Medical Center Raritan Bay Medical Center Perth Amboy Riverview Medical Center Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway Saint Barnabas Medical Center Saint Clare’s Hospital Denville Somerset Medical Center St. Francis Medical Center St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center The Valley Hospital Trinitas Regional Medical Center University Hospital 2012 Total

1 40 1 5 2 6 21 3 15 2 18 9 8 37 5 13 2 4 25 10 7 37 2 4 10 2 7 5 22 15 4 36 378

274 Skin donors gave the gift of healing 667 Cornea donors gave the gift of sight 551 Transplants performed at NJ centers NJ Sharing Network Transplant Laboratory facilitated 186 living donor kidney transplants and 378 deceased donor kidney transplants 125 New volunteers completed our certification training 130 News stories were published about NJ Sharing Network 1,300 “Likes” on our Facebook page 245 Hand-made shawls given to donor families 32.53% of NJ residents are registered organ and tissue donors Philanthropic giving climbed to $1.130 million making more programs possible to assist with our life-saving mission

Lives Enhanced through Tissue Donation* Bayonne Medical Center Bayshore Community Hospital Bergen County Medical Examiner Bergen Regional Medical Center Camden County Medical Examiner Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell Capital Health Regional Medical Center CentraState Medical Center Chilton Hospital Christ Hospital Clara Maass Medical Center Community Medical Center Cooper University Hospital East Orange General Hospital Englewood Hospital and Medical Center Hackensack Medical Center North Hackensack University Medical Center Hackettstown Regional Med. Center Hoboken University Medical Center Holy Name Hospital Hunterdon Medical Center Jersey City Medical Center Jersey Shore University Medical Center JFK Medical Center Kimball Medical Center Meadowlands Hospital and Medical Center Monmouth County Medical Examiner Monmouth Medical Center Morris County Medical Examiner Morristown Medical Center Mountainside Hospital Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Newton Medical Center Ocean County Medical Examiner Ocean Medical Center Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center Overlook Medical Center Palisades Medical Center Raritan Bay Medical Center Old Bridge Raritan Bay Medical Center Perth Amboy Riverview Medical Center Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway Saint Barnabas Medical Center Saint Clare’s Hospital Denville Saint Clare’s Hospital Dover Saint Clare’s Hospital Sussex Somerset Medical Center St. Francis Medical Center St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital St. Luke’s Warren Hospital St. Marys Hospital St. Peter’s University Hospital The Valley Hospital Trinitas Regional Medical Center Union County Medical Examiner University Hospital Other 2012 Total

406 410 40 40 40 322 1124 602 552 180 334 882 588 180 310 90 974 318 90 230 502 596 768 634 50 180 242 184 562 1036 260 544 284 90 380 570 830 50 182 454 624 858 430 230 300 270 334 92 662 184 1110 270 342 272 130 532 90 272 510 40 23,712

* One organ donor can save up to eight lives. It is estimated that one bone donor can help 50 people, one skin donor can help 40 people, one heart valve donor can help two people.

www.NJSharingNetwork.org

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DONATION

matters

New Board Chair of NJ Sharing Foundation Goal ‘To Save Lives’ Ask Peter Rooney his goal as Chairman of the Board of the NJ Sharing Network Foundation and his answer is simple: “To save lives.”

Peter, a Mendham resident and senior-level health care marketing executive, has experience in health care marketing and advertising as well as a personal connection to organ donation.

His father, a Millburn firefighter also named Peter Rooney, was among the 18 Americans who die everyday while waiting for an organ transplant. The senior Rooney suffered from end-stage renal disease and was on the organ donation waiting list when he died in 2006.

“As a firefighter, my father literally answered the call to help others,” Peter said. “Unfortunately, that call never came for him. But through my work with NJ Sharing Network, I have met so many people who did receive life-saving organs and who feel blessed and so grateful. It is miracle when a life is saved through donation.”

In his leadership role, Peter said he plans to focus his efforts on both philanthropy and education. His aim will be to educate people about the life-saving value of organ donation, as well as to raise funds that support critical programs, such as one that provides specialized training for transplant coordinators who deal directly with families and staff in the hospital.

Peter praised the Annual NJ Sharing Network 5K Walk/Race as a great campaign; the fundraiser has raised more than $1 million in just two years.

“The 5K was a tremendous success,” Peter said. “I want to build on successes such as this and take our effort to the next level, seeking out more corporate sponsorships and increasing individual contributions.”

Elisse Glennon, executive director of the NJ Sharing Network Foundation, noted Peter’s commitment and expertise in health care communications, marketing and promotion.

He is Executive Vice President, Director of Client Services, at Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide.

“We are thrilled to have someone of Peter’s caliber to lead our board,” Elisse said. “His exceptional expertise in health care, along with his personal understanding and passion for our mission, will help us meet our philanthropic and educational goals for 2013 and beyond.”

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SPRING 2013

Gratitude and Generosity Mark High Holy Days Elliott Kominsky of Warren knew exactly how he would mark the Jewish High Holy Days: expressing his gratitude to others. He said a special prayer on Yom Kippur to the person whose heart now beats in his chest. He also gave back in multiples of 18, representing “Chai,” which translates to “Life,” to the organizations that saved his life: NJ Sharing Network and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark.

“I owe my life to NJ Sharing Network and to Newark Beth Israel and the way I can give back is to write checks and, more important, to give my time and to tell my story,” the 62 year-old married father of two said.

Kominsky spoke recently after an hour on the elliptical machine, sounding only slightly winded. He recalled how after his transplant he wrote to his donor family.

“I wrote saying that I will never forget them and I promised to keep this heart working, to listen to the doctors and to take all my medicine,” he said. “I get up every day and I think about this family and the generosity of their donation.”

“

I owe my life to

NJ Sharing Network and to

Newark Beth Israel…

”

Grants Awarded to Help Fulfill Mission The NJ Sharing Network Foundation is committed to supporting the work of NJ Sharing Network and to increasing the number of lives saved through four distinct areas: Clinical Grants, Laboratory Research, Donor Family Support, and Education & Outreach.

“Grants are awarded to honor those who gave, pay tribute to those who received, offer hope to those who continue to wait, and remember the lives lost while waiting for the ‘Gift of Life’,” said Elisse Glennon, the Foundation’s executive director.

Highlights of funded projects by the NJ Sharing Network Foundation include: Clinical Grants EffectiveArts – EffectiveArts, a leading consulting, research and training firm in the field of organ, tissue and eye donation, is undertaking a year-long comprehensive program to enhance NJ Sharing Network’s performance in family care and family donation authorization.

Faith Based Outreach – This program funds outreach to faith-based leaders who promote education about organ and tissue donation among worshippers, with focus within multi-cultural communities.

Kelsea Longo of Nutley (center) was awarded the 2012-2013 Benjamin R. Chirls Scholarship. Also pictured Charles Kistinger, chair of the Benjamin R. Chirls Scholarship Committee (far left), Kelsea’s parents, John and Vicky Longo, and NJ Sharing Network President and CEO Joe Roth (far right).

Education & Outreach High School Heroes - This innovative

Faith leaders gather at NJ Sharing Network to learn how they can spread the life-saving message of organ and tissue donation in their faith communities.

Laboratory Research Laboratory Research - A three-year study in the molecular immunology of clinical organ transplantation represents the first effort toward establishing a state-of-the-art research program at NJ Sharing Network.

Donor Family Support Donor Family Support - These grants help create materials that assist families through the process and include beautiful tribute keepsake booklets for donor families attending the annual donor memorial program. There also are family sponsorships, in which a donor family or recipient attends the Rose Parade and Donate Life Float activities annually. The foundation also supports the “Wrapped in Love” program, providing donor families with shawls handmade by volunteers as a tangible expression of comfort and compassion.

educational program established in response to the state law mandating donation education in New Jersey high schools is designed to educate all high school students about the importance of organ and tissue donation to ensure they can make an informed decision regarding donor registration. In addition to resources and training, teachers can download a complete High School Heroes classroom guide (at no cost) by visiting www.NJSharingNetwork.org.

Benjamin R. Chirls Scholarship – This scholarship is named in memory of Benjamin Chirls, a kidney recipient and strong advocate for organ, eye and tissue donation. The NJ Sharing Network Foundation, in cooperation with Donate Life NJ and Gift of Life Donor Program, awards one $4,000 scholarship annually. The scholarship awardee is a transplant recipient, a donor family member, or awareness advocate. Applications are available at www.NJSharingNetwork.org.

Center and “Zan’s Garden of Life” memorial was established at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

Liberty Science Center - This partnership provides an organ donation and transplantation exhibition opening summer 2013 to educate visitors about the benefits of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Digital Memorial Wall - The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, in partnership with NJ Sharing Network, has devised a new way to honor donors: a digital memorial wall. A 32inch screen is to be unveiled during Donate Life month in April 2013, showing photos of donors from The Valley Hospital, honoring their life saving gift. Learn more by contacting Whitney Downer, resource development coordinator for NJ Sharing Network, at wdowner@njsharingnetwork.org, 908-516-5431.

