How One Decision Can Save 8 Lives with Kelli James - FIND YOUR BRIGHTSIDE

[00:00:00]It's definitely challenging for sure and there's definitely a hierarchy with who is the legal next of kin and who's the decision maker in those kinds of situations. There's lots of laws about that, lots of regulations surrounding that.

[00:00:20]Hey folks, before we get started, I want to pose a question to you. Are you using AI in your business? We started using Malachor and man, it's really helped us grow. We're growing leaps and bounds.

[00:00:31]So, if you're not using it, might check out Malachor. If you are using it, kudos to you. Here's the show. Today on Find Your Bright Side, we're talking with someone whose work helps turn heartbreak into hope and loss into life. Our guest is telling an important story in healthcare and humanity through awareness, compassion, and connection.

[00:00:49]She's the director of MARCOM for Southwest Transplant Alliance, whose mission is to save lives every day through organ donation and transplantation advocacy. Behind every campaign, every story, and every conversation is the chance to give somebody more time and a second shot at life. Kelly James, thanks for coming on the show today, >> man. Thanks for having me.

[00:01:11]>> Well, you know, uh uh I got a little hard on my driver's license.

[00:01:16]>> And that's a first step for everybody, I guess, isn't it?

[00:01:18]>> It sure is. cuz I have one on mine as well.

[00:01:19]>> Well, here we go. Before we drill into that though, our our our community, our audience always likes to know a little bit about our guests. So, what's your origin story? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

[00:01:28]>> I love that. My origin story makes me sound like a superhero.

[00:01:31]>> That's right. YOU ARE. WE ARE.

[00:01:32]EVERYBODY'S A SUPERHERO IN their own mind. Okay.

[00:01:35]>> I love that. Um, so originally born in California, raised up in Oregon, graduated from high school at 16, went to college, really thought I was going to be like predental, so was on it, very excited about it. Quickly realized that was not for me. Pivoted, went pre- N nursing for a second cuz that's what my mom did. I grew up in a household that was all about helping people and being kind and doing something for your neighbor.

[00:01:59]>> So, you grew up understanding the value of healthcare?

[00:02:01]>> Very much. Very much so. Um, immediately following college, I decided that I wanted to be in the nonprofit space. I have been in the nonprofit space my entire career and absolutely loved it.

[00:02:11]Um, and about 15 years ago found the donation space and I just I fell in love. I knew this is what I was supposed to do all along.

[00:02:18]>> Okay. So now, how did you get down here to Texas?

[00:02:21]>> Well, so donation is one big family. So I ended up meeting my husband as part of the donation community. Met my best friend. Um, and you know, he was from San Antonio. So he said, "Hey, let's let's go check out Texas and we're here and we love it."

[00:02:34]>> So your husband works in the space also.

[00:02:36]>> He does. Yeah. He works on the tissue recovery side.

[00:02:38]>> Well, you know, that's another that's another episode for another time because I work with my wife and you seem you got a big smile on your face. So So unlike some of our friends that say, "I could never work with my spouse." We met a couple the other night. We were at a bar and uh having a little cocktail there and and and talking as y'all work together. Oh, no. We can never work together. Y'all work together. Oh, yeah.

[00:02:58]We love it. you know, so everybody's a little different on those things, but it sounds like you've got a lot of passion both what you do and your husband do in the uh transplantation advocacy world. Did I say that right?

[00:03:12]That's a big word for me and transplantation. It's one big community and really it just comes down to to saving lives. That's ultimately what this does. This is about educating our community, helping them understand that one person has the power to save eight lives through organ donation and heal 75 more through tissue donation.

[00:03:29]>> All right, now let's run those numbers back again for us.

[00:03:32]>> Yeah.

[00:03:32]>> One person's having the little heart on their driver's license might allow eight other people to live. Correct.

[00:03:40]>> And touch how many other people?

[00:03:42]>> 75 people through tissue donation.

[00:03:44]That's one person's gift. It's incredible. And it's when we no longer need it. I think that's that's the most important for people to understand is that it's when we no longer need it that we're able to go on and save and heal lives.

[00:03:56]>> That's uh that's that's a that's a phenomenal statistic. And as people become more knowledgeable or educated in this is that lead them down the pathway to wanting to do this.

[00:04:08]>> We hope so. A lot of it comes from personal stories. So the stats are important. We love sharing the numbers, sharing the impact. But I think what really gets people and motivates people is hearing it from a donor family or a recipient and someone sharing their story or maybe they know someone in their own personal life who ends up needing an organ transplant or becoming a donor. It's really one of those communities and families that you don't necessarily want to become a part of, but you do become a family and you meet other donor families and you meet recipients and you meet people whose lives have been touched by this incredible gift. and it just really expands it and helps people understand the hope behind it.

