Last modified: 11 May 2000
Let the Games Begin!
The steroid controversy is over, the athletes are pumped and the pep rally was a smashing success. Now it's time to rock and roll! Here's the roster from the TRIO Chicago contingent to Team Illinois:
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| Bowling, Team Bowling |
|---|---|
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| Basketball, Swimming, Softball Throw |
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| Road Race, Golf |
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| Golf, Table Tennis |
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| Bowling, Team Bowling, Golf, Shot Put, Softball Throw |
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| Swimming |
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| Bowling, Table Tennis |
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| Golf, Team Golf |
Everything is set and going great. But, you know, I am miffed about one thing. Do you know how they picked Atlanta for the "real" Olympic games this year? You probably thought it was only a coincidence that the Transplant Games were in Atlanta last year. Did you know that the World Transplant Games are in Sidney, Australia next year? Guess where the next "real" Olympics are scheduled? Yep. Sidney. And who's bidding to be an Olympic site now? Could it be Salt Lake City?
It's really not fair. We don't get any credit for this. We take all the security risks. We shake down the facilities. We test the water. We sample the food. We rate the hotels. We do all the hard stuff. Only after we've done all the hard work and taken all the risks will these pampered "world class" athletes come and compete. And only if WE say that everything's OK. Give me a break!
Seriously, I can't think of a better forum than the Transplant Games for showing the world that transplantation works and that transplant recipients can return from near death to normal, healthy, active lives. All the participants should be proud to be a part of this experience and are to be commended for going to Salt Lake City (at their own expense) to promote a wonderful cause.
You Are What You Eat…
Wow! If you missed it, you missed a lot of fun and some good information too! Lisa Bebenek started us off with a presentation on nutrition. She covered too much material to recap here, but a couple of points were relevant to me. First, Lisa pointed out that it's much easier not to gain weight than to lose it (now she tells me!), so try to keep your appetite under control. Second, fat has more calories by weight than almost anything. (Calories can, of course, be converted to energy. So when I get the conversion figured out, I'm going to get rich selling power to Commonwealth Edison.) So watch your fat intake. Third, try to maintain a proper balance in your diet between protein, fat and carbohydrates. One item Lisa forgot to cover was chocolate as a major food group. I guess that was just too obvious to mention.
We Must Have Been Eating Pep Pills…
Then came the rally. What can I say. The DePaul Blue Demon (it was really Adam Lamoureux in costume) started off the festivities. The Dreamers (Sandy Nawracaj and Jeannie Kazluski) did an incredible job performing cheers, singing originally composed material, including the TRIO Song, and leading the group in dancing the Macarena and the mandatory Conga line. Team Illinois captain, Amy Gardner, introduced each member of the team to the cheers of the crowd. Former Chicago Bull Dave Corzine was on hand to give the team a pep talk. Pictures were taken and autographs were exchanged. If there was a medal given for team attitude, Team Illinois would win the gold!
Everyone had a wonderful time and special thanks to Lisa, Sandy and Jeannie (and Adam) for all of their work.
Cookbook
OK. Let's clear up the confusion now. From now on, when I'm making a joke, I'll put in a smiley face () to let you know. So, last month, the thing about haircuts in centerfield after the game - . The story about Team Illinois being disqualified from the games due to steroid use - The requests for recipes to start a TRIO Chicago cookbook - - NOT A JOKE! We only got six recipes. We weren't intending this to be a novelty item, i.e. "World's Smallest Cookbook". We were serious. We need your help. Come on - some of you must still eat - even after Lisa Bebenek's admonishments at the last meeting. She said you had to eat right, not to stop eating altogether.
So. Please send in your recipes. Just send in one. Go ahead - do it now, I'll wait……………..
Thank you - see that wasn't so hard. Try the chicken cacciatore recipe that we've included here and let us know what you think.
By the way, we're also looking for a TRIO Chicago food critic. If we don't get any volunteers, guess who's going to do the reviews? You wouldn't want that, would you?
Cacciatore a la Lamoureux
Here's the first recipe from the world renowned TRIO Test Kitchens. Traditionally served with pasta, Italian bread and a fork. But a word of warning - don't try this without the express written consent of your transplant team!
4 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 can (6 oz.) unsalted tomato paste
½ cup white wine
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¾ cup chicken broth
½ bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon thyme leaves
½ teaspoon basil leaves
1/8 teaspoon marjoram leaves
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
Roll skinned chicken breasts in flour. Saute in the oil until browned. Remove from skillet. Saute onion and mushrooms in remaining oil. Add remaining ingredients and stir together. Replace chicken breasts in skillet and spoon sauce over top. Simmer the chicken covered for 45 minutes or until done. Makes 4 servings. Bon Appetit!
Half Way to St. Patrick's Day!
Mark your calendars for September 17. We're half way home to St. Patrick's Day and we're having a party!
If you remember, last St. Patrick's Day we named St. Patrick as the patron saint of organ donation. Butch McGuire, noted Division Street innkeeper and heart recipient, was generous enough to let us sell our green pins and promote donor awareness in his establishment throughout the entire St. Patrick's Day weekend. We made over $3,000 for TRIO Chicago.
Well, Butch is doing us one better this time! He has offered his establishment for our first annual Half Way to St. Patrick's Day dinner. Butch is not only providing the location, but he is donating all of the food, drink and preparation for benefit of TRIO Chicago! Tickets are $15 for a corned beef and cabbage dinner, plus one draft beer or soft drink. ALL proceeds go to TRIO Chicago! Details are included on the flyer enclosed with this newsletter.
The dinner is open to all, so please plan to attend and let your friends and family know. Come on out and have some fun, help us raise some needed money for our chapter and promote donor awareness and transplantation at the same time. Tickets are available in advance at the next meeting, by mail or at the door.