Hospital-Based Memorials to Honor Organ and Tissue Donors - The Foundation helped fund the creation of two donor memorials featuring photos, tributes and letters from transplant recipients, personalizing the impact of the gift of life. The “Wall of Heroes” memorial was established at Jersey City Medical

Facilitator shares helpful tips with NJ Sharing Network staff during EffectiveArts training. The program includes one double day intensive workshop for all clinical staff members who conduct donation conversations, five half-day practice sessions, three full-day critical topics workshops and three full-day sessions for hospital services managers.

www.NJSharingNetwork.org

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2012 ANNUAL FUND In Memory of Katelyn “Katie” Ackerman Ms. Tara Asea Ann and Dale Bechtel Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey M. Brandler Ms. Lillian M. Branter Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Costa Ms. Lisa DeRosa Mr. Kenneth Genovese Lynne and Anthony Ginexi The Glander Family Vytautas Iskeliunas and Claire Russo Milko and Lesia Lasiy Mrs. Mary L. Lio Ms. Kathleen S. Mahoney Ms. Patricia Mansfield Ms. Gina McSheffrey Mr. William Mikesell Mr. Antoni Nerantzoulis Peter and Amy Noll Ryan & Ryan Public Relations Inc. Schuyler Tuna & Fishing Club, Inc. Mr. Jeremy Strife Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Wever In Honor of Adele A. Albanese Donna Albanese Demair In Memory of Stanley Aleski Ms. Terri Borden Croll Reynolds Co., Inc. Mr. Samuel Dempsey Ms. Eleanor Fanicase Mr. Edward Galicki The Harmon Family Ms. Constance C. Hasek Mr. James R. Hasek Paul and Suzanne Janco Susan Magee Ms. Patricia Murphy Joyce and Jerry Nemzer Rochelle, Marissa and Ross Newman Jitendra and Sushila Patel Mr. and Mrs. J. Petriano Ms. Muriel Scher Ms. Irene Sidun Debbie and Jeff Struble Alexander and Betty Swetz In Memory of Jordan Allen Burlington County Institute of Technology In Memory of Keith Amato Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Karam Mrs. Amelia Vassallo Mr. Vincas M. Vyzas In Memory of Amy Elizabeth Anderson Kevin McCarthy In Memory of Tommy C. Anderson Lois M. Anderson In Memory of Albert Annuzzi Mary Jo and Jorge Agostinho Automatic Data Processing, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Caravela and Michele Donato Rosemary Ladis Ms. Judith Mihal Ms. Rachel Morejon

22 22

SPRING 2013

The Partnow Family Mr. and Mrs. Francisco A. Pinho In Memory of James C. Appel Richard and Victoria Bernat Charles Pecukaitis In Memory of Heather Anne Aurora Andrea Pedregon In Honor of Karen and Randy Barlow’s Wedding Mara L. Barlow In Honor of Hannah Barr Heidi Slurzberg

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Garlitz Mr. Richard George Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Goller Mr. Richard T. Goller Jackson Lacrosse Club, LLC Alan and Ann King Mr. and Mrs. William Konrad Mrs. Dorothy Kozikowski Ms. Jean L. Matthes Ms. Betty O’Keefe Roberta and Erling Thompsen Ms. Marian H. Vaughn Mr. John Zdziarski

In Memory of Rosalie Bartiromo Sally O’Neill

In Memory of Joseph Broxmeyer Jennifer Baratta

In Memory of Mervin Baxter Stanlee and Florence Kissel

In Memory of Evelyn Buddle Mr. Craig Bowling Ms. Maxine Fredericks Dr. and Mrs. Frederick Potulski

In Memory of Walter Beam, Sr. Janet Beam In Memory of Albert Bell The Rotuba Extruders, Inc. In Memory of James Bertone, Jr. James and Rose Bertone In Memory of Bernie Blye Felisa L. Shein In Memory of Angela Bongiovi Alliance Technologies, LLC BNY Mellon Community Partnership Ms. Barbara Bolella Kathryn and Dominick Bongiovi Ms. Jennifer Brandt Terry and Tim Capanna Condor Capital Investment Management Connelly Campion Wright Insurance Digit Payrol Corporation Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Drozd Eighteen Glass Company, Inc. Ms. Emily Karl Ms. Jacquelyn Kirk Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Kosa Toni M. Kuzmack Gayle and Cassandra Martinez Ms. Barbara Petersen Ms. Amy L. Rafano Ms. Lee Sanderson Mr. and Mrs. Pasquale Selvaggio South River Glass, Inc. The Toye Family Ms. Debbie Yesis Ms. Dorothy Zajac In Honor of Cindy Boyea Paramount Group, Inc. In Memory of Ingrid Brewster Paul Brustowicz In Memory of Stanley R. Brinster Ms. Barbara Abbott Toni and Bob Brinster Ms. Patricia K. Caillouette Mrs. Debbie Campbell Mr. Gerald Carrino Jim and Dorothy Davis Carol and David Evans Dave and Bev Evans

In Memory of Christopher Budzinski Mike and Linda Johnson In Memory of Michael Buro Sandra and Charles Altman Nancy and Paul Chazen Mr. Victor Dong Mrs. Linda Dudas Betty and Neil Halpern Mr. and Mrs. Peter T. Morris In Memory of James A. Byrne Theresa Taylor Theresa Wilson Mary M. Wise In Memory of Hugo Cabrera Frances Valdes In Memory of Mildred Caffrey James and Mary Wood and Family In Memory of Margaret Calabrese Leslie Babyak Sara M. Solan In Memory of Eric Caposele Frank and Sandra Blundetto Edward Caposele In Honor of Stephanie Caraway Venus O. Davis In Memory of Nicole Caruso Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ross In Memory of William Cashin Nancy Cashin In Memory of Frank Castellvi, Sr. Brian and Dianne Clark Charles and Peg Marra Wyckoff Reformed Church In Honor of Leonard Cerefice Marie and Bill de Lorenzo In Memory of Vance Chapman Joseph and Ann Davis Nancy, Deb, Cheryl, Nan and Stefanie Deliman David and Kathleen Flagstad Ms. Carol Kukucka and Doney Family George and Eileen Lutz Jane and Marcy Silver

In Memory of Eileen Cinquemane Ms. Stacy Allen Mr. Michael D. Amitrani Ms. Hazel Boland Mr. and Mrs. Martin Cinquemane Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Cinquemane Mrs. James E. Coghlan Crum and Forster Mr. and Mrs. Peter M. Dagro Mr. and Mrs. Simon Fox Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Hammer Johnson & Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Paul Jurusz Mr. John J. Kayser Ms. Tina Keene Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Kopchala Mr. and Mrs. Richard Larsen Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Larsen Mr. Jeff Lehman Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC Matching Gifts Program Mr. and Mrs. Chris Luongo Ms. Deborah Mahovetz Mr. Manny Mathew Mr. and Mrs. Charles J. McMullin Ms. Lisa Meldrum Ms. Patricia A. Pardey Mr. Ralph Passero and Ms. Nicole Vitiello Mr. Michael Prohammer Mr. Christopher J. Roglieri Mr. Thomas J. Roglieri Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Scopellite Shoreline Family Chiropractic Hon. Mark Smith Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Stiloski Ms. Louis A. Taite Mr. Dominic Tomaini Mr. and Mrs. Charles Trapp Mr. Kevin M. Trapp Mr. and Mrs. John Villa Mr. and Mrs. Mario Vitiello Mr. Christopher J. Welsh In Honor of Kyle A. Clemens wedding Ms. Alice D. Alexander and Mr. Roderick L. Ireland Ms. Janell Bullock Ms. Mary Freeman Ms. Shirin M. Hollis Ms. Christine Jenkins-Lucas In Memory of Arthur J. Corniola Karen and Robert Eschbach Laurie and Matt Mecca Robert Mozilo Mr. and Mrs. Carmine Tufano In Memory of Richard Creal Ellen Greenfield In Honor of John Crotty Michelle Crotty In Memory of Salaam Cruz Dr. and Mrs. Gerald Mohl In Memory of Apolonia Da Silva Mr. and Mrs. James G. Scala

We graciously acknowledge gifts made to the NJ Sharing Network Foundation’s Annual Fund, January 1 – December 31, 2012 Individual gifts made through our fundraising events are acknowledged online throughout the year. We sincerely regret any errors or omissions.

In Celebration of Joseph V. D’Addio Alpha Chi Omega Sorority Florence Anne Barry Alberta D’Addio Valentino D’Addio Quick Foundation John Sumas Bill Toler In Memory of Richard DeFilippis Mr. and Mrs. Rafael Medina In Memory of Michael DeLiso Susan DeLiso In Memory of Frank P. Dell’Aquila, MD Geraldine A. Dell ‘Aquila Pamela J. Dunn In Honor of your birthday, Bob Gail Reynolds In Memory of Judi Melillo Dethloff Mary and Frank Melillo In Memory of William M. Donnelly Linda Ialacci In Honor of All Donors Michael Morris In Memory of Brian Dotson Janet Belowich Leo and Elizabeth Beyer James and Barbara Burns Michael and Maureen Dotson Harlie Mountain Ron and Penny Pukl In Memory of Brandon Dowler Mr. Jason Barbanel Ms. Ashley Bulko Dr. and Mrs. Todd J. Cooperman Dusal’s Ristorante, LLC Mr. Tony Karalzia Dina and David Okun In Memory of Michael Drozd Mr. and Mrs. Rodney A. Van Natta In Honor of Lisa Dvorkin Rubenstein Barry Kessler Dana Maselli In Memory of Daniel K. Dwyer Kevin and Fran O’Donnell Ms. Jennifer Roeltgen Ms. Jill Stricklin In Memory of Carmen Eckstein Ana L. Dobbs In Memory of Ryan A. Engelke Ruth and Lance Dager Keith Engelke Jason Kalinowski William L. Niedrach Shawnee Corner’s Club, Inc. In Honor of All Families Michelle Lynn In Memory of Matthew Fedorochko Margaret Fedorochko In Support of Danielle Feehan Gordon Campbell In Honor of Paul Ferrari Linda Haertel

In Memory of Sharon R. Feulner Charles Feulner In Memory of Michael Storm Fischer Ms. Andrea Aluisi Ms. Karen Andounian Chris and Susan Bazer Mr. and Mrs. Roger Bisbe Steven and Beverly Blanchard Ms. Debbie Bobilin Bill and Joan Borowski Geralyn and John Boyce Ms. Cynthia M. Brady The Brettschneiders Briggs & Riley Travelware Mrs. Emilie Brinson Jennifer Bryan & your friends in CO Mr. Travis Cain Ms. Kelly Cavanaugh Ms. Julie Chadowski The Clauss Family Darlington County Park Janet and Brandon Decker Mr. Andrew DiClemente Robert and Debra Dittemer Ms. Carol Dunbar Erskine Lakes Beach Club Erskine Lakes Property Owners Assoc.

