Life Connection of Ohio

Even though he knows our Community Outreach Coordinator, Stephanie Burianek, moonlights as a member of the paparazzi, liver transplant recipient Don Melillo bravely wore his turkey costume to a Halloween-themed event when recently volunteering for Life Connection of Ohio. We could not keep the Kodak moment to ourselves and felt it was only appropriate to do a little Throwback Thursday one week before Thanksgiving. In all seriousness... "As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I cannot help to think about how grateful I am that 12 years ago, a person said "YES!" Without that simple word, my wife and I would not have been able to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary nor would I have met two of our five grandsons. It has also given me the opportunity to visit other transplant patients after they have been given their second chance in life. Most importantly, I would not be able to spread the word about organ, eye and tissue donation at events for Life Connection of Ohio," Don said. #TBT #OrganDonation #Thanksgiving

November is National Caregivers Month, and one such caregiver is Life Connection of Ohio volunteer Beverly Sherwood. Beverly's daughter, Ebonie, received a life-saving heart transplant, and Beverly took care of her every step of that journey. During her senior year at Stebbins High School, Ebonie collapsed in the arms of her athletic trainer and suffered cardiac arrest at track practice. She had multiple blood clots throughout her body, and she was struggling to survive. Her only chance at a full life was an emergent heart transplant. Ebonie’s life changed forever when she was fortunate enough to receive a life-saving heart transplant on March 20, 2023. Now, 19-year-old Ebonie is taking college classes to be an athletic trainer so she can help others – and carry on the caregiving tradition. Beverly is proud of Ebonie, and she is grateful for the opportunity to care for her daughter. "If life has taught me anything, it would be to cherish the small moments, be present and remember to tell people how much they mean to you," Beverly said. Thank you to Beverly and the countless caregivers in the Donate Life community. #NationalCaregiversMonth #DonateLife

Life Connection of Ohio hosted a very special unveiling of one-of-a-kind donor hero art pieces last month at our new Toledo Regional Office location. Our Community Services Department connected with three donor families, who shared personal items along with memories of their loved one, allowing Brian Riegel to work his artistic magic in creating beautiful custom pieces. This piece was created in honor of Donovon Jacobs, who gave the gift of life through organ donation. "I was and still am overwhelmed at seeing my son’s memories come to life! Brian captured the memories I lived with and brought them to life in the most beautiful and indescribable way – him making pancakes, the smirk on his face when he beat me at chess, the sound of him and I playing heart and soul on the piano, the never ending monopoly game, watching him play basketball and the back of him wearing that shirt as he took the garbage out was all right there in front of me, my regular guy with the most beautiful story from a guy that never met him," Donovon's mother, Andrea, said. "Brian’s talent is unmatched and very much appreciated. I don’t think I can thank Life Connection of Ohio enough. You have brought much joy to this mom!" To learn more about Donovon, read his story of hope here → https://bit.ly/3DK36l7 To learn more about The Art of Brian Riegel, visit his website here → https://bit.ly/3J4jUWW #LifeConnection #ServingFamilies #SavingLives

In celebration of Eye Donation Month, Life Connection of Ohio would like to shout out the incredible work done by Lions Eye Bank of West Central Ohio! The non-profit organization is dedicated to restoring sight through cornea donation in our community and beyond. Learn more about Lions Eye Bank of West Central Ohio here → https://bit.ly/48LNLiJ. #LionsEyeBank #EyeDonationMonth #PartnerShoutOut

DID YOU KNOW? All major religions support organ donation as a selfless act of love and generosity. Learn more at lifeconnection.org. #FactFriday #LifeConnection #OrganDonation

November is Native American Heritage Month! This year's theme is celebrating Tribal sovereignty and identity. From our friends at the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation: "In alignment with the theme of Tribal sovereignty, we acknowledge the importance of empowering Native communities to make informed choices about organ, eye and tissue donation. Just as Tribal sovereignty preserves the right of self-governance, the act of donation ensures the continuation of traditions of generosity and care, values deeply rooted in Native cultures. Through partnership and consultation, we aim to honor these traditions while ensuring equitable access to life-saving healthcare. This month, we highlight the contributions of Native American donors and donor families whose selfless gifts have saved countless lives. We also raise awareness about the pressing need for organ, eye and tissue donors within Native American communities." Native Americans and Alaska Natives comprise approximately 2% of the U.S. population but 1% of the national transplant waiting list. Say "yes" to saving lives at https://bit.ly/3XOof69. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #DonateLife

? ONE MONTH AWAY ? It is World Kindness Day, so here is your reminder that Life Connection of Ohio is partnering with the American Red Cross and Cumulus Media Toledo for the fifth annual Harvey J. Steele Memorial Blood Drive! Blood donation and organ donation gifted Harvey with 20 additional years of life and inspired his daughter, Kara, to work at Life Connection of Ohio. Join us in celebrating Harvey's life and legacy by giving blood in his honor on Friday, December 13, between 10 AM – 4 PM at Maumee United Methodist Church. For an appointment, visit https://lnkd.in/eYRr7g_C and enter the code HARVEY. K-100 / 93.5 WRQN / 94.5 WXKR / Q105 Toledo / 98.3 Nash Icon / 100.7 The Ticket / Toledo's Zone #WorldKindnessDay #LifeConnection #SavingLives #BloodDrive

Life Connection of Ohio hosted a very special unveiling of one-of-a-kind donor hero art pieces last month at our new Toledo Regional Office location. Our Community Services Department connected with three donor families, who shared personal items along with memories of their loved one, allowing Brian Riegel to work his artistic magic in creating beautiful custom pieces. This piece was created in honor of Elena Yakumithis, who gave the gift of life through organ donation. “One of the things I miss is having new things for our child. When Life Connection of Ohio reached out with this amazing project, we thought about what that would mean. It would mean someone looking daily at things that had been put away, it would mean our daughter’s name being read every day, it would mean awareness for organ donation. We weren’t sure what to expect at the unveiling, and we were touched, thrilled and blown away. Brian had obviously taken the time to learn who Elena is, and to share through the things Elena loved, what kind of a little girl she was. We see new details every day – from the cake background, to the recreation of Elena’s shirt, and the water bottle in the bag," Elena's mother, Kelly, said. "The artwork is so beautiful it moves us to tears every time we view it or think about it. It is clearly a labor of love, and Brian and Life Connection of Ohio respectfully showed us love through art." To learn more about Elena, read her story of hope here → https://bit.ly/3LOcOYr To learn more about The Art of Brian Riegel, visit his website here → https://bit.ly/3J4jUWW #LifeConnection #ServingFamilies #SavingLives

In celebration of Veterans Day, Life Connection of Ohio would like to take a moment to recognize members of our team who not only serve families and save lives through organ donation, but who have also served our country. We salute the following Veterans. ?? Senior Organ Preservationist Ken Jiles ?? Organ Recovery Coordinator Kimberly Lane ?? Organ Recovery Coordinator Tim Olzak ?? Organ Recovery Coordinator Alex Pajkowski Thank you for your service, Ken, Kimberly, Tim and Alex! #VeteransDay

DID YOU KNOW? November is Eye Donation Month! There is no better time to raise awareness about cornea donation and transplantation, honor donor heroes and their families, celebrate with those who received the gift of sight, and encourage everyone to commit to organ, eye and tissue donation. Learn more at https://bit.ly/3XOof69. Lions Eye Bank of West Central Ohio / #FactFriday #LifeConnection #EyeDonationMonth