Does My Religion Approve of Organ Donation?
Many people who would otherwise consider organ donation, object to it on the grounds of religious beliefs. However, most of the time they do not know the position taken by their religious leaders. The New York Regional Transplant Program has published the views of major religion on the subject. Here is what we found on the Internet:
AMISH - Approved if there is a definite indication that the health of the recipient would improve, but reluctant if the outcome is questionable.
BUDDHISM - Donation is a matter of individual conscience.
CATHOLICISM - Transplants are acceptable to the Vatican and donation is encouraged as an act of charity. Pope John Paul II encouraged organ donation in his most recent encyclical.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE - No position, leaving it to the individual.
GREEK ORTHODOX - No objection to procedures that contribute to restoration of health, but donation of the entire body for experimentation or research is not consistent with tradition.
HINDUISM - Donation of transplant is a individual decision.
ISLAM - Moslems approve of donation provided the donors consent in writing in advance and the organs are not stored but are transplanted immediately.
JEHOVAH"S WITNESS - Donation is a matter of individual conscience with provision that all organs and tissues be completely drained of blood.
JUDAISM - Jews believe that if it is possible to donate an organ to save a life, it is obligatory to do so. Since restoring sight is considered life saving, this includes cornea transplantation.
PROTESTANTISM - Encourage and endorse organ donation,
MORMON - Donation of transplants is an individual decision.
QUAKER - Donation or transplants is an individual decision.
Next Meeting
The next TRIO Chicago meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 12 at Grace Place. See the enclosed flyer for details.
We're planning a general support session and open discussion. Bring your stories, questions, comments, complaints and anything else that's on your mind. This will be a good opportunity for a general exchange of information a chance to get to know your fellow TRIO Chicago members better. We'll start out with the top ten most frequently asked transplant questions and go from there. Bring your own questions. Bring your answers. See you on September 12.
Woman Seeking ??
SWF, 20ish, attractive, transplant athlete, seeking roommate for southern adventure. Looking for a neat, non-smoker to share accommodations for a three day extravaganza, including a southern riverboat cruise, top-notch entertainment, educational opportunities, a brush with the stars and ???. Contact M.L. at TRIO 312-922-0142.
Seriously, TRIO's Annual Meeting, scheduled for Sept. 26-28, is almost upon us. We have had some inquiries about sharing rooms at Opryland in Nashville. If you are interested in attending and desire to share room expenses with another TRIO Chicago member, let us know and we'll try to act as matchmakers. Standard disclaimers apply. If you haven't got your brochure about the annual meeting yet and you're interested in going, contact us ASAP since the early registration deadline (and the reduced conference fee) expires on Sept. 1.
Oh yeah, M.L. really IS looking for a roommate. Call now!!!
National Minority Donor Awareness Day
August 1, 1996, marked the first annual National Minority Donor Awareness Day. On July 31, many TRIO Chicago members attended a reception at the Swissotel, Chicago, to help kick off the event. An estimated 200 people were present to hear the distinguished and moving speakers relate their message of the importance of minority donor awareness and the impact of transplantation on the minority community. Most notable were Dr. Clive Callender, transplant surgeon, TRIO board member and founder of the Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP); Jack Lynch, Manager of Community Affairs, ROBI; Dr. Ken Moritsugu, U.S. Assistant Surgeon General, donor family member and member and strong supporter of TRIO; Reverend Franklin Burns, kidney recipient and founder of the FCP Kidney Program; Katherine Bates, donor family member and ardent supporter of organ donation.
You Gotta Have (some) Heart
Got heart problems? Well, just get rid of some of it. Strange as it may seem, removing part of an enlarged heart is the latest technique for treatment of patients with congestive heart failure.
Brazilian surgeon, Dr. Viela Batista, has introduced a new surgical technique, called ventricular remodeling, to patients with congestive heart failure due to an enlarged heart. In his surgery, Dr. Batista removes a slice of the wall of the enlarged heart to relieve stress and improve its efficiency. Originally conceived as a treatment to prolong the lives of patients awaiting heart transplants, the technique was so successful that in some patients a transplant was no longer necessary. Dr. Batista's patients have survival rates comparable to those of heart transplant recipients.
A group of physicians from the Cleveland Clinic traveled to Brazil to observe Dr. Batista's technique. They were so impressed by the results that they have brought the surgery back to the U.S. and are using it in their practice.
Member Activities
After waiting in line for days, Christine Duda finally met the love of her life, Lyle Lovett. Chris managed to get his autograph and have her picture taken with Lyle, but she blew her big opportunity. In all the excitement, she forgot to give him a green pin and get him to sign his donor card. Shame on you, Christine. Where are your priorities??
John Butorac visited the Western Suburban Hospital in Oak Park with staff from ROBI to help educate their professional critical care staff on the importance of organ donation. (ROBI did the work - John was "exhibit A - transplantation works".
Mike and Cindy Lamoureux attended the Crosby, Stills and Nash concert at the World Music Theater in Tinley Park to pass out donor awareness materials. David Crosby, a liver recipient, has authorized donor awareness display at all of his concert stops. Lorraine Wilmot of ROBI coordinated the event.
If you missed the White Sox game on July 25, you missed a "happening". Hundreds of transplant supporters could be seen wearing bright, turquoise "Life Goes On" T-shirts supplied by the Secretary of State's office. Ron Rank and Chicago Daze opened the game with the best rendition of the Star Spangled Banner I have ever heard. Donor awareness announcements could be seen and heard throughout the night. And who could doubt that transplantation works when dozens of blue-shirted zealots rose to do the seventh inning stretch version of the Macarena. Amazing.
Submitted by: John Butorac