[00:04:44]>> Okay. So, we want to know more about that story, Kelly. At some point, you you grew up in a family that healthc care was important, understood the value of that, uh, following your mother's traditions in into the healthc care space. When did when did working in donation, organ donation, kind of not just become a thought, but your real hard passion? How old were you when that happened?

[00:05:06]>> Oh gosh. I mean, I've been a registered organ donor since I was 16 and got my driver's license. It was never a question in my family. It was always just like that's what you do. That's that's what we do. We help people when we don't need it anymore. Um, but I really didn't know anything about organ donation till I started working in it in 2014. I I didn't even know it was a thing necessarily. Like I knew I checked the box at the driver's license office, but I really didn't know anything beyond that. And just becoming a part of this community, you realize it's big, but it's also pretty small. Um, and there's just there's so many people involved in it and there's so much work that comes in behind it and just from clinical to nonclinical kind of regardless of your background, there's really something in the donation community for everybody.

[00:05:47]Like I said, I didn't end up pursuing predental. I didn't pursue pre- nursing.

[00:05:52]I got a public health degree and I kind of fell into organ donation and was like, "This is interesting. I want to learn more." And prior to joining um the organ procurement organization, this is back when we lived in Las Vegas. Um, but I didn't know anything about it. I didn't even know it was really an option for me. And I hadn't stayed anywhere in previous nonprofit roles more than a year. I was young. I was still figuring things out. And as soon as I joined the donation space, I was like, "This is it.

[00:06:17]I can't do anything else because it's so cool." And people's lives literally depend on it. Well, you know, we think in here about uh somebody getting a a heart transplant, uh a kidney or something like this, but we don't think about where where where was where was that donor? Who was that donor that provided that to uh uh to to happen? Because it's, you know, it's not a chicken the egg thing. You know, you got to have the organ to be able to to save someone. And there's literally hundreds of thousands of people that are on multiple lists that could have an extended life if they had uh an an organ transplant. Is that a fair statement?

[00:07:02]Hundreds of thousands.

[00:07:03]>> There are exactly a 100,000 people across the United States waiting on a life-saving transplant. And that that is just the number of people who are sick enough to need a transplant, but are well enough to withstand a transplant.

[00:07:13]So, >> okay. Explain that a little bit more.

[00:07:15]There's different stages of this, right?

[00:07:17]>> There are. Yeah. So the waiting list is a little bit complicated, but we think of it as more of like a pool of people who need a transplant, right? And then when an organ becomes available, it's not like a list that's like one, two, three, four, five. You know, just because you're at the top of the list, so to speak, doesn't mean that you're a match for this organ that becomes available. So always trying to prioritize that best possible match is super duper critical. Um, so some people wait months, some people wait years. It really varies depending on your blood type and depending on how sick you are and those kinds of things. lots of factors that go into it.

[00:07:48]>> So then it boils down probably to a committee to determine human beings, right, that are determining, okay, we have this available and here's six or eight people. Which one has the best chance of survival for is that kind of the criteria >> so to speak? There's also radiuses. So we also know that organs can only withstand being outside of a human body for so long, right? And there's of course technology that helps aid in that and get it a little further distance, but primarily we work in these concentric circles depending on where that recovery where that donor hero is and then where that recipient is.

[00:08:23]>> Yeah, that's interesting in itself. It's not like, okay, somebody in New York needs a kidney. Well, here's a kidney in California. That probably ain't going to happen because there's people before you get there.

[00:08:34]>> Not without a lot of technology.

[00:08:36]>> Yeah. Yeah. And how is technology I'm going to jump off onto that. How has technology help the advancement of organ procurement? Is that the right word? And then and then and then transplantation.

[00:08:49]>> Yeah. They essentially help us just extend that timeline. So they help us get that gift to that perfect match, even if it's a little further. Um and so it really just helps extend the lifespan of this life-saving Oregon and ensure that it's able to go to the right person and save a life. And of course, our mission is to save as many lives as possible. Well, how many places like Southwest Transplant Alliance are there?

[00:09:11]I thought there was just y'all. You got a beautiful facility over there. Okay.

[00:09:15]And and and I' I've been privileged to see the floor plans and kind of know where things go in and out and how the things work and and you really cater to the families over there. Uh tell us a little bit about that.

[00:09:28]>> Gosh, where to even begin? Yes, there.

[00:09:30]So, there are organ procurement organizations all throughout the country. Um the Southwest Transplant Alliance serves a huge community. We serve more than 10 million people across the state of Texas. So, we're definitely one of the largest. Um, we have a beautiful building. We have been around for more than 50 years. Um, but in that building, we've only been in there for gosh, going on five years now. Um, open during co, that was an exciting time.

[00:09:52]Um, but yeah, we really cater to the families. We have Taylor's Place, which is really intended to be a quiet, peaceful place for families to come.