Erskine Lakes Sailing Club The Romansky Family Mrs. Carol Fischer Ms. Diana Fischer Mr. Richard M. Fischer Ms. Tracy Flood Gannett Foundation Ms. Marjorie Goldner Hackensack River Canoe & Kayak Club The Heck Family Ellyn, Carolyn and Sue Intemann Dr. and Mrs. Michael Klotz Ms. Roseline B. Laguerre Ms. Linda Lembo Ms. Rene Levy Vera and Mark Lewandoski Ms. Yu F. Chan and Mr. George S. Lin Ms. Helen Matusow-Ayres Merck Partnership for Giving The Millers Moen, Inc Ms. Bernadette O’Connor The Phillips Family Jane and James Picozzi Mr. and Mrs. John P. Pokorny Mr. Richard Ranft Margaret and Carl Readinger Ms. Patricia Reiners Ms. Mary Ann Renick Ridgewood Orthopedic Group LLC Kristie and Ian Rippke Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Riscica Ms. Gloria M. Rodriguez Kathleen and David Sayles and Family Rakesh Sharma, MD and Amita Kalia-Sharma, MD Coach and Mrs. Richard Shutte Ms. Marcia Silfies Andrea and Thomas Smith Marvin and Amy Stein

The Valley Hospital Education Department Ron and Barbara Thren The Valley Hospital The Valley Hospital - Rehabilitation Medicine Department The Valley Hospital Staff, Physicians and their Families Valley Outpatient Rehab Ms. Tessie R. Viado Ms. Marianne J. Warhol Adrienne and Chester Weinstein Richard and MaryEllen Wennersten Ms. Elena Zislin In Memory of Thomas J. Fleming Alexandria Gallant Josephine Infante-Meehan Camilla Morch In Honor of Wyatt Fleming Margaret Fleming In Memory of Tom Frey Andrew J. Cleland US Equestrian Team Foundation, Inc. In Memory of James H. Friar Mr. and Mrs. David Baldwin Mr. and Mrs. David McGrath Jane Derickson-Friar, Crescent Garden Design In Honor of Phyllis and Leon Freidman’s 50th Anniversary Marcy and Stephen Siegel In Memory of Theresa (Terri) Fritz Nancy Ryder-Cunningham In Memory of Michael Fusco Cheryl A. Fusco In Memory of Kathleen Gallagher Margaret Ballinger Elena Bingham In Memory of Will Ganter Lisa Giannetti In Honor of Dr. Stuart Geffner Donna Geffner

In Memory of Kevin Gilbert Bridget Hemenway In Memory of Randall Marc Giles Mrs. Donna Albanese-DeMair Mr. Serge Antonin Ted and Greta Brown Mr. Christian Camerino Ben and Joan Cohen Essex County Asst. Prosecutors Association Ms Deborah Freier Mickey Garrity and Family Mr. Douglas T. Hague Judge Michelle T. Hollar-Gregory and Mr. Milton H. Gregory Mr. Peter Jackowitz Dr. Joseph M. Juliano Ms. Laura Mastropasqua The Spano Brennan Family Kenneth and Bernice Stein Christopher and Shelby Talbert Ms. Sandra Widmann Ms. Theresa Widmann Mr. Mo Winograd Gus Zois In Memory of Al-Sharik Glover Mr. Carlos E. Arocho Mr. Mike Black Mr. Michael W. Clegg Mr. Kwan Cooper, Sr. Mr. Dwayne Davis Mr. Terrell Day Mr. Omar Diaz Mr. Chris Freestone Ms. Gwendolyn George Mr. Scott Goffney Ms. Barbara Logan Mr. Jeffrey Logan Ms. Hazel Lucas Ms. Roxanna Perry Mr. and Mrs. Timmy Perry The Pierce Family Ms. Mariah Shannon Mr. Clarence Sims Mr. James Stewart Ms. Camille Thomas

www.NJSharingNetwork.org

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In Honor of Garry Gordon Donna Gioello In Honor of Andrea Grace Joanne L. Davis In Memory of Timothy Wayne Grace Ms. Joanne L. Davis Drum Point Social Committee Mr. Richard P. Gerlach, Jr. Ms. Susan Gough Ms. Kristin McConville Mrs. Miriam V. Schachter Mr. Alajzezo Sczerenet In Honor of Drs. John and Ellen Gribbon Charles W. Riley In Honor of Victor Groisser, MD Dr. and Mrs. Charles W. Riley In Memory of Richard E. Grossman Mr. Aaron Grossman and Ms. Kristen Nardone In Memory of Stephen Hasbrouck Maryann Hasbrouck In Memory of Christopher Hendershot Theresa McCulskey In Memory of Mark Henderson Samuel W. Henderson Patricia Meyer In Memory of Jane Hillier George Hillier In Support of Jan Hines Randi F. Ostrey Bruce Whelan In Honor of Michael Horowitz, MD Dr. and Mrs. Charles W. Riley In Memory of Rose Hundt Jeanine M. Hundt In Memory of Richard Emery Hunt Linda Fisher Dorothy A. Herriott Frances Morrison In Memory of John C. Iannacone Marianne Iannacone In Memory of Paul Ippolito Kerry Dodd In Honor of The Jarema Family John Jarema In Memory of Derek “Shorty” Johnson Dorthia Johnson In Memory of William James Johnson, Sr. Charlotte Johnson In Memory of Brian Kern Daniel Kern In Memory of Donald A. Kerwin Felix and Helen Almanzor Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin B. Backes Gail and Vince Dickson Ms. Mary Ann D’Oria Ms. Maryann Frisbie Aaron and Lora Hobart Ms. Analida Ingraham Dave and Janet Jacoby John and Karen Keithler The Lewallen Family Ms. Donna Luciano Gus and Linda Manukas John and Barbara Marchetti

Metaverse Corporation Mr. and Mrs. Raymond C. Mule James and Joanne Polera In Memory of Yvonne Kiamie The Hobbie Brothers Mr. and Mrs. Samer Kaiami Ms. Gladys Koester Albert and Jane Michael Janet and Gregg Reilly Ms. Laura V. Schwab Ms. Bertha Shimkus In Memory of Matthew James Koch Elizabeth Crisafulli In Memory of Horst Koller Frank Himmelsbach In Memory of Mark C. Kolodziej Karen Toth In Honor of Elliott Kominsky Norman and Beverly Kominsky In Memory of David Kornas Kathleen Kornas In Memory of Jessica Marie Kupczak Peter Kupczak In Memory of Marvin Kurland Stephen and Stuart Breitkopf Seth Kurland In Memory of Robert E. Ladwig Evelyne B. Fardelmann In Memory of Evan Charles Laible Ms. Francine Ferranti Mr. Neil Getter Ms. Renee Goldsmith Adrian and Mary Gonzalez Ms. Melissa Harder William and Joan Lloyd Mrs. Kara Romeo Sanofi-Aventis Matching Gift Center Dominique, Natalia and Elaina Voitek In Memory of Rebecca (Becky) J. Larsen Mr. and Mrs. John Cassese Roy Larsen In Memory of Ralph Lash Asco Oldtimers Club Automatic Switch Co., Inc. Asco Power Technologies Emerson Network Power In Memory of Jack Lecompte Regina Snyder-Heater In Honor of Lila’s Tikkun Olam and Jon Lehman Mr. and Mrs. Scott Claman Mr. Stephen Feldberg and Ms. Mary S. Knowles Mr. and Mrs. David M. Greenbaum Mr. and Mrs. Jon V. Lehman Mr. Frederick P. Mirenda Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Rosenthal Mr. Adrian C. Taylor and Ms. Hilary A. Rosenthal In Memory of Susan Leventhal Jerome Wittels In Memory of Don Litt Fred and Majorie Greenberg Dr. and Mrs. Herb Waldman In Memory of Hugh MacDonald, Jr. Irene S. Reed In Memory of David Manahan Mr. and Mrs. Edward M. Block

In Memory of Joseph Marangi Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Akers Mr. David Berrian Thelma and August De Precker Ms. Niella Edone Ms. Carol A. Esposito Olive Ferro, Michael and Dierdra Marangi Mr. and Mrs. Russell Foote Sandra Franklin Sharon C. Garofalo Lori Guggino On Behalf of the Hill Family The Marangi Family Virginia and Lon Murchison Harold and Kathleen Nightingale Jean and Steve Perrella Mr. Curtis Pitzer Ms. Marie Raso Mrs. Mildred C. Santora Ms. Roberta A. Scioscio Dorothy and David Shirey Ms. Patricia Sisti Howard and Darlene Weachter Ms. Elizabeth A. Woetzel In Memory of Ronald Martini Mr. and Mrs. John Flatley In Memory of Louis Massetti Anthony Ingoglia Mary Louise Samson In Memory of Michael Matthews Nikki Mazur Ridgeway Elementary School In Memory of Stanley McGinley Theresa M. McGinley In Memory of Roseann McGuire Ingrid Armstrong Jo Ann Cavallo The Kane Family Linda Mordhorst In Memory of Keith McLaughlin Tom Hickey Mr. and Mrs. David McLaughlin In Memory of Thomas G. McStay Joyce and Clay Borchard Mr. and Mrs. Carl Esposito Robert, Carroll and Michael Onischuk In Memory of Michael “Mick” Meritz Daniel DiSanto Rick Haring Susan Sensinger In Memory of Sgt. Lori Meshell Barry Newman In Memory of Madeline “Maddie” Midwinter Bank of America Domenick M. Bertelli Raymond Carney Darciena Christel Robert Conklin William Coyle Lorraine Day-Midwinter Jeri Del Vecchio Mosnick Marlene Delacruz Veronica Escalona Colleen Fisher Joanne Frey Matthew and Madonna Gehrling Jennifer C. Geller Gina R. Genovese Lisa Goldman David Goldstein

