Pete Cashman is a liver recipient and OTS member who at one time was a school bus driver in his suburb. He made a point to tell the kids that he received an organ transplant and that organ donation can save lives. He recently received a note from one of his high school students telling Pete what a major impact he has on his life.

As a transplant recipient, one of the hardest things to get used to are the precautions that we have to take - especially during the summer. Most transplant patients are taking one or more immunosuppressant medications, such as CellCept, Prograf, or Neoral. Any of these medications will cause the skim to become very sun sensitive. Here are few tips to follow:

More than 80 people attended the 28th Annual OTS Tree Planting Ceremony on Sunday, April 28 at Naper Settlement in Naperville. The weather did not look good for an outdoor ceremony when there was a spring snowstorm in the Chicago area the day before. But all the snow melted just in time for us to walk to the site where we dedicated a tree in honor of organ donors. The day of Sunday, April 28 turned out to be a sunny and beautiful day for the tree planting ceremony.

The Caregiver’s Guidebook by Barbara A. Stewart is your personal resource for successfully navigating life as a Caregiver. It is filled with information, lists, and a place for you to personalize your journey. This Guidebook will provide you with awareness, encouragement, comfort, and a voice, as you embrace the new you.

At the OTS meeting on April 5, we were fortunate to have two different speakers. Margaret Pearson, a coordinator in the office of organ and tissue donation at the Illinois Secretary of State’s office spoke about all the different events planned during April to promote organ and tissue donation. Many public service announcements were aired on local TV stations that featured Sofia, an 11-year-old girl who received a heart transplant last year.

OTS: Can you tell us what your business is, and where you work?

MG: I am a contract funeral director with the Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network in Itasca, Illinois. I transport deceased donors from the hospitals where they expire to the Gift of Hope for donation recovery. My service area includes all of the hospitals in Lake County, Indiana, Kankakee County, Illinois, and far south Cook County, Illinois.

There were more than 36,500 transplants in the US performed last year - making 2018 the 6th consecutive record-breaking year! Of these transplants, more 10,700 came from deceased donors and more than 6,900 came from living donors which is the highest living donor total since 2005.