[00:09:58]That's where they're able to come and visit their loved one. when we transfer to our legacy center, it's essentially like a little mini hospital. Um, and so we're able to care for the donor there.

[00:10:07]The family is able to come and visit.

[00:10:09]It's just it's quiet, it's peaceful, it's warm and inviting, unlike, you know, some of our hospitals where it just it's just a different kind of a feel when you're in our building.

[00:10:19]>> Yeah. It's a healthcare facility, but it doesn't feel like you're feels like a place for hope.

[00:10:24]>> Home. Yes.

[00:10:25]>> Yeah. You know, I mean, I think >> hope starts here.

[00:10:28]>> Yeah. That's a Is that y'all's tagline?

[00:10:30]It is.

[00:10:30]>> Look at that. J man got knew that there right.

[00:10:34]>> Well, for yourself, Kelly, um being able to be involved in doing this, you've got to do a lot of outreach and stuff as the as the Marcom manager. That's marketing and communication. For y'all that don't know, I had to shorten that down where I can make the font bigger when I was reading off the only part of the teleprompter that I use. Okay. Um uh so, uh uh you're involved in all the outreach, I guess. tell us some of the things that you do to to reach out to people and and things you've got going on that that maybe somebody could come and learn and get educated more.

[00:11:06]>> Well, we're super lucky to have a wonderful community engagement team who runs all of our events. We just wrapped up our 5K, which is probably our largest event of the year. Um, it's phenomenal.

[00:11:15]Usually, we have close to a thousand people come out. We're at Clyde Warren Park here in Dallas. Um, some of our folks participate virtually, which is really exciting. It's a lot of donor families. It's a lot of families who come out in their custom shirts with their loved ones photo on it and they run in honor of them. Um, and it's just this beautiful, >> it's all I can say is hope. It's just this beautiful display of hope >> and this is a way to bring those people together but also to raise funds, right?

[00:11:38]Because you know fundraising is something that you you have to deal with. And I know that because I've seen the the donor walls in there. You've got a lot of uh philanthropy. A lot of good businesses feel and see the value in supporting Southwest Transplant Alliance. Uh uh you even have a golf the Phil Berry. Is that right?

[00:11:57]>> Yeah. Yep. Named in honor of the one and only. He's incredible. Um he's one of the longest living liver recipients and he is just phenomenal. So we're so excited to have him as our namesake for the golf tournament. Yes. Coming up in the fall. I I would almost be embarrassed in sharing this story. Then I was at this golf tournament and Sarah Beth, my beautiful wife, and I were on a golf cart and my phone started blowing up and said, "Vic Jagger's over at your building." This is when we were over at Deep Ella. Oh my gosh.

[00:12:23]>> And I'm like, "You're kidding me." Said, "No, he's taking pictures with the big wall and everything." So I literally jump off the golf cart and run cuz I could see the car. You know how the you and she's like, "What are you doing?

[00:12:33]>> Got to go."

[00:12:33]>> Yeah. So sorry about that, Bill. But thanks for raising that money and doing that. And that was at the Dallas Athletic Club. I think it was a really nice course.

[00:12:42]>> Yeah, it's beautiful. So, we're up in Fris now. We've been at Stonebrook for a little bit and it's gorgeous. We absolutely love it. So, yeah, if you're interested and that's coming up in the fall, right?

[00:12:49]>> It is coming up in the fall. Yeah. Head on over to our plug there.org.

[00:12:53]Yeah. On the website, join us. It's for a great mission, a great cause. Lots of families and recipients come out for that one as well. And then it seems like the the families, they get connected to Southwest Transplant Alliance in a couple of different unique ways of helping give them both closure, but having those memories. You got like a >> it's a living tree, but it's made out of metal.

[00:13:19]>> Yeah, it's right. Well, so our entire building is anchored around this gorgeous oak tree. And so we wanted to find this neat installation in our donor memorial garden that kind of was inspired by that real tree, but they're metal leaves. And so those metal leaves are called legacy leaves and they're engraved with our donor hero's names every year. So we just did our ceremony for that as well. As you can imagine, it's heavy emotion. Um some families just really struggle with it. Most families, I would say, come out of it just feeling so much hope though. They know that their loved one is remembered and they're honored and they're loved still and they're not forgotten. And that's a really big deal in the donation space. People who have lost a loved one, they want to make sure that no one forgets that their loved one lived and had this beautiful life.

[00:13:59]>> It's a great way to give those folks memory. Now, you were talking about >> Taylor's space.

[00:14:05]>> Taylor's Place.

[00:14:06]>> Taylor's Place earlier. Is that the room that has the the windows with the letters? Tell us a little about those letters.

