Health Services

Organ Recovery

The Be a Hero for Life Campaign was designed in conjunction with the opening of The Lied Transplant Center in Feb. 1999 to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation and to give The Lied Transplant Center name recognition. The campaign was designed with Nebraska Sports Heroes who are also Heroes for Life because they've decided to be an organ and tissue donor and share their wishes with their families. To request a "Hero for Life" brochure, contact us at 800-956-7426 or e-mail us .

Carl Lewis
Salem Baptist Church invited Carl Lewis to partner with The Nebraska Medical Center to spread the life-saving message about organ donation. He discusssed the important truths about how minority populations can be better served through increased minority donations, and how wellness issues affect us all. The world's greatest track and field star was our guest on Sunday, Feb. 23, 1997 to share with us why he began the Wendy Marx Foundation for Organ Donor Awareness and why he was asked to testify before the U.S. Senate to discuss his role in the transplant community. He is also the chairman of the U.S. Sports Council on Organ Donation (established in 1990). He has recently written a book Carl Lewis, One More Victory Lap, that covers his own experiences of his final Olympic year. It is a moving tale of a relentless competitor and a passionate human being. He hopes his personal endorsement will inspire others to consider organ and tissue donation and watch how their gracious gifts impact the lives of so many.

Reg Green
The Nebraska Medical Center Donate Life Services sponsored an appearance by Reg Green, father of a seven-year old American boy who was killed by highway robbers in Italy. This incident sent an electric charge through the human spirit when his parents donated his organs to seven very sick Italians. It is known around the world as "The Nicholas Effect" and thousands of people who would have died are alive today because of it. Reg Green, Nicholas' father, shared this story at a donor recognition ceremony in Omaha, Neb. in conjunction with the "New Hearts" transplant patient support group. The message brought to the community was powerful. Saving the lives of dying individuals through organ donation should come to be a societal expectation.

Tree of Life
The Tree of Life Project is part of statewide public awareness campaign to promote organ donation and The Lied Transplant Center. The tree planting ceremonies, which have been held in 24 communities around Nebraska thus far, bring together community leaders, organ donors and recipient families. "The Tree of Life" Project is a venue to express our sincere gratitude to the real "Heroes for Life," those donor families who unselfishly made the decision to make a difference in another person's life. At each gathering, a tree is planted in the city's park to honor those who have donated a loved one's organs and those transplant recipients who have received the precious gift of life. In addition, to each Tree Planting Ceremony, the community is also educated about organ and tissue donation through educational in-services, whether at the local hospital, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Group, school or other community organization.

Bike Ride Across Nebraska - BRAN
The "Tree of Life" Memento contains a cottonwood seed, which when planted grows into a large tree, much like the seeds of knowledge that flourish in the educational process. Byers Shaw, M.D., Chairman & Musselman Professor, Department of Surgery for the The Nebraska Medical Center, presented this Memento as part of the The Nebraska Medical Center's "Tree of Life" awareness campaign. This campaign commemorates donor families and honors transplant recipients who have benefited from the gift of life and places a challenge with each community to encourage their members to participate in the organ and tissue donation program.

Department of Motor Vehicles
The Nebraska Medical Center Donate Life Services has a vested interest in enhancing the public's awareness of the great need for organ and tissue donors. This innovative approach to educating the public about the wonderful gift of life through organ and tissue donation allows us to become a community partner with the state of Nebraska's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Electronic message boards that contain 50 messages encourages the public to consider organ and tissue donation. The boards scroll the messages continually and require no local maintenance. They provide valuable information to those who visit the DMV and assist the DMV's employees in providing reminders to the public to make their own decisions regarding organ and tissue donation on their drivers license. Each board has the capacity to deliver bilingual (Spanish/English) messages.

Life-A-Thon
The LIFE-A-THON event is one of the many ways The Nebraska Medical Center promotes the message of organ donation with thousands of Nebraska citizens. LIFE-A-THON also shows support for transplant patients waiting for their future "Gift of Life" and provides an annual opportunity to celebrate the healthy recovery of past organ recipients. The walk, run, bike and in-line skating event is a day set aside to commemorate donor families for their unselfish generosity while encouraging community members and The Nebraska Medical Center employees to participate in a wellness event. Health, fitness and organ donation are all commitments to improve quality of life. Make the commitment.

National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week - NODAW
The third week in April is National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week (NODAW) and The Nebraska Medical Center supports this effort through a variety of educational efforts. Booths are set up at The Nebraska Medical Center to spread the organ and tissue donation message to patients and staff. Our transplant support group helps staff the booth. The recipients thoroughly enjoy being able to spread the message and meet others going through the transplant process and share their success stories. The Nebraska Medical Center Student Medical Association also distributes information at Westroads, Crossroads and Oakview Malls in Omaha to spread the message during NODAW. A video on transplantation is available for families and staff to view over their lunch hour. Organ Recovery staff also promotes NODAW on various TV and radio programs. Promotion of and participation in the annual Life-A-Thon is also encouraged throughout the week.

First Family Pledge
More than 200 transplant children from all 50 states, ranging in age from two to nine, traveled to Washington on April 14, 1999 for the First Family Pledge to Congress on Organ and Tissue Donation. The children publicly thanked members of Congress from their state for demonstrating leadership in supporting the First Family Pledge Organ and Tissue Donation Initiative. This marked the first time that transplant recipients were able to encourage increased leadership support for organ and tissue donation, in hopes of saving the lives of the hundreds of kids who die each year while waiting for organs to become available.

The Nebraska Medical Center Transplant Program sent 17 children who were transplanted in Omaha and reside in Nebraska, Hawaii, Alaska, Kansas, Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota and Utah, displaying the diversity of the patient waiting list and the The Nebraska Medical Center's reputation for excellence in transplant patient care and survival rates.

Fall 2000 Death Investigators and Coroners Conference Cooperative Seminar
The Nebraska Medical Center Donate Life Services held a 2000 Death Investigation and Organ and Tissue Donation Cooperative Seminar on Oct. 6, 2000 at The Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. The guest speakers were Edward Donoghue, M.D., Chief Medical Examiner from Cook County Coroner's office in Chicago, Ill., and Eric Mitchell, M.D., Coroner from Shawnee County Coroner/Medical Examiner's office in Topeka, Kans. Both gentlemen have extensive experience in the cooperative effort of death investigation and organ donation cases. They provided educational presentations and insight into this dynamic area of forensic medicine and life-saving organ donations.