The Haase Family Richard and Patricia Kalinger Kathy A. Karlovich Kenneth Keen KPMG LLP Ann LaGrotta and Family Mr. and Mrs. James LaGrotta Richard LaGrotta Jennyrose Lisena Joseph Maiorano Darren Marcantuone John Midwinter Nancy Midwinter Veronica I. Molyneux Mrs. Ilana Monteleone and Family Alicia Montes Navigant Consulting, Inc. Barbara Nelson Denise and Paul Neuwirth Bruce Pfau Joanne M. Quinlan-Roberts Nancy Raschilla Christine and Michael Romeo Salt Brook Sunshine Club Susanne Schaaffe-Whyte Rebecca Schroeter Christi L. Shaw Rafael and Patricia Valdes Michael Van Demark Mr. Anthony Venditti and Ms. Paula Wiseman Ed and Jennifer Verkamp Kevin and Carolyn Walsh In Memory of Sadie Mignott Michael Malamut In Honor of Gina Mingrone Barbara A. Hartmann In Honor of Suzanne Thomson Monohan Mary J. Keane In Memory of Maryann Montano Robert L. Jackson In Memory of James Murphy Barbara Marra In Memory of Kathleen Myers Audrey V. Cherichella The Comer Family Maureen P. Connaghan AnneMarie and Roy DeYoung Maxine and David Horowitz and Mae Mindlin Richad Kus Angela Pridgen In Memory of Jeneen Nacion Rubino Kathleen Erica Scarpulla In Memory of Harriett Nassif Ruth Rosensweig In Memory of Stanley Navarre Carol, Elliott, Jordan and Jared Kominsky In Honor of Dee Nelson Kurt Heinrich In Memory of Kimberly Nelson Diane Weidman In Memory of Susie Nelson Kurt Heinrich In Memory of Elizabeth “Betsy” Niles ExxonMobil Foundation Robert Heinzman Susan and Johan Nye Sarnowski Family Foundation

Honoring those who gave, 24

SPRING 2013

In Memory of Thomas “Tommy” O’Neill Thomas Corrado Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ervin Martha and Bill Mark and Sandy Juanita Major Kathy and Andy Oldenburg Linda S. Puvogel and Michael J. O’Halloran Donna and Peter Shaft Robert and Rosemary Stepien The Vecchione Family Mrs. Susan Wallendahl In Memory of Jeff Orr Virginia Orr In Memory of Matthew Papera Mr. and Mrs. Richard Papera In Memory of Susan Penner Mr. and Mrs. Allan Penner In Memory of Michael R. Pentz Martha Pentz In Memory of Roberto DeJesus Perez Mr. and Mrs. Giovanny Felizzola Mary B. Ferry Mary Loizides Maria Perez In Memory of Christian Robert Peters Vicki Peters In Honor of Tanya Piccini Ronald Oswick In Honor of D. Shawn Pierson, MD The Greenberg Family In Honor of Paul Podrazik Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Kedziora Meg Wright In Honor of Sam Prince Mr. and Mrs. Gary Resnick In Memory of Susan Rabinowitz Edith and Jerry Ritz In Honor of Mark and Helen Reagan Johnson & Johnson John and Laura Taverna In Honor of William Reitsma Mark Van Denend In Memory of Bob Remer Colleen Amaro In Memory of Dennis Rispoli Nancy Cox Nancy Springle Donna Tomaro In Memory of Anthony Rizzo John and Kim Buscini Philip S. Kolm In Memory of Robert Roettger Carol A. Roettger In Honor of Leslie Rogers Kyle Rogers In Support of Alan Rogolsky Irina and Steve Stolyar In Honor of Gary Rombough, MD Dr. and Mrs. Charles W. Riley In Honor of Cosmo Rossi Debra A. Rossi-Kuhn In Memory of William Rovensky Matthew and Cheryl Schutz In Memory of Christopher Russell Hope Longdaue

In Memory of Anthony Russo Dr. Martin Greenberg In Memory of Joseph Russo Donna Haskins In Memory of Delecia (DeDe) Saltiel Mr. and Mrs. Fernando Alves Mr. and Mrs. Fred Alves Linda Cerchiaro Annette Fay In Memory of Carole A. Sarnowski ExxonMobil Foundation Sarnowski Family Foundation In Memory of Susan Schiavo K. Grady Perry In Honor of Stuart E. Schmelz Ms. Vanessa L. Schmelz and James Marcinek In Memory of Valentine Schumakoff Suzanne Schumakoff In Memory of Kenneth R. Schwarz Mr. and Mrs. Allan R. Beach In Memory of Todd Semon Sigrid B. Frawley In Memory of Luke Shak Judy Felmeister In Memory of Karen Shimomura Drs. Marianne and Lincoln Shimomura In Memory of Gerard Sigtermans Diane Darnell Marc J. Del Gaudio Mike and Pat Fay Margaret and Jack Gordon Diane and Ed Hayes Richard Horan Deborah and Robert Lavell Mr. and Mrs. Scott Nakashian Helen and Bob Nixon Mrs. Lois E. Reilly Katarina and James Sigtermans Mr. Gary Smith Al and Louise Vereeken Karen and Ken Waddill In Memory of Grace Silvestrini Susan C. Sandford Bob Silvestrini Diane Silvestrini Elaine Silvestrini In Memory of Sherryl L. Smith Richard W. Meier In Memory of Ronald Sobel Mary Badre Rosalind Belkin-Asseo Anonymous Ms. Frances Englander Paul and Barbara Forste Ms. Ellen Ganon Mr. Eric Gerber Mr. Arthur Gundersheim Mr. Fred Holub and Mr. Geoff McNally Anita and Howard Kaufman Mr. and Mrs. John Korz Joanne and Stephen Moldt Ms. Naomi Sagiv Mr. and Mrs. Walter Schauben Ms. Lillian Simon Ms. Sheryl Suter Mr. David Tomkins In Memory of Edith Solomon Ruth Rosensweig

In Memory of Sara Spingler Elizabeth and Lauren Spingler In Memory of Robert James Sullivan Carol Sullivan In Honor of Kevin Szabo Jeanette Szabo In Honor of Judy Tabs Retirement from CAI-ECC Aqudath Israel Early Childhood Center In Memory of Paul D. Talbert Ellen M. Callanan Rhea Talbert Ruth E. Talbert In Memory of Richard Tamburini Patsy and Bob Boak Ladies Auxiliary of Herbertsville Volunteer Fire Department The Lysy Family Sarah Neuman Michele Nixon Christopher Pitt In Memory of Luis David “Punkin” Tardi Judy De Feo and Family Pamela Youngs and Aunt Amy Rogers In Memory of Matthew and Michael Tetta Patsy G. Tetta In Memory of Shannon Thatcher Shane Clark James F. Ruggiero Jennifer Thatcher In Memory of Alexandra Tozzi HW Mountz NJHS In Honor of Jacqueline L. Tunick’s Wedding Jacqueline L. Tunick In Honor of The Tunick Family Rosemary Sotherden In Memory of Esperanza Valdes Rigoberto Rodriguez In Memory of Edward Verrico Joanna and Francis Daniele Sharon and Frank Davies Dawn and Gary Kaiser Graham and Kay O’Brien Diane Schwab Rita and Bert Toron Jean Verrico Grace Weiner In Memory of Steven Wall George and Donna Cole Daub’s Nurseries In Memory of Alison Marie Walsh Dr. Sandra Richardson In Memory of Lenny Watson, Jr. Lydia Watson In Memory of Leonard Watson, Sr. Lydia Watson In Memory of Richard Weber Deborah Albury Anonymous Arlington Players Club, Inc. Janet and Archie Barber Bower and Co. Mary J. Buist Mary Anne and Walter Bura

Theresa and Frank Burns Mr. Larry L. Glasper and Ms. Maria T. Corter Mr. and Mrs. Francis J. Dunn Kimberly A. Dunn Mary Ann Dziurzynski Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph Fiduccia Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Filippi Joan F. Garrigan Shirley and Ronald Hackling David Harvey Monica and Steve Harvey Geraldine and Robert Hooper Elizabeth Kaminski The Kapuschinsky Family Kearny High School Supervisors’ Association Gail Landi Dorothy A. Lindsay Jim and Pam Lyons Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Mastrolia Henrietta Mawhinney Richard and Mary McCluskey Susan A. McCurrie Erin Moore Rosemary Moore Margaret and Thomas Moore Carmen Nauen Bob and Lynn Olez Glenn and Karen Osborne Thomas H. Pakradooni Joan Prunetti Lawrence and Doris Reidy Joyce Ringele and the Basic Skills Teachers Bill Robertson Bob and Lynn Sansone Edmund Shea Victor and Laura Silva Kathryn L. Stanish Ms. Barbara Condon and Mr. James A. Svec Deanne J. Terreri Mary S. Torres Deborah Vartan Anonymous Mrs. Lyndsay Vitale John Warner Cody Weber Joanne and Elizabeth Williams In Memory of Joan Catherine Whelan Evie and Behram Bharucha In Memory of Richard Whitaker Karen Whitaker In Memory of John W. Williams, Jr. Joanne and Elizabeth Williams In Memory of Frances A. Wojcik Fredrica Brooks Georgina Cordi Negro Carmen Nanni Raritan Bay Mental Health Center Margaret Schmidt-Fuller In Memory of Michele Wyckoff Anthony Buccellato Matthew Ferrano Rose Tormohlen In Memory of Christopher Yang Tami Ellen McLaughlin Deborah Probst Irfan Raja Dawn Reilly Donna J. Sells In Memory of Lee Michael Zerman David A. Zerman

paying tribute to those who received, www.NJSharingNetwork.org

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In Honor of all Donors, Recipients and Those who Still Wait for a Lifesaving Transplant