[00:14:13]>> Those are beautiful. Yes, >> they make you cry. I mean, it will make you cry to read those.

[00:14:17]>> Gorgeous. And they're in English and in Spanish. again for our multicultural communities. So when families are in that room, they're surrounded by love.

[00:14:24]They're surrounded by these windows that have letters um that are inscribed with um recipient words. So basically recipients and donor families can exchange letters with one another prior to meeting in person when and if the time comes for that. But in Taylor's Place, all of the windows have these beautiful letters written by recipients.

[00:14:42]So, it just helps our families understand from the recipient perspective what they're thinking, what they're feeling, and those are real words from real letters written by recipients. And it's just it's very cool. Sometimes when we're giving tours, we will have the recipients whose letters are on the wall give the tour and they will point out which words are theirs from the letter and they get really emotional because they're emotional when they're writing it. They know the gravity of this gift that they've gotten and the fact that their second chance at life comes from someone else's loss. They feel that. they know that and they don't take it lightly. So, I think it's one of those things that just seeing that gratitude and seeing them want to give back and want to connect with their donor family is one of the coolest things about what I do.

[00:15:22]>> Well, you know, there's a uh pretty unique story that you made a nice video uh about uh Casey's >> Casey Angel.

[00:15:31]>> Casey Angel, share with our audience a little bit about this story and the recipient in in in in all this.

[00:15:37]>> It's a gorgeous story. Yeah. So, we actually were able to introduce the two together. So, the donor family got to meet the recipient, but Casey Angel was just an everyday regular guy living out in East Texas. He had a huge heart. Um, and his family just really shares what a giving person he was. And his heart went to save um this man from the NBA named Scott Pard. A lot of people know that name. Um, not everybody saves a celebrity, but of course because of who he is and the fact that Scott has taken this gift so seriously and he now advocates for donations.

[00:16:08]>> He's a big advocate using his celebrity for good for sure, >> which is incredible.

[00:16:12]>> You know, and I can see some people maybe they they don't want I don't think anybody wants notoriety from this. Uh but it's it's it's sometimes a struggle to um be in the limelight. And um Apollo accustomed to that and he sees uh firsthand what being a donor what somebody being a donor meant for for his life continuing on uh and and and the family being able to connect to that.

[00:16:41]Now you said something about Casey's was it his wife? could tell us that cuz it'll almost make you cry again, but I'm not trying to do this on purpose. Okay.

[00:16:50]>> It's Sometimes it's hard not to. It's very emotional. But yeah, so his wife got to listen to his heartbeat again in Scott's chest. There's this really beautiful video and image of her listening to her husband's heart in Scott.

[00:17:02]>> Yeah, that's amazing.

[00:17:04]>> It's so beautiful.

[00:17:05]>> That's amazing. One of the coolest moments. what from somebody in your position because you know you it it it you don't look it but you got deca couple of decades now in this in this in this space you know um how does the future look for this? What what are some pains that you're going through that other people could help solve for you because y'all are doing good work?

[00:17:28]>> That's a good question. I would >> I made that up on the spot too. I didn't even look at the list.

[00:17:34]>> Let's see. I think the biggest thing is really just talking with family. I know it feels so simple, but registering your decision to be an organ donor and talking with your family. All of us are an influencer in one way or another. You know, we all have a social network and this is just one of those topics that people unfortunately don't think about until they know someone who is touched by it. Um, but I wish that people would talk about it a little bit sooner because the reality is no donor family that we work with expected this to happen. Um, none of us expect this to happen. And I think that's probably the biggest my biggest takeaway too is we just we appreciate every moment and you know have that conversation before you think you need to because no one thinks they're going to need to.

[00:18:11]>> Well then Kelly you shared with us uh I think you were 16 when you got your driver's license first thing you did when you when you got that. Are you allowed to uh advocate in the schools to to to teenagers that are fixing to be getting their driver's license and in these things or are they throttled things down so much in today's time that you can't, you know, do that kind of outreach?

[00:18:34]>> There are definitely student advocates for donation for sure. There's actually a whole separate organization called Soda. It's student advocates for donation and we have a few chapters here in our service area that that advocate for donation. So, it's kids talking to other kids. It's kids who come and we even do a student residency program through the summertime. So, kids, high school, usually like juniors and seniors will come to our building. They get to see the behind the scenes of what we do and our beautiful legacy center. They get to just really experience it and learn it for three full days. So, we have so we had like close to 100 applicants for the program this year.

[00:19:07]It's grown from about 20 when we started to about a hundred now.

[00:19:11]>> Wow. It's it's beautiful and it's so cool to see the students get so excited about it because just like myself, I think they don't really realize that this is an option. This is a career path and this is something they could even be a part of if they so chose to.

[00:19:25]>> So getting to expose them to that and teach them about it is really neat.

