The Todd Krampitz Foundation Blog

The Houston Marathon

2011-12-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

Join Us At the Water Station And Help Support Our Runners!

Life is a gift, Give it!

Hello! It is that time of year again to start recruiting volunteers for the 2012 Chevron Houston Marathon TK Foundation Water/Refueling Station.

The marathon is on Sunday, January 15^th and we will be at our same location at the intersection of Montrose Street and Bomar Street, near Texas Art Supply and Inversion Coffee House.

We currently need 80 volunteers!

Send us an email with your name and phone number,

if you are interest in volunteering and we will be happy to get you registered.

Be sure to wear your green TK Foundation shirt--let us know if you need one, and we will be happy to get you one free of charge. Also, TK Foundation hoodies are on sale for $20 each.

All water/refueling station volunteers will receive a complimentary lunch and celