Organ Donation

Don't hold your breath Hagerstown Community College presents a free public forum on asthma and allergy issues Tuesday, April 9, from 7 to 9 p.m., in Kepler Theater. Dr. Nicholas Orfan will speak on allergic reactions, the role of the immune system, how to recognize the disease, and how to reduce the impact of the disease. Participants will also discuss what triggers asthma and how to manage it, the role of the allergist, and asthma and allergy medications. Register by calling Julie House at 301-790-2800, ext. 442. Registration is also available at the door.

I guess this a great thing: Facebook will now allow users to enroll as organ donors. Organ donation is one of the easiest and most important decisions a person can make. It gives life, hope and comfort. More than 112,000 people are in waiting lists for organs, and 18 people die every day for want of a transplant. But - Facebook? What's next, awarding power of attorney through Pinterest? So the woman who is playing a happy round of Farmville can make end-of-life decisions for her broiler chickens and herself on the same screen.

HAGERSTOWN In the Florida hospital where her daughter was flown to await a new heart, Jeri Lynch made a decision she never before had supported. With the news that her daughter, Christina Marie DellaValle, had suffered irreversible brain swelling, Lynch asked that the young woman's organs be donated. "Instead of Christina being the organ donor that we thought she was going to be, she saved five people's lives and gave sight to four others," Lynch said. Christina's pictures adorn the walls of the home Lynch shares with her husband, Kevin, south of Hagerstown.

julieg@herald-mail.com SHARPSBURG - Stacey Miller isn't waiting for tragedy to befall someone to help her little girl. In fact, if someone were to die with a kidney that was a match for her 3-year-old daughter, Jayden Renee Miller, at this point Miller said she would take a pass. That's because Miller, 28, who lives in the Sharpsburg area, learned a kidney from a live donor gives the transplant greater chance of success. It's not uncommon for people in need of a kidney transplant to ask family members if they are willing to donate a kidney, but it's atypical for them to go outside the family, said Dr. Susan Mendley, director of pediatric nephrology at the University of Maryland Hospital for Children in Baltimore and Jayden's doctor.

How far would you be willing to go to save a child's life? Before you answer, read the following story: Jordy Carper, a 10-year-old boy from Hedgesville, W.Va. has cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease which allows mucus to clog the lungs, which are then more susceptible to infection. Last month, Jordy was checked into Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles, where doctors tried to overcome his body's resistance to antibiotics so the boy could receive a partial lung transplant with tissue donated by his mother and grandmother.

By ANDREA BROWN-HURLEY / Staff Writer photo: KEVIN G. GILBERT / staff photographer KNOXVILLE - Asher Wolf is literally weighing his options before departing Saturday on a solitary six-month hike to raise awareness about organ donation. The kidney transplant recipient will leave behind his Walkman and his favorite journal, which weighs in at 1 pound. [cont. from front page ] Even underwear "strikes me as weight I don't need," said Wolf, 24. As he hikes along the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail, the Washington County resident will be accompanied only by his thoughts.

The Boonsboro Fire Department, Rohrersville substation, would like to thank all those who participated in and supported the Friday night cruise-ins held at Next Dimensions over the summer. Proceeds benefited the station, and the community's support is appreciated. Organ donor symposium planned On Saturday, the Boonsboro and Sharpsburg Lions Clubs will join together for Make A Difference Day, encouraging people around the state to consider the gift of life. The program will take place at the Boonsboro American Legion and will allow local communities to learn the value of organ donation.  Organ donor designation cards will be available.   The free program starts at 9 a.m. and the public is invited.  There will be a light breakfast and drinks provided to all attendees.   Several guest speakers, including a representative from the Living Legacy Foundation, will discuss the way lives can be touched through the organ donor program.   Rachel Powell to perform with dance group in Frederick Don't miss the chance to see Boonsboro graduate Rachel Powell and the Duquesne University Tamburitzans.

laurae@herald-mail.com Eight years ago, Michael Butler was running an obstacle course for his job with the Frederick County Sheriff's Department when he collapsed at the finish line and could not get up. Tests revealed that he had kidney failure, most likely caused by diabetes. After eight months of taking dialysis 31/2 hours a day, three times a week, transplant organizers found him a donor kidney and pancreas. Butler's new organs came from a 27-year-old woman named Kelly, who died from a brain aneurysm.

BOONSBORO shappell@herald-mail.com James "Jimmy" Chalfant is used to being in front of audiences from his years of playing drums for the rock band KIX. On Wednesday, Chalfant, whose brother became an organ donor last year, gave a much smaller but heartfelt performance - talking to a small group at Washington County Hospital about organ donation on the day the facility celebrated receiving a national honor. Representatives from Washington County Hospital and its "Transplant Team" and the Transplant Resource Center of Maryland celebrated the Organ Donation Medal of Honor recently awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The following organizations are seeking cash donations to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina in Gulf Coast states: American Red Cross 1-800-HELP NOW Operation Blessing 1-800-436-6348 America's Second Harvest 1-800-344-8070 Adventist Community Services 1-800-381-7171 Catholic Charities, USA 703-549-1390 Christian Disaster Response 941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554 Christian Reformed...