[00:19:28]>> Well, you know, we we hear so much about our younger generations wanting to do something meaningful and and a lot of them not using that just for an excuse of not doing anything, okay? They're looking for something meaningful to do.

[00:19:40]still go out and do something while you're looking for that. But um is there curriculum now in uh in in higher education about uh what you do uh special, you know, specializing in in in um um transplantation and and donation advocacy?

[00:19:59]>> Briefly, I would say we probably have some work to do in that area for sure. I mean, even in the medical profession, I think there's a very small section that talks about organ donation, but it's really not in-depth. And so that's another part of what our organization does is our hospital services team, our clinical teams go in and they work with healthcare partners and just help them understand what this partnership is about because of course donation only happens all after all life- saving efforts have been exhausted, right? But just helping our healthcare partners understand what their role is in this and where we come into play and just helping to maybe it's approaching the family once someone you know qualifies essentially as an organ donor, >> right? because not everybody is able to qualify as a as as an can you can you go and find out if you are eligible.

[00:20:45]>> We tell people register no matter what.

[00:20:47]Don't rule yourself out because a lot of people will say you know I have a certain medical condition or they think that based on their age or something like that.

[00:20:54]>> So it's better to register and find out after the fact than to not register.

[00:20:58]>> Let just let the medical professionals kind of evaluate it because every individual is different. There are some people in their 90s that are healthier than people in their 30s, you know, just based on a lot of different factors. So, you just never know who you could help save. The oldest organ donor was in their 90s. So, really, genuinely, it's you just never know who you're who you're going to be able to help. And it gives hope just by registering.

[00:21:18]>> And and in your arena, these are all to save someone else's life. This isn't for medical research. You're not you're not donating for that. That's a different That's different, right?

[00:21:28]>> Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's helpful, too.

[00:21:30]Sometimes if for whatever reason the organ can't be transplanted, the family can opt for it to go to for medical research and that's incredibly helpful too. That's how we learn and that's how we advance technology and do all these wonderful >> So the family the family has some some say in this too then I guess is can you share a little bit about how that part works? That's actually probably one of the biggest things that I've noticed just in my tenure with, you know, being in the donation space is just this real incredible focus on the family and making sure that we're able to meet them where they're at. We know that we're walking alongside them on their worst day. This is the hardest time for them.

[00:22:04]So, giving them some options and being able to just empathize with them and just make them feel like we're here and we're listening. And yes, of course, we want to save lives, but at the end of the day, we want to make sure that they are taken care of as well. um because they're human beings and if we were in their shoes, we would want to be treated that way too, right? So, I think that empathy is really important. Um but I've also seen this really cool transition into like if a family is unsure, we will even offer the opportunity for like do you know someone who's on the waiting list and we will try to do a directed donation for them. If there is someone specifically that they would like their loved one to be able to save, we will do our best to try to make that match happen.

[00:22:40]>> So, help me walk through this a little bit more. just I I got the I got the heart on my my thing and it's 34 years into the future cuz that's how much longer I got here on earth. I already promised my wife that I'd live to be 100. Um um uh and something a person demise.

[00:22:57]>> Yeah.

[00:22:58]>> Their family still has input even though they have the little heart thing on their license.

[00:23:03]>> It's a delicate situation. So technically it's a first person authorization, but our role, like I said, is always to meet a family where they're at. So, it's helping them understand. For some families, they already knew. They already knew they were registered. This isn't like a big shock. For some families, it's really shocking. They're like, "Wait, what do you mean they registered? We never talked about it." So, that's why we always emphasize that family conversation. But, it's a delicate, you know, we're trying to help the family just understand, here are the next steps. If a family is really struggling with it, that's when we will reconvene.

[00:23:32]We'll come up with the game plan. Do we proceed? Do we not proceed?

[00:23:36]um which is really unfortunate and that's why I think it's the biggest takeway a little slippery slope there.

[00:23:43]Is there a form that someone like myself could sign that says look I don't care if my aunts and my uncles, my cousins, my brothers or any of these people, I don't care what they think. This is what I want to have happen. Um you because you can just see the dynamics in family.

[00:23:56]Hey, I want to honor uh my my my father's desire to to donate. Well, a sibling might say, "Well, I don't think we ought to do that." you know, uh, that happens sometimes, doesn't it?

[00:24:07]>> There is.

[00:24:08]>> That's a dark side of things, isn't it?

[00:24:09]>> It's definitely challenging for sure.

[00:24:11]And there's definitely a hierarchy with who is the legal next of kin and who's the decision maker in those kinds of situations. There's lots of laws about that. Lots of regulations surrounding that. Um, but yeah, it's it's a lot of just helping families and sometimes just giving them time. Sometimes that's really what it comes down to. And a lot of our families, we hear more often than not, families who say no to donation end up regretting it far more than we've ever heard of a family who said yes, regretting it later.

[00:24:36]>> Well, you know, honoring what someone's request is uh is is I I think very very important. Um you know, yeah. And that's why I was hoping there was a form or checkbox or something, you know, that you could say, "Hey, look, I made this decision."

[00:24:54]Most families if they've talked about it, they're not going to try to go against it. It's it's primarily the families who are like, "What?" They're in shock. Again, that's grief. And we know that that's just part of the grieving process. They're in shock.

[00:25:06]They're angry. They're sad, >> especially when it's an accident. You know, somebody's been in the hospital for months and they've and and their body's starting to deteriorate in in demise and stuff. It's a little different because you're kind of prepared versus you get that phone call and and your world's changed. You know, it's it's a it's a huge shock. And then suddenly you have this organization coming in talking to you about donation and you're like I'm on decision overload, you know. So for a lot of families it's just it's just too much.

[00:25:32]And so a lot of times we >> But time is of the essence of the essence. It's a very delicate balance.

[00:25:37]What our team does is not >> well there's there's there's no there's no other reason to use a word other than hero for a person like like Casey that's that's that's done done this. So now let me ask you this. I don't have the little heart on my driver's license and something happens, I could still be a an organ donor. Is that correct?

[00:25:58]>> Absolutely.

[00:25:59]>> How does that come about? The family makes that decision then?

[00:26:02]>> Yeah. So, a couple of things. Some people register even if it's not at the DMV. So, there's other ways to register.

[00:26:07]Some people will see us at an event or they'll register on their phone. Super easy.

[00:26:11]>> Oh, so it's not just through your driver's license.

[00:26:12]>> Just through your driver's license.

[00:26:13]That's how most people register. That's just people are used to being asked when they go to the >> Well, they send you a sticker to put on your driver's license or >> No, they won't. It's not.

[00:26:20]>> Oh, you're in a You're in a registry then at that registry. Correct. So whether you do it through the DMV or online or any of these other number of ways, STA or whatever OPO is in your service area, OPO, Oregon procurement organization, um, is going to be able to search the registry. So that's how we're able to know who's who. So when somebody passes away, their name gets searched to see even though they well we didn't have his driver's license. We don't know where his driver's license was at.

[00:26:45]There's a lot of things >> besides that.

[00:26:46]>> Okay. And and if someone's not registered, that's when we present the opportunity to the family and it's a big conversation about what kind of person were they? Um and a lot of families will say, you know, they were someone who would have given the shirt off their back. I think donation is absolutely something that they they would want to do. So >> do you have any celebrities that besides OJ man here that are advocacies for y'all?

[00:27:06]>> Oh, good question. I mean, like you said, I we really consider everybody their own celebrity. Everyone has their own network and whatnot. I don't think we have like any official celebrity.

[00:27:14]>> We we we we know we know the power of of of of some of these folks and for them to come out and say, "Hey, I got the heart on my license. Why don't you get it, too?" type thing can certainly.

[00:27:26]Okay. Now, here's here here's an off-the-wall thing. Are there any movies or uh episodic TV series? because we're always caught up into those limited three or four episodes that turn into seven seasons that you're like, "Ah, okay. Uh uh that are are are are able to help people understand this better." You got any off the top of your head?

[00:27:46]>> I do. The Pit The Pit comes to mind immediately. They actually did a really beautiful job.

[00:27:50]>> That's a recent >> That's a very recent one. Yeah. Season one, they did a really great job. They actually partnered with their Oregon procurement organization in the area they were filming in um to really understand the process and make sure that they were portraying it realistically. Um, and so the emotions that they shared were very real. So, highly encouraged. I think the pit, >> well, there's there's probably a dozen or more documentaries that are about this, but there's something different about a movie, a film or a TV series than a documentary that that connects with people. Uh, is that something you're working on? Because, you know, you're a filmmaker. I've seen some stuff you put together.

[00:28:26]>> We do a lot of storytelling on our end.

[00:28:28]So, a lot of what we do is more so just sharing our donor families, talking about their loved one and what their legacy means and how they live on and have they talked to any of the recipients, have they met? Being able to share from that kind of perspective. Um, but there's always room for that for sure. I think we're always looking at opportunities for like what are what are those decision makers? What are those videos that really pull at the heartstrings and make people want to take an action? Um, it's interesting.

[00:28:53]There was this one video that Donate Life America put together. Gosh, this must have been 10 plus years ago now.

[00:28:58]Um, but it's called Coleman Sweeney and it's a Coleman Coleman Sweeney. It was an ad campaign targeting men because a lot of stuff in the donation community is like flowers and butterflies and you know things that just weren't really speaking to a lot of men. And so they did this Coleman Sweeney campaign and it was super effective. It got tons of men to register. So highly encourage you to check it out. The PC version, the nice version is basically like even a jerk can be an organ donor. It's a the word is not jerk in real life.

