LifeGift Feel Good Fridays

LifeGift Team Member Spotlight: Dani Beavers, Tissue Donation Specialist

Tissue donation is a gift that saves and heals thousands of lives each year. Because the criterion for donating tissue is different than organ donation, many more people have the opportunity to be tissue donors. Dani Beavers LifeGift tissue donation specialist facilitates the recovery of bone, tissue and other organs to be processed and distributed for transplant to save and enhance the lives of individuals in need.

A LifeGift team member for nearly two years, Dani works closely with other LifeGift departments. She also works hand-in-hand with area hospitals, medical examiners’ offices and funeral homes. “We communicate with hospital personnel during organ cases to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to make their jobs seamless,” says Dani. “We follow the organ team in the recoveries completed at the hospitals and we help each other out when difficulties arise. We also work closely with LifeGift’s Communication Center for Donation to ensure that all family requests are honored and that each donor is treated with the respect and care they deserve.”

“Before joining LifeGift, I earned a BA in Psychology and Pre-Med Biology from the University of North Texas and a Master of Science in Forensic Science from Oklahoma State University,” shares Dani. “My background includes running a Cajun restaurant for eight years, training showjumping horses and working as a toxicologist, all of which prepared me for a meaningful career while I pursued my forensic science degree.”

Dani emphasizes that her experience at LifeGift has significantly impacted her life in positive ways. "Working at LifeGift has revealed a new side of the medical field and taught me more than I ever expected about the true meaning of being a donor."

LifeGift’s Simulation Center Expands Training to Support Organ and Tissue Donation Competency

On Tuesday, October 29th, LifeGift’s LIFT team conducted a "Physical Assessment Workshop" for clinical staff at the Southwest Transplant Alliance (STA) in Dallas, Texas. This full-day training aimed to enhance the skills and knowledge needed to perform physical assessments on organ and tissue donors. The workshop, last offered to STA staff in July 2016, has been significantly updated and improved.

This event also marked an exciting milestone for the LIFT SIM Center, as it was the first external training held since receiving Provisional Accreditation. A key goal of the LIFT SIM Center is to provide high-quality training to donation partners, and this workshop was a significant step in that direction.

The course featured five interactive training stations, each offering hands-on experience led by LifeGift’s expert facilitators. The stations included:

Adult Organ Donor
Tissue Donor
Pediatric Donor
Name-the-Risk Game
Auscultation Station

The facilitators for this workshop were Reynisha Armand, manager of organ clinical operations; Rochelle Brown, manager of clinical operations; Manuel (Manny) Calderon, director of LIFT; Darryl Chance, lead tissue donation specialist; Rodney Cruz, manager of the LIFT simulation center; David Goldblum, simulation technician; DeAnn Gonzales, supervisor of tissue services; Christina Perez, organ clinical training supervisor; Shawn Poe, lead tissue donation specialist; Oscar Nandayapa, tissue donation specialist; Susan Nelson, director of organ clinical operations; Doug Schledewitz, organ clinical trainer; R. Patrick Wood, MD, consultant medical director and Hillary Yates, manager of organ referral operations.

“It’s been incredible to see how LifeGift’s Physical Assessment Workshop has evolved,” says Cruz. “The collective experience of our trainers truly shines through each session, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Our facilitators embody LifeGift’s core values of passion, compassion and professionalism, as well as our strategic anchors of leadership and expertise.”

The LIFT SIM Center team looks forward to expanding training programs to other organizations. The collaboration with STA has been a success, and LifeGift is committed to strengthening the skills of clinical staff in organ and tissue donation. Looking ahead, LifeGift plans to offer simulation-based training to other organ procurement organizations and healthcare facilities, further enhancing the capabilities of professionals dedicated to saving lives.

LifeGift Participates in Consulate of Mexico’s Day of the Dead Ceremony

Día de los Muertos, also known as “Day of the Dead”, is a tradition-filled three days when families remember and share memories of their departed loved ones. Friends and families participate in a variety of activities including lively processions and parades, and traditional dress and altar building.

Day of the Dead is observed October 31st to November 2nd when all souls of the dead are believed to return to the world of the living and anyone who led a pure life, particularly children. It’s primarily a Mexican tradition, but other countries around the world also honor the deceased. In the Philippines, relatives visit the graves of the dead, bringing flowers and lighting candles. In Brazil, there is Dia de Finados. And in many other countries, including the United States, November 2nd is similarly recognized as All Souls’ Day.

A special thanks to the General Consulate of Mexico in Houston/Consulado General de México en Houston for offering LifeGift an opportunity to create an altar to honor organ, eye and tissue donors who gave others life. For more than 20 years, the Consulate General of Mexico has celebrated the Day of the Dead through a series of events including an altar exhibit. Each year, the Consulate invites their community partners to create an altar to honor those who are no longer with us.

Currently 44% of the people waiting for a transplant in Texas are Hispanics. * Multicultural communities often wait longer on the national organ transplant waiting list for a life-saving gift because there are not enough donors from within their own communities. Although donation and transplantation can take place between individuals from different racial or ethnic groups, transplants have a higher likelihood of success when organs are matched between members of the same racial or ethnic background.

For more information about the General Consulate of Mexico in Houston. For information about organ, tissue and eye donation in our multicultural communities, please visit LifeGift’s website. To view the photo gallery, please click here.

Source: Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network (OPTN)

Thankful for You!

As we celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, our transplant community continues to work hard to provide a second chance at life to those waiting on live-saving organs, tissue and eyes. What stands out is the amazing work of our hospitals and transplant center partners who work every day saving lives through donation. Thank you for all you are doing to care for patients each and every day. Also deserving of our thanks are the donors and their families who have generously provided a second chance of life for so many patients.

At this time of Thanksgiving, we want you to know how grateful we are for your commitment, dedication and support of LifeGift’s mission of offering Hope.

Your LifeGift Team Members

LifeGift is proud to collaborate with our hospital and transplant center partners to advance organ, eye and tissue donation, bringing hope to the communities we serve in Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock and Amarillo. Please email us at communications@lifegift.org with any questions or support needs!