NJ Sharing Network Employee Contributions Placida Abes Amanda Abramo Maria Aguilucho Kathy Aitchison Joaquin Arisso Mara Barlow Anthony Benfatto Patty Bowe Thyria Caldwell Susan Castellvi Frank Catena Moonsuk Chong Oscar Colon Zadith Colon Alyssa D’Addio Maria DeLauro Dayanand Deo Whitney Downer Sandy Erwin Senora Fraser Lernard Freeman Elisse Glennon Cindy Godfrey Jan Hines Sogra Jafri Joyce Jardot Morgan Johnson Jorge Kalil Donna King Helen Lacarrubba Tess Lewis Jackie Lue Raia

Romelle Lysenko Wanda Martinez Mary Ellen McGlynn Rose Ann Melendez-Tavana Josephine Mess Margaret Moore George Moser Stephen Myers Barry Newman Ijeoma Okere Karen O’Neill Susan Quiroga Monica Ramirez Prakash Rao Ratnaprabha Raval William Reitsma Joseph Roth Wendy Rothschild Alida Sandoval Sharyn Sawczak Michael Sheehan Felisa Shein Patrick Sheridan Pamela Sniffen Alan Sori Beata Spiewak Alene Stewart Barbara Turci Kelly Ann Weiland Carolyn Welsh Anonymous (3)

$100,000+ The Hampshire Companies $5,000+ Joanne Friedman $1,000-$4,999 Bruce Goldstein Elliott Kominsky Merck Company Foundation NJ State Nurses Association John Pflug Team Liberty $500-$999 Theresa de Leon Paul Ferrari John Havard Jill Siegel $100-$499 Marla Bace Jeff Barlow Kirsten Beck Nick Cerbo Family Foundation, Inc. Dairy Queen Jon Fineman Grant Fisher Richard Giorgino Friends of Al-Sharik Glover Stuart Goldberg John J. Halperin Michael P. Hedden Daniel Hussey Knights Of Columbus, Council #5427 Carl Mangum Richard Maus Frederick Mueller Casey Phelan Dennis Posen Susan Ragland David Rankert Adelphi Research Emily Riley Joan Elaine Ruane Alison Snieckus Christina Strong Peter Ulrich Alyson Wasko Up to $99 Elizabeth Abela-Davi Aetna Foundation Allentown Presbyterian Church The Alternative Press LLC Madelyn Anderson Tricia Bannister Adele Ben’Ary Karen Ben'Ary Mary Blanco Janet Bodine Robin Braun Phyllis (Kareemah) Brown Lorraine Carine Carol Collinson Frank Conca Rosemary Conway Jeffrey Crane Robert Davis Darlene Dobry Pete Easton Tom Fourounjian Judith Fujiwara Peter Furka Frank Ghiselli Michael Goldman Elana E. Gordon Gerald Gurland Cara Haid

David Houser Joyce Jardot John Jarema Brigitte John Thomas Kelly Gerald Kelly Naomi Kerstein Arlene King William E. King John Korb Cynthia Landis Johnny Larsen Meg Latham Paul Lovendahl Gale Martini Mahwah PBA Local 143 Mary McClennan Frank H. McEntee Theresa McGinley Susan Mead Mary Melega Philip Melnick Elizabeth J. Mirbach MJM Promotions Gisela Moore Carolyn Moyle C. Nicholas Rusignuolo Cheryl Oram James Ottobre Simon Parkinson Charles Pascale Richard Patishnock Caroline Perkins Laurie Perry Sharon Phillips Diana Pitsikoulis Elizabeth Portine Sheldon Preville Kevin Quinn Katherine Raffelt Jules Rand Kathleen Ranft Lauren Reagan Susan Rhodes Anne Romano John Rucki Shelley Ruderman Patty Rush Nell Ryan Agnes Rymer Patricia Seader Felisa Shein Simone Shelby Arlene Sheridan Mike Sherman Angela Smith SVO Janice Taub Nancy Tomich Towne Club Peter Trethaway John Van Pelt David Van Zandt and Robert Kendzerski Marie Varley Kim Vernon Vincas Vyzas Richard Weaver Barry Weiner Bridget Williams The Yeo Family William Zipse Gail Zuckerman Anonymous (6)

offering hope to those who continue to wait, and remembering 26

SPRING 2013

Thank you all the members of Team Liberty and those who supported their efforts in the 2012 Transplant Games of America held in Grand Rapids, Michigan from July 28 to July 31!

The team was awarded 50 competition medals all in honor of their donors!

Suan Adams David Allen Jim Almoney Lucy Ann Debbi Appel Brad Aspel Lynette Baker Carmela Balacco Melanie Bancheri Carol Barnes Sam Battaglia Cara Beckenstein Marvin Berg Diana Bone Maryanne Bone Ali Boyd Valerie Brandao Jennifer Bu Alison Cain Eileen Cain William Cain Judith Calder Thomas Callan Cannon Campbell Cheryl Caridi Michael Carroll Marlene Casey Jennifer Castellano Russell Catanzarite Elise Catera Central Synagogue Margaret Chamberlain Frank Chiovari Robert Codignotto Marie Colon Michelle Compton Tracy Crews Michele Dabal Darien DaCosta Alyssa D’Addio Sue Dailey Cathy Devore Donna Dicosta Donna DiMisa Frank DiPiano George DiPiano Karen DiPiano Michael DiPiano Carl DiSanto Joseph DiSanto L&P DiSanto Laura DiSanto Patti DiSanto Victor DiSanto Andrea Downey Steve Downey Nina Dube Jane Dunleavy Arlene Eisenman Helen Eisenman Ed Eltzholtz Julie Englander Boomer Esiason Foundation Bonnie Farbstein William Farbstein Jason Faulhaber Jenifer Feldheim Stephen Feldheim Brendan Ferriter

Linda Foster Carolyn Freeman Caren Friedman Walter Friedman Stuart Garmise Kathleen Gerlach Laura Giannino Fred Gibson Heidi, Steven, Adam and Jason Ginsberg Peter Grantham Frederick Grave Debbie Greenberg Stanley Greenberg Jim Greengrove Ken Grisback David Halbrooks Peter Harrington Gilbert Harris Jeff Helman Robert Holmes Ray Hoobler Joseph Horne Tze-Chen Hsieh Kim Huff Maria Ilardi Sidney Irgang Paul Jablonski Jag Physical Therapy Philip Jocelyn Cora Johnson Lauren Johnson Joan Kaplan Herb Katz Shannon Kelly R. E. Kenyon, III Mitchell Kirschbaum Allen Klein Carl Kling James Kulhawy Peter Kupczak Josh Kutchinsky Woody Lashen Ellen Lee George Lee Marty Lee Penny Lee Tricia Leicht Tina Liu LIU Post Adi Loebl Terry Lopata Sarah Maca Fred Macchio Barbara Macdonald Scot Mackie Rick Mangi Maria Mangino Diane Martynowicz Joseph Maurillo Kelley McDevitt-Hooker Mary McLaughlin Nora McMillan Paul Metselaar Jack Michels The Milano Foundation Debra Miller Louise Miller Scott Miller Modell’s II, Inc.

Beth Mohr Kerry Moncure Monsen Family Foundation, Inc. Rose Montagnino Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation Gisela Moore Angela Morreale Matthew Moshen Victor Moutal James Nelson Linda Nelson The New York Organ Donor Network Yuan Ng Eleanore Nissley Scruffy O’Duffy O’Neills Family The Pampered Chef Pilar Paulmeno Frena Picazo Jim Piro Margaret Pisco Jody Popper Shannon Powell Eilis Powers Michael Rabin Anne Rafanelli Karen Rafanelli Al Raymond Darci Reagan Joanne Regan Denise Rempe Glenn Rempe Janine Rempe Eion Robinson Michael Rotzler Florence Rubinson Lena Santillana Alison Saperstein Randi Saslow Janet Saulter-Hemmer Zina Scarpulla Rich Schaefer Linda Schiff Marilyn Schorr Lynn Schwartz Rose Schwartzseid Anna Searle Billy Searle

those lives lost while waiting for

Jackie Searle Stephen Searle Tracy Shannon M. Shokouhi William Silver RoseAnn Simeone Scott Smolka Camila Isabel Sol de Pool Rita Solimene Susan Stern Calenda Peter Sternfels Steve Straus Michael Strusiak Patrick Sullivan Patricia Taranto David Tate Ronald Taubman Laura and Lew Tillman Gregory Tolve Dianne Tosti Joan Usiak Richard Utter Chris Vancheri Katherine Verni Mary Verni Joe Vollaro Basil Vorolieff Benedict Vozza Linda Vozza Mariana Vozza Tyler Vozza Ronni Ward Harvey Weinberg Joyce Weinberg Julie Ann Wilson Joseph Wu Mary Wu Ellen Yoshiuchi Chris Zaback Aleeza Zeiger Jenel Zumbo

the gift of life. www.NJSharingNetwork.org

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3rd Annual Walk & USATF Certified Race SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2013 For more information or to register, go to www.NJSharingNetwork.org