[00:29:27]>> But yeah, it's a really fascinating campaign and it's it's funny. It was edgy at the time. It was very like whoa, is this okay to be sharing with people?

[00:29:36]Like are we going to somehow destroy donation? But it was very effective and it got men to register which was the goal.

[00:29:43]>> We we know the the we know the power of of of of video film uh and uh something that can accomplish that goal. That's a great thing. Which brings me to you mentioned men. So am I just going to make an assumption more women are organ registered than than men? Is there a ratio? Can you give us a number? Oh gosh.

[00:30:07]>> Where I can start banging on some guys nooans, you know. Hey dude, the women are whooping us on this thing.

[00:30:13]>> Yeah, the majority. I would say it's about a 6040 split typically. A 6040.

[00:30:17]6040.

[00:30:18]>> Yeah. Yeah. Women are much more likely to register.

[00:30:20]>> Well, that's better than what I thought it was going to be. 8020. You know, the world revolves around this 8020 thing. I learned this like at Dale Carnegie when I was like 18. 80% of this comes from 20% of, you know, and and so so there's a need to make more men aware that they should register more likely to need a transplant.

[00:30:39]>> Oh, okay. So, so that's a big one. So, so now there's a oxymoron right there.

[00:30:46]Hey, we don't want to sign up, but we'll take the we'll take it when we need it thing. Guys, we got to change that.

[00:30:51]Okay. Let's let's do those things. You can see the passion that that Kelly and the team I know several of the folks over there uh have and that's really important. You got what a couple hundred people work there. I would >> we have over 400 now.

[00:31:04]>> 400 in another building almost.

[00:31:07]>> We really do. We really do. We've pretty much already outgrown this space cuz you know we just have so many people.

[00:31:13]>> And so how many how many people do you have helping you?

[00:31:16]>> Okay, let's see. Between my marketing team and my donor family support team, there's about six. six of y'all and and and you're the frontline guys. Y'all the tip of the spear that's out there trying to get men to get registered, okay, and live healthier where they don't need as many donations because y'all trying to hoard up the organs. Does it matter if a male organ goes into a female or I didn't know is can I ask that kind of thing?

[00:31:39]>> Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. No, it it really is just based on the perfect match. But yes, men and women can absolutely donate to >> and I guess the technology is advanced more. advances every day, but being able to uh pinpoint that uh compatibility is is is more accurate, I think, now than than than ever before.

[00:32:00]>> Absolutely. We have a whole on-site laboratory that does all of that. And it's fascinating. That's that's a whole day conversation by itself. That's way over my head.

[00:32:08]>> Well, if somebody is there's lots of people watching this, okay, but one of our community viewers says, "I'd like to go over there." Do they can they call or email and say, "Hey, is there a a weekly time where citizens you can just come over and learn more at the facility or how does that work?"

[00:32:24]>> That's a great question. Yeah, we have definitely opened our doors for what we call like an open house kind of a tour.

[00:32:28]So, I would encourage you just to head to our website. There's a contact form or you can email [email protected] or stain [email protected]. Either one of those will get you to the right person.

[00:32:37]We will figure it out. But yeah, we we love doing that. We love being able to invite the community in and just help them really understand and and see because a lot of people don't know what to picture when they think of this building we're talking about. They think about our legacy center. If you go to the website, you can definitely see pictures, but if you're interested in setting foot and, you know, coming in for a tour, we'd love to have you.

[00:32:55]>> Yeah. So, think about that, folks. Now, you know, Kelly and I could talk for a while here, but we're going to have to wrap here in a few minutes, but before before we end up, I I I want to know uh a personal uh story that you'd like to share of something that was was was dark to bright. It's hard to beat this Pard story, though. Is is that your highlight story that you got right there?

[00:33:16]>> That's a great one. I would say the other really recent one that comes to mind um and I know the family would be more than open to sharing. and they've been all over social media talking about it, but we had an honor walk very recently, very young donor hero um who was a cross country star. He was a runner. And so we did what's called an honor walk. A lot of people have seen videos or seen photos of people lining the hallways as kind of just the final way to say thank you to this beautiful gift this person's giving. And so during Danny's honor walk, um his friends and family were lining the hallways. because he's a cross-country runner. Um, as we walked by, I was filming on the request of the family and everyone was cheering for him. They're saying, "Go Danny!"

[00:33:53]Like he was running a race and it was just the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I've never Usually honor walks are very quiet um and solemn. And this was just it it was everything.

[00:34:06]>> Well, you know, I that's exciting to hear. That's bright to me to hear that.

