Photos above:Training Seminar in Shreveport
It all began as a normal day on January 26, 2011; it snowed, again in New Jersey and New York. As the glittering flakes descended, Steven Taibbi and I made our ways to separate airports, one on Long Island and the other in Newark for our flights to New Orleans and warmer and clearer weather. Steven’s flight, however, was cancelled and mine delayed a bit. I boarded, sat on the plane while it was deiced and finally arrived at 4:30 P.M. CST in the “Big Easy.” In a slightly round-about way, Steven arrived in Tampa from New York at 6:00 P.M. Ultimately, when Taibbi and Locicero were united in New Orleans, we climbed into an AVIS rental and we were on our way to our first of four stops in Louisiana where Fran Trapani, Executive Assistant of LOPA had arranged the scheduled itinerary for our four day trip. LOPA, the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency, became our delightful sponsor for the remainder of our stay.
LAFAYETTE, we are here! I had the opportunity to meet Libby, an old friend. Our programs, “Grateful Guilt” (for recipients) and “Sorrowful Joy” (for donor families), were presented and the afternoon workshop invited all to attend. Shortly thereafter, we were on the road for stop 2: SHREVEPORT.
Driving into the night held little enticement, but Fran booked us into Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino where we then had a good meal. Early the next morning, our programs were presented in the Willis-Knighton Cancer Center where the local television channel taped some inter-play between the participants, Steven and me. Questions and answers completed the discussion and the afternoon.
As we left Shreveport for stop number 3, we realized that when driving, it seemed to get darker earlier each day. Using Steven’s GPS, a new one, we were directed to BATON ROUGE’S Fairfield Inn at Marriott. Presentations of our programs took place at the First United Methodist Church where we were met by an energetic group whose members kept us moving right along. That is always much appreciated by us because we know how important “getting the message out there” is.
METAIRIE, our last stop, is the home of LOPA’s headquarters, and it is there in the offices, that our presentations were made. It was also there that we had the opportunity to express our thanks to Fran and Lana for meeting Louisiana’s warm and caring people who, like us, have experienced how transplantation works.
I would like to end my tribute to LOPA’s donor families and recipients with the following inspiring story told to us in Shreveport. I named it “Momma and Daughters.” I gave it that title because Momma was ailing for many years and needed a liver transplant. She was encouraged by her daughters to undergo one. She resisted because she lived alone, was older and had lived her life watching her girls marry and go off on their own. Time passed and Momma had to have an MRI for which she needed sedation. When the test was completed and while she was still under sedation, her daughters took her to their car (without her clothes, she says), and brought her to one of their homes where there were her “grand babies.” Seeing them, and wanting to see them grow up, get married, and continue their precious lives, she became convinced to have the transplant, and she did. It was certainly not the end of this story. Momma had been divorced. Her ex-husband was a cross-country truck driver. It seems that Momma had wanted to go to California for some time. Her husband agreed to take her and when they returned, they reconciled!
I will always remember this true story because transplantation is surely an awesome procedure. Its effects warm the hearts of those who are privileged to witness the miracle, just as Steven and I have done many times in many parts of our country through the work of Transplant Speakers International. We are grateful.
We are also very thankful for all the hard work performed by Kirsten Heintz, Lana Stevens and Fran Trapani of the Metairie office; Sheron Raymond of the Shreveport office; Libby Harrison and Suzanne Morton of the Lafayette office; Lori Steele of the Baton Rouge office and all other LOPA staff who put this trip all together and made it not only a productive experience but a truly enjoyable one as usual.
JACK LOCICERO