2012 Top Fundraisers $5,000+ #1 Suzann Rizzo #2 Alyssa D’Addio #3 Alexandra Niles #4 Kristina Dayback #5 Diane Bernstein #6 Phyllis Caputo #7 Vincent Cucci, Jr. #8 Dennis Dayback #9 Nicole Alicea #10 Gene Pepe #11 Randi Geffner $2,500 - $4,999 Dorothea Duffy Cindy Boyea Max Prince Thomas O’Brien Jackie Lue Raia Jennifer Jova Mark Feldstein Tina McCabe Nicole Kolb Lisa Plona Teri Russo Roy Larsen Emma Rothman Michael Amato Kevin Engelke Meagan O’Neill Barbara A. Kuzminski Aaron Grossman Amy Buckiewicz $1,000 – $2,499 Danah Franchino Joan DiMeo Rashmi Khare Gail Duane Karen Praschil Alyson Angstreich Jamie Siegrist Julianne J. Navarrete Erin DeVivo Donna Albanese Peter Rooney Kelley Niemi Karen Hernandez Beth Laible Elena Falco Lindsay Ganter Joseph Roth Nancy MacNiven Matt Barr Patricia Walling Jeanette Szabo Shevaun O'Neill Romelle Lysenko Ronald Oswick Olivia VanBuskirk Alida Sandoval Sara Oliveira Mary Pat Januszanis Kevin Roth John Longo Mora Karas Anne Feuerborn William Reitsma Lenore Ford Sangeeta Badlani Matthew Cumiskey Mollie Rubinstein

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SPRING 2013

Andrea Fuller Terry Mignott Rajesh Karnani Mark Reagan Rosanna Scali Carole Laible Mimi Assegidie-Ingram Eric Laible Lisa Meyers Mark Uptegrove Bernard Simon $500 - $999 Marc Moslowitz Joe Russo Sue Evans Michelle Brugger Emilie Brinson Lisa Frazee Jennifer Rizzo Grace Piccini Celestina Berlin Christine Gorman Derlys Gutierrez Brian Farrell Elisse Glennon Rodger Davenport Amanda Ignaut Lucinda Monica Lori West Colleen McQueen Kristin M. Mingione Valerie Budka Glenn Van Etten Christina Mosleh Melissa Maniscalco Lauren Reagan Michael Snyder Dana Dempsey Linda Scorsone Lawrence Bologna Ines Rosa Stacy Hughes Helen T. Reagan Heather Rinaldi Catherine Hamilton Sonja Washington Catherine Blumenschein Cinthia Kerstein Megan Cockcroft Nancy Bird Doreen Lechner Allison Pini Joanne Corniola Kurt Heinrich Ingrid Noonan Jennie Reyes Marisa Van Buskirk Andrea Lorberbaum Mickey Neuhauser Melissa Coffey Jamie D’Angelo Karah Barroqueiro Mary Louise Fessel Dan Sarnowski E. Denise Peoples Tara Patel Mara Barlow Ryan Goldberg Nick Paradise Mark Van Etten

Dave Galonska Siobhan Graf Whitney Downer Maria Marasa Marcia Mohl Alene Stewart Philip Mangini Julie Nelson Lea Borghard Marilyn Dipkin Anna Zdep Joshua Steidl Christine Mallek Pamela Deliso Kelly Layden Len Cerefice Derek Piccini Rita Ryan Melanie Fortunato Kristen Lalama Deanna Pecora Kimberly Cassidy Dawn-Marie Dalsass Tiffany Doda Brian Price Peggy Simurra Anne Portine-Kudlac Danielle McCue Georgette Tzatzalos Audrey Kleet Janet Kolibas Sandra Lue Sarah Walters Adriene Zepka Sharon Salerno Nikki Dunn Mitchell Rubinstein Doreen Amato Cathy & Jim Carey Brad Chernock David Livingston Danielle Novello Maria Scali Basil Vorolieff $250 - $499 Stacy Berry Megan Smith Michael Ochotorena Carolyn Moore Courtney Schellhorn Daniella Errera Fred Kleet Karen Shinevar Kristin Steinmetz Katie Strusiak Nicole Hart Adrian Gonzalez Avinash Samtani Linda Rubinstein Ali Jones Karan Raspatello Katherine Holmes Eve Reiners-Savva Dayna Soluri Carol Ercolano Jessica Garrett Jody Kelly Rosa Williams Carolyn Furey Michele Martini

Jackie Chiera Daniel Hussey David Laible Gerald Mohl NanceyAnne Tallis Brian Allain Maria Perez Danny Laible Tara Goldsmith Robert Bennett Vashti Johnson Gretchen Szabo Lauren Turci Michelle Clausen Geraldine Entrup Ethan Laible Diana McGroarty Melanie Meuerle Karen O’Neill Stephanie Caponigro Hugh MacDonald Tony Barroqueiro Evetta Canty Al DeVivo Christine Tenore Angela Fristachi Rose Ann Melendez-Tavana Michael Bialko Joanna Cipriano Peter Connolly Marc Coopersmith Kim Grebel Jen Jones Suzanne Monaco Eileen Schwalb Joey Kalmin MaryLou Moczynski Nancy Peet Jill Doherty Kathleen Bertinato Kyle Drum Helen Geib Christine Leiter Stephanie McCann Alison Moor Tanya Piccini Michael Sheehan Jeff Sobel Lynn Williams Tricia Bannister Michelle Curnow Tara Dublanica Paula Gutierrez Kristine Rovell Lori Guadagno Cara Haddon Elizabeth Seitz Jenny Stockinger Christina Strong Diana Aptaker Kori DeNobile Ken Loury Lawrence Lue Wendy Mehalick Dina Ricci Regina Rolwood Becky Rose Eileen Saake Lisa Veit Raffaella Bove

Katrina Charles Kathleen Portine Patricia Saklas Kristi Diklich Andy Cattano Bob Chavez Marissa Elmer Maria Feeney Jennifer Geiger Jan Hines Lorraine Hourihan Kathie Napoliton LeighAnn Russer Jill D’Amica Christopher Lake Erika McKeon Sandra McPherson-Gichie Danielle D'Andrea Nelson Miranda Princy Varghese Sharon Feniello Sheila Hilger Karen Panka Hal Grossman Susan MacKenzie Anthony Pandiscia Valerie Balogh Charles Bechtel Deb Belfatto Barry Brikowski Michael Cucci Jason Elmer Sandy Erwin Linda Goldenberg Susan Levin Aagesen Dennis Malloy Stephen Percy Richard Perry Marc Santucci Suzanne Chocklette Jacob Moroney Melissa Rivas Jason Aptaker Aaron Lowe Diane Russell Alison Schrum Christine Bidlack Monica Schottinger Amy Anest Ed Arnold Kim Atno Carol Beideman Walter Cockcroft Kimberly Githens Maureen Jacobi Marilyn Jacobi Erin Kay Tanya Kenevich Cindy Mazzatta Janine McDermott Ingrid Nau Jayne Propert Tina Seckerson Elise Shelffo Mary Swarthout Kristina Tyliczka Leslie Tyrie Rosemary Zbeda

To Remember. To Honor.

To Give Hope.

2012 Top Team Fundraisers Top 10 Teams - $9,000+ #1 In the “Spirit” of Anthony Rizzo #2 Team Courtney #3 Papa Tony’s Team #4 “Just Do It” in Celebration of Joe D’Addio #5 Betsy’s Dash #6 Team Kevin Gilbert #7 Max’s Mitzvah Movers #8 Team Christopher #9 Team DQ #10 ONE LOVE for Brian Bernstein $5,000 - $8,999 Team Evan Be Like Keith Share-Give-Love Randi’s Runners 3 Musketeers Team Dorothea Team Andrew Team FCC Jellybean’s Rainbow Po-Po’s Peeps Team Buck Hearts for Emma MacDonald Plumbing Robert Cameron Plona Martial Arts for Life Team Will Ganter ASG&L Law Firm Team Lisa L. NJ Sharing Network Staff and Friends I AM DROZD! Celebrating Mike’s Life $2,500 - $4,999 90607 Second Chance Team Ryan Team Shaun OB Team Romeo Delta Force Team Jonathon Pop-pop’s Team Valley Hospital Pioneers for Eric Bayshore Community Hospital/Riverview Medical Center UMDNJ-University Hospital/NJ Trauma Center Team Tori Team 360 Rich Grossman Team Mathew’s Heart Artie’s Partie Remembering Robin Team Dawn It’s Johnny Time Loving Hearts Love Life Maria DiMeo Szabo Boys BE FIT $1,000 - $2,499 Team V.I.P. Linda’s Home Team

The Krusty Krushers Team Jay Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide Heartthrobs opTIMists MTF Breathin Ezy Devin’s Got Guts JCMC: Enhancing Life AOK Team Shepherd Newark Beth Israel Second Chances STOP For Nikhil Team SCK Survival Team Team Susie Friends & Family of Bhupendra Patel Team Gene Lackawaxens for Life Fran’s McRingo AllStars Team Joey Team Scott You People...

DaVita Stars Irish Angels Summit Supporters Heart Success Lori West Family & Friends Run for Eric Team Ford Team Tin Man Rekindle Life The Heartthrobs Sentrx Jahira Walks Pidge Team Maitri Document Solutions B.Li.S Team Joline Save David Team Korn Pini Ocean Medical Center William H. Connolly & Co., LLC Team Jason Team Gratitude Forever Young TSV One Team 2012 Pfizer Team Transplanters - Legacy of the Brave Road RONners Sharing Shufflers Morristown Medical Center Overlook Medical Center CJS Violations Compliance Services EBG Shares Team HealthEd Team Deral Ingram Kristen’s Crusaders Team Heart Running For Our Angel

Many thanks to the companies that provided matching gifts For more information about how your company may match your gift, please contact 908-516-5400 or info@njsharingnetwork.org.

Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC Matching Gifts Program Merck Partnership for Giving Moretrench NJM Insurance Company Novartis Foundation Pfizer Foundation Prudential Foundation RBC Foundation – USA Sanofi-Aventis Matching Gift Center Telcordia Technologies The Warnaco Foundation Gift Match Program The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation Foundation The Horizon Foundation of NJ Matching Gifts Program Verizon Foundation

American Express Philanthropy American International Group, Inc. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. AXA Foundation Bank of America Benjamin Moore & Co. BlackRock Matching Gift Program C.R. Bard Foundation, Inc. Charles Schwab Foundation Chubb & Son Crum and Forster Deutsche Bank ExxonMobil Foundation Gannett Foundation Genentech GivingStation Goldman Sachs Johnson & Johnson KPMG LLP

Special thanks to our event sponsors A & A Benefit Consultants Adams Stern Gutierrez & Lattiboudere, LLC ASA Apple Barnabas Health Brinton Eaton Wealth Advisors CJS Violations Services Davis Enterprises Document Solutions Ethicon Evergreen Millennium Capital, Inc. Genentech, a member of Roche Group Hackensack University Medical Center Investors Bank Jeffrey Sobel Consulting LifeCell Lourdes Health System Magnet Mailers.com, LLC Muskuloskeletal Transplant Foundation

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide Overlook Medical Center Pfizer, Inc PNC Wealth Management Raritan Bay Medical Center Mark & Helen Reagan Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Saul Ewing LLP ShopRite (Village Supermarkets) SourceOne Communication Group The Hampshire Companies Trinitas Regional Medical Center TSS Facility Services, Inc. Wells Fargo Bank, NA William H. Connolly & Co., LLC Wiss & Company, LLP

Thank you to those who held fundraising events on our behalf Brandon Dowler Fundraiser Brian Kern Memorial Deep Sea Fishing Trip D’Addio Softball Tournament Eileen Cinquemane 2nd Annual Memorial Golf Outing MTF Hosted Appreciation Event MTF Jean’s Day

MTF Winter Employee Party Raffle National DL Blue and Green Day New Providence Chiropratic Papa Carl’s Jam for Life Spring Lake 5 2012 Wiss & Company, LLP Dress Down Day WithumSmith+Brown, PC Wear Jeans 2 Work

Turning Philanthropic Dollars into

Research, Education and Life-saving Work www.NJSharingNetwork.org

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DOMINGO D. RALPH J. JOHN D. LUIS C. HUGH M. CHARLES S. STEPHEN S. RAPHAEL R. VINCENT S. ALEX S. MARIA F. HO-KRI A. CHARLES B. ARNEL F. DEREK M. CAROL H. MARIANNE C. ARTHUR L. ERIC K. JOHN M. NEAL G. THOMAS L. MALCOLM S. MARIAN M.

HENRY T. DANIEL L. JULIO L. RICHARD H. ROCCO P. MICHELE W. JEFFREY K. EILEEN F. STEPHEN D. ANTHONY F. BRUCE G. WILLARD S. LOUIS A. ALI S. DOREEN A. KATHLEEN M. CURTIS K. ALEXANDER C. RONALD S. DANIEL O. JOHN Z. LOLA C. EUGENE D. KEVIN M.

SANDRA R. GARY S. RONALD K. BERNIE E. XU W. ROBERT C. CAROLANN Z. ROBERT H. JOSE S. FRANCIS C. ROBERT S. MARILYN R. ROGER H. STEVEN O. MILDRED P. KAYLA O. WALTER K. CHARLES D. JESUS V. PAMELA C. DENNIS K. GLENN D. WILLIAM S. VIOLA A.

SHANNON T. WILLIAM M. SHERRY J. RUDOLPH W. GEORGE S. CHRISTINE V. LUCIA M. ANN W. KIMBERLY G. NANCY S. SUSAN R. JILL I. ANTHONY E. LINDA D. MARK W. CATHERINE O. MELISSA K. GARY B. ANTHONY S. TIMOTHY M. CHERYL H. DOROTHY K. JOSE LUIS S. DOMINICK D.

ALBERT K. DONNA W. DANIEL A. JORDAN A. LUCILE P. ROBIN M. PHILIP M. THEODORE F. YELENA K. CHRISTOPHER M. RICHARD S. PRISCILLA M. LUIS S. JOSEPHINE P. LINDA G. MICHAEL C. ELEANOR R. JULIO C. JOSEPH B. GEORGE R. ROGER D. MICHAEL R. DARRYL F. BRYAN H.

LYNETTE S. ROY E. CHARLES S. JOSEPH G. LAMONT W. ROBERT W. CLAUDINE P. JULIE M. IGOR O. JOSEPH G. ANTHONY L. RICHARD P. ROSEMARY C. VERONICA M. LISA H. SHARON O. JOSE P. TERRI M. GAIL B. PAUL S. ANGEL P. MICHELLE F. EARL D. ARTHUR C.

NOEL G. DIANNE N. THERESA B. OMAR F. CHARLES C. JAMES M. ROBERT H. ENNIS P. JUAN F. DORIS S. MABEL L. ROBERT P. SHARON G. WILLIAM G. LUIS P. FRANCA C. CENELIE D. KENNETH B. JOSE G. RICHARD J. STEPHAN P. NICHOLAS D. FRANCISCO P. DEBRA K.

THEY GAVE With Everlasting Gratitude to all of our 2012 PAUL P. DAVID W. SHARON M. ROBERTA C. DAVID W. SCOTT S. BRUCE W. PATRICK M. JOHN W. HAFEEZ W. PATRICIA F. CLARENCE C. JAMES C. RICKY D. MILTON R. KONSTANTINOS K. TERENCE D. ROBERT V. JOSEPH F. CAROLINE K. CAROLYN M. PATRICIA W. GEORGE M. DIANA S. OSCAR P. JILLIAN D. BLANCA R. THOMAS F. MARY R. BRIAN Q. ALEXANDER R. ROSE S. CURTIS M. LEONID H. KENNETH S.

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SPRING 2013

TIMOTHY R. HAROLD M. DELECIA S. HARRY B. GARY W. VINCENT L. HEATHER S. WILLIAM S. CONSTANCE W. LOIS R. DONALD D. LINDA K. PATRICIA J. SUSANNE G. RICHARD K. LAWRENCE I. DANIEL W. JOHNNA R. BARBARA S. MARGARET A. GERALD P. HENRY S. RONALD M. DAVID H. HAROLD K. ARTHUR F. DORIS P. STEPHAN P. JUAN P. ROBERT J. PATRICIA H. FRANCES I .

RICHARD L .

GEORGE G .

CHARLES M .

JERRY D. CHESTER W. ARIOLFO R. DONNA O. VIRGINIA Q. DOUGLAS S. JESSICA G. THOMAS L. ALTAGRACIA C. NICHOLAS M. WALTER F. WILLIAM J. MICHAEL V. THOMAS B. ROXANN M. CHIMANBHAI P. ROBERT S. YEIPIN MENNOR L. JEREMIAH Q. JUAN R. CARL G. JOANNE K. JOSEPH F. ROSE W. BARBARA Z. ARLENE Q. LORREN L. AGATHA D. STEPHEN B. ANTONIETTE P. ELIZABETH E. MARTIN M. CYNTHIA M. CHANDRIKA K. THOMAS J.

GEORGE C. NANCY C. LINDA V. KENNETH M. DANIEL D. ALLEN D. JAMES D. DANA P. ZBIGNIEW P. LYNNE W. WALTER G. EMILIO D. ROBERT P. JAMEICA T. KEVIN E. ALBERT A. STEPHANIE B. HONORA E. DENNIS M. WILLIAM S. GERALDINE F. JASON B. JOSEPH C. JOHN F. HERNAN T. MICHAEL G. MANUEL V. GREGORY B. BABY BOY T. PETER D. RICHARD M. JOHN S. HUGO C. ANDREW L. SALVATORE F.

MARY J. DAVID K. MICHAEL M. MARK I. DARIA B. DONNA G. KAREN R. PATRICK W. JOANNE C. ROSE C. N. VANCE C. KATHLEEN R. MICHAEL E. LUZ W. KENNETH F. RICKY C. JEFFREY G. JOHN P. JONATHAN D. RICHARD G. GREGORY L. LESLIE S. ROBERT M. VIRGIL G. TIMOTHY B. JOSEPH M. WILLIAM S. JOHN K. RAFEAL J. DANIEL T. KAREN N. LONNIE S. LORA A. JEAN G. WESLEY S.

THOMAS B. JOHN F. BETTY-LOU W. MICHAEL L. JOSEPH L. JOHN A. JACQUELINE S. MICHAEL M. LINDA F. TINA-MARIE H. IVETTE D. GEORGE W. RACHEL M. KAREN M. DONALD R. RONALD C. MARY R. LUIS T. LIGIA C. PAULETTE R. BENITA G. GEORGE E. GILBERTO A. KENNETH M. CLIFFORD T. MICHAEL R. CHARLES K. FRED G. CYNTHIA K. CONGETTA S. EDWARD V. ROSEMARY W. NICHOLAS N. CHARLIE D. ABRAHAM V.

DANIEL C. VICTOR C. GEORGIA H. JACK C. GREGG T. GLORIA B. PATRICIA M. MICHAEL W. FRANKLIN H. REGINALD B. BRIAN D. YVONNE K. ROBERTA D. ANTHONY T. DENNIS H. ARTHUR L. VINCENT C. TREVA Y. VINODBHAI P. LUIS P. MARTIN D. GLORIA C. DEMETRIUS E. JOHN A. JOHN B. JAMES B. AMY O. TYREE T. GLORIA G. JOHN D. EDWARD N. LIZZIE M. NICOLE L. JEFFREY K. MARGARET C.

DEBBIE H. WENDY G. SALLY P. KENNETH S. GEORGE S. EILEEN A. KIM S. KURT B. JOYCE W. MARCEL C. RONALD S. LESLIE T. WILLIAM B. DAWN T. ROSALLIE B. ANTHONY T. JUSTIN S. SINNYUAN L. HELENE F. DEBORAH S. JARED N. LAURAINE S. DONALD K. DANIEL H.