[00:34:11]Uh I I know that when my time comes I want it to be a celebration. More and more people talk about celebrating life than what we stere oh the stere stereo that's a big word for me the stereotypical uh uh uh funeral services memorial services. Uh being able to say while while while my light has dimmed it's actually not. It's continuing on.

[00:34:38]It's got a it's got a phoenix to it. You know, it may be an extinguishing in me, but it's it's moving on in the universe.

[00:34:44]That's a that's a that's got to be when you get up in the morning, you're excited about going to work. You're not like, "Oh, man, I got to go to work today."

[00:34:51]>> Those moments reignite it 100%. Even those days that, you know, we're tired or we're busy or we're really just in the thick of it. You meet a family like that and you see a moment like that and you're like, "Okay, that's why I do this. That's why I can't go do anything else because this is just incredible."

[00:35:06]Like, who how could I ever choose to go do anything different? Well, we're so excited that you've got this passion that and your spouse is in the same space and you and you're sharing that together. That's a that's that's a beautiful story. Okay, so before we wrap, I ask all of my guests five questions to help our audience get to know them a little bit better. So, here's question number one.

[00:35:27]>> Are you a early bird or a night owl?

[00:35:29]>> Absolutely. A night owl.

[00:35:30]>> A night owl.

[00:35:31]>> A thousand%. Okay. No question.

[00:35:33]>> All right. Has it always been that in your life that that you're most creative? Because you got to have some creativity in what you do also.

[00:35:40]>> Yes. 100%. It's when the house is quiet, my daughter's asleep, and that's when my brain is working.

[00:35:46]>> All right. All right. So now, um, that brain while it's working all the time needs to recharge a little bit. Okay.

[00:35:53]So, if you're getting that chance to recharge, are you going to go to the beach or the mountains?

[00:35:57]>> Mountains.

[00:35:58]>> Mountains. And that's because of your Pacific West Coast upbringing. Is that what it is?

[00:36:03]>> I was going to say very much. Yes. Being in Las Vegas, we used to go to Red Rock all the time. It's just mountains.

[00:36:09]>> Mountains. Okay. Okay. So, when you're going to those mountains, are you more likely going to stay in a hotel or an Airbnb?

[00:36:17]>> Probably an Airbnb.

[00:36:19]>> Airbnb.

[00:36:19]>> Yeah, >> that's >> with a hot tub.

[00:36:22]>> With a hot with a hot tub in the mountains. She's kind of got it pictured out. They got a quarry. It's called Kelly James. And it help you find that.

[00:36:29]Okay. So, while you're at that Airbnb, are you going to find yourself >> dining in or eating out?

[00:36:36]>> Oh gosh, probably dining in. We like to do a lot of just like go grab food and then take it back to the room or go do whatever. It's funny, my daughter would much prefer to like eat at home if given the choice. So, yeah, we're probably going to eat it.

[00:36:48]>> There you go. There you go. And because we're here at the historic Longhorn Ballroom, we always like to ask people, "What music's on your playlist?"

[00:36:56]>> Oh, everything. I grew up on country, but I listen to a lot of like alternative and stuff too and EDM. I mean, I listen to >> Well, see, the Longhorn Ballroom is a great place for you because while it looks like it's a country and western type place, we've got a ranch kind of feel here. Uh, the Sex Pistols are coming in September. There's a huge variety of music acts that are here for all different genres, genres, and generations. Uh, and music's one of those things, you know, I'm kind of like you. I got a lot of different things in my playlist. It's what makes me feel good, what gets the vibes going, you know.

[00:37:27]>> Yes. So, uh, Kelly, here's your camera here. If people want to find out more about Southwest Transplant Alliance, get in touch with you, get in touch with the organization, tell them how to do that.

[00:37:37]>> Yeah, to contact Southwest Transplant Alliance and learn more, head on over to Oregon.org. And my email is kjamesorggon.org.

[00:37:44]If you'd like to reach out, if you have questions, I will make sure to put you in touch with the best possible person.

[00:37:49]And before we close now, you're not the person that they got moved by this show and said, "Man, I want to throw a little cheddar to those people. They're doing good work." Who did they get a hold of there?

[00:37:59]>> That's through our STA Foundation. So, there's a whole page on the website about the STA Foundation and how to give and all these awesome events that we've talked about today, how to get involved.

[00:38:08]>> Think about that, folks. And remember, when you shine a light, even just a little, people can find their way. Jman out.

[00:38:18]Howdy folks. I am Andrew White, producer of the Find Your Brightside channel.

[00:38:23]Just wanted to remind you that the bright side is supported by malachor.com.

[00:38:28]If AI has been sitting in the back of your mind for your business, go to malachor.com/jman.

[00:38:35]That's m a lac.com/jm or email slow-mo himself at semalachor.com.

[00:38:46]Tell them J man sent you. Simple as that.