Education
www.TransplantTalkSC.org – TransplantTalk SC is the Organ Support Group in the region. Participants and members include pre-transplant patients, organ recipients, caregivers, MUSC Staff and other organ donation advocates. On the last Tuesday of each month a 4:30 zoom meeting is held with guest speakers who impart important information about the transplant community. The program includes listening talks about such things as current legislation impacting transplant or patients benefits, MUSC professionals reviewing new technologies in transplant or having pre- or post-transplant patients tell their story. The meeting also provides a forum for the pre-transplant patient to share concerns, or inquire about issues that may be encountered on the Transplant Path that would be related to our ongoing Mentor-Mentee Program. So mark your calendar and join us by clicking the link that you may also receive via an e-mail invitation, or go to the TransplantTalk SC webpage where the invitation will be posted. The details of the speaker and program will be on the invitation is emailed the Wednesday before the last Tuesday of the month. Please call (704-699-3046), or send a text or email to me Gary Simmons, transplanttalksc@gmail.com
Additional key websites that the pre-transplant patient might want to learn more about. They include:
https://muschealth.org/medical-services/transplant
This site provides details about Organ Transplantation services offered by the Medical University Of South Carolina. It also provides appointment contact information and available physicians. The organ transplant direct number is 843-792-5097. The Living Donor Program is a most important feature of https://muschealth.org and details how one can be a living kidney or liver donor.
The United Network For Organ Sharing is a private, non-profit that manages the US organ transplantation system under contract with the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) who is under the federal governments of HRSA (Human Resources Service Administration).
The OPTN is operated under contract with the US Department of Human Resources Services Administration (HRSA).
We Are Sharing Hope is a non-profit that serves as the organ procurement organization for the State of South Carolina. Its primary purpose is to provide personnel and equipment to conduct organ recovery and transportation services to the hospital or transplant center where the identified recipient is located. It works closely with UNOS and all Transplant Centers, primarily MUSC, in the State. It also provides education to the community about organ donation through events, seminars, and other programs. They are the link between the donor/donor family and the transplant hospital during the donation process. They meet with the donor family and educate them more about organ donation. They are instrumental in increasing organ donation in the state to help save more patients.
Donate Life South Carolina is the non-profit organization mandated by SC Legislation to maintain the SC Donor Registry. 98% of those registered are from DMV registrations and updates. They also work closely with the OPO We Are Sharing Hope to establish and execute organ donation promotion events throughout the State.
Donor.gov allows a person to register to be an organ donor, plus it provides facts about donation and the current status relative to the number of patients on the organ transplant waiting list and much more.
Register to Be an Organ Donor Here: https://registerme.org/
www.SaveALifeGroup.org – SALG is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Gary Simmons in late 2013, eight months after his liver transplant. The primary goal of the non-profit is to educate people about the myths associated with organ donation so that more folks will learn the facts which may lead them to register and be potential donors. The greater number registered, the greater the number of patients saved. In addition, the group has provided mentor and financial resources to many pre-transplant patients and recipients. Since being founded in 2013-14, the group has mentored many patients. While we can save more patients by getting more to register, providing concrete mentoring and financial resources can likewise help the pre-transplant patient navigate the Path to a Transplant. Save A Life Group is the 501c3 that supports the activities of TransplantTalk SC.
How to join TransplantTalk SC so you can communicate with the regions organ support group:
Go to the TransplantTalk SC webpage link below. Hit join and answer the four questions.
Register to Be an Organ Donar Here: https://registerme.org/
Monthly Meetings 2023
Aug 29 – MUSC Dietetics & Nutrition Professional Caroline Hitchner
Sept 26
Oct 31
Nov 28
Dec 26
Contact Us
Please feel free to contact us about the Program or other questions about TTSC Fill in your questions or comments, contact info and hit send. We will get back with you. If you would like a Mentor, tap the below mentor request button, fill out the form and hit send.