JOHN S. CHARLES P. THOMAS J. JAMES G. WILLIE G. RICHARD S. ALICE S. ANTONIO M. KELSEY S. KAREN K. GLEN E. DONALD C. GLORIA S. MARVIN H. STEPHEN J. PATRICK C. JOSEPH H. HARRY K. DEAN G. CECILIA H. HARRELL C. DAMIEN ROSE B. TIMONTHY H. ANTHONY M.

ALLEN S. EDGAR A. RICHARD G. ANNMARIE H. JOHN H. EVERTON B. ANNE F. MARK K. EDWARD P. JORGE S. ANN L. EILEEN L. JAMES S. ALAN D. JOHN W. PATRICIA V. DARRYL J. ROBERT R. RUTH W. MARY L. LINDA S. LINDA F. NANCY W. MARISOL D.

CHRISTINE L. RANDALL G. WILLIAM B. HENRY H. MARION S. MARY B. JILLIAN O. DEBORAH C. ALF E. ANNE MARIE K. LINDA R. GREGORY D. MADELEINE M. SUSAN G. JOSHUA J. FRED K. KENNETH P. LOUIS C. GEORGE H. KATHERINE B. ANTHONY H. PATRICK C. JOSEPH P. NOEL M.

MICHAEL S. LOIS S. FRANKIE H. JOHN T. BRENDAN B. PAULO R. REBECCA H. JAMES L. BRADLEY T. ANTHONY S. ELAINE E. IRVING S. EVANGELINE S. RENEE T. KAREN M. BRUCE O. DENISE C. YANKLES L. MATTHEW B. RYAN C. JOSEPH L. GUSTAVO V. LAWRENCE G. ESTON E.

GARY C. JAMES F. DAVENE D. STEPHEN V. BARBARA N. LARRY L. TIMOTHY R. MARY K. NEIL F. LAWRENCE B. ELLIOTT T. RICHARD C. BRUCE S. JAIME E. PATRICIA T. JOHN N. RAFFAELE B. DAWN E. DOMINIC A. HOWARD H. GERTRUDE L. KUMESIA W. EDWARD M. RALPH S.

DOLORES R. MICHAEL H. STEVEN D. ROXANNE F. JOHN M. PETER R. DEBORAH B. DOREEN V. ROBERT B. MIA M. JOHN W. PAULA E. JOSEPH B. DAVID K. DAVID S. RASHEED V. MONICA C. ELEANOR W. ANTHONY S. MARK W. PATRICIA H. PAUL Y. CHRISTINA V. JAMES V.

JOHN M. PATRICIA P. GABRIELLA E. NORA F. GLENDA M. CHRISTOPHER D. TODD S. ROBERT M. CHRISTINE Z. CHRISTOPHER C. MICHAEL D. WALTER H. MARY G. EMMA P. RUTH S. GEORGANNE K. KATHLEEN O. FREDERICK H. JOSEPH C. ORA-MAE L. JESSICA B. MICHAEL S. VICTOR H. DAVID B. CONOR S. OK P. BARBARA B. ANA SOFIA H. ROSEANNE K. THOMAS P. VINCENT J. JAMES M. CHERIE K. LOUIS A. ROBERT P. CAROLINE C.

RUBEN T. ROSE W. PAUL C. SALLY S. LILY W. MELVIN S. DONNA S. ROBERT M. MICHAEL I. MARY S. GAIL Z. JOHN B. MARQUET C. GLADYS C. ATTILA T. KATHLEEN S. LINDA K. SUZANNE B. HECTOR Y. ROBERT G. CHRISTOPHER H. JOSEPH M. THOMAS P. SUZANNE B. LARRY G. JIN K. ANTHONY L. GEORGE B. CHARLOTTA J. ANTHONY M. ROSEANN M. CHRISTOPHER R. TIFFANY B. CHARLES L. OLGA G. LUZ R.

DARLENE M. CHRISTOPHER G. CHARLES M. DERMAINE D. BARBARA Z. FRANK K. DANIEL K. DOROTHY T. TAMIKA G. ANGEL B. JOANNE G. MARTA MARIA M. FRANCISCO P. ROBERT W. JOHN R. MATTHEW B. DANIEL H. JOHN C. ALAN K. LISA J. CHARLES Z. JAMES D. ANDREW D. RAKESH S. JOSEPH K. JITENDRA M. STEPHEN A. KATHLEEN D. PAUL D. MANUEL A. DELORSE B. BEVERLY C. ROSALIND B. GERALDINE M. ALICE G.

LIFE.

Organ and Tissue Donors JULIO O. SANDRA S. JANETTE S. MANUEL G. FABIAN B. VED K. IRENE S. JAMES S. FRANCES W. LUCAS H. MARGARET O. MILAGROS D. RICHARD T. CHRISTIAN R. GARRET M. ARTHUR W. MICHAEL O. JOHN P. GARY S. MICHAEL M. IRENE Z. EDWARD H. ANGELA B. DOUGLAS J. DENNIS M. DOMINGO T. DEBORAH B. RAMONE G. ROBERT Y. LINDA S. JOHN M. ROBERT R. GEORGE M. JOHN C. EDWARD O. CECELIA W.

KEVIN R. BEATRICE R. MARGARET V. LINDA N. STEWART W. JOSHUA M. SUSAN C. WALTER U. JEANE P. ROBERT N. CATHLEEN V. CLIFFORD G. NICHOLAS T. PETER L. SABU A. HAROLD G. GERARD C. GINA V. MARIE R. GRACE H. CLAIRE S. DOUGLAS S. PETER S. DEBORAH M. SHAWN C. KATHY W. ANDREW R. NATHAN W. CHARLES H. ROBERT S. ALEXIS T. TERRY S. GIOVANNI C. REGINA Y. CHRISTOPHER W. MARIA K.

LINDA H. LESLIE S. MARCELINO S. WAYNE M. JOHN M. ERICA H. OMAR M. DORIS R. PHE C. EDWARD S. OLGA S. THEODORE B. ANN S. SANDRA J. NYASHIA B. ROSE T. ANDREW A. VANESSA P. TRACY M. ROSANNE M. LAUREN B. RICHARD M. THOMAS F. RICHARD G. STEVEN W. DORIS A. JOHNNIE I. ANTHONY C. ROBERT L. DIANE M. EPHRAIM S. RICHARD D. DELSA B. RANDI M. JOHN S. HENRY H.

GREGORY H. YAIRO R. DAVID G. BARBARA L. MATTHEW B. MERVIN B. RONALD J. KENNETH V. MICHELE M. CARLOS L. WENDY C. MARK G. THOMAS J. ROGER L. SAMUEL C. MICHAEL B. DIANE D. MIGUEL R. RICHARD D. RITA N. BALJITKAUR C. CYNTHIA B. LARRY Y. STEPHEN F. JAMES C. ARMANDO C. DONNA W. PHYLLIS O. SHAHEEM R. JOSEPH W. ANTHONY L. PATRICIA C. ANITA M. JOAN I. CHARLES G. CLARENCE C.

www.NJSharingNetwork.org

31

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. Postage

PAID Union, NJ

691 Central Avenue New Providence, NJ 07974 1-800-742-7365 • 908-516-5400

Permit No. 931

NJ Sharing Network is a member of Community Health Charities of NJ

www.NJSharingNetwork.org

WHO WE ARE NJ Sharing Network is a non-profit, federally-designated, organ procurement organization responsible for the recovery of organs and tissue for the nearly 5,000 New Jersey residents currently awaiting transplantation, and is part of the national recovery system, which is in place for the more than 115,000 people on waiting lists.

If you no longer wish to receive information from NJ Sharing Network, please call 908-516-5400.

All in a Day’s Work

By Gina Restaino, In-House Coordinator, NJ Sharing Network

Each day I make my way to my corner desk.

Phones start ringing, sometimes incessantly. I put on my headset and face the computer. My job keeps me in the office, but the work takes me around the state and into the lives of families whose loved ones have died – sometimes just moments before.

Hospitals are legally required to inform us of every hospital death. If the potential donor is a candidate for tissue donation, it is my job to make the call to the family. This is not an easy call to make. But I know my efforts help the recipients. The donation of a cornea

may help a blind person see again. Skin can help a burn victim live a more normal life, and donated bone may prevent a leg amputation and help a person walk again. The list goes on and on.

I also believe that offering the option of tissue donation can help the families, who often find solace in knowing their loved one will help others. I work with the families and guide them through the process. It is my job to offer families the opportunity to consider tissue donation.

My desk has few adornments, but I have a beautiful view to the outdoors. Knowing that I am helping others keeps me focused through the long day.

Sometimes during my conversation with families, I will ask if they know someone who needed mastectomy

reconstruction. Or I will ask if they know anyone who had ACL surgery. These are the kinds of cases that can require tissue donation.

When I tell families with whom I speak that I have some idea how they feel, it's true. I was 18 years old when my six-year-old cousin was hit by a car while riding a scooter. I was at the hospital when NJ Sharing Network offered us the option of organ donation. We were hurt and all crying and nothing in the world would bring our cousin back. But because of our decision, other children are alive today and doing well.

We call families who may be in the midst of their worst moments and they nonetheless think of others.

I am always amazed by their generosity.

Join the conversation about the power of donation!

SAVE THE DATE

Like us at facebook.com/njsharingnetwork

April 2013

June 9, 2013

October 7, 2013

Follow us on twitter @ njsharing

Donate Life Month

3rd Annual 5K Walk/Race

Golf & Tennis Classic

Events scheduled throughout the state

NJ Sharing Network HQ New Providence, NJ

Baltusrol Golf Club Springfield, NJ

NJ Sharing Network is now on Instagram!

Follow us @NJSharingNetwork for daily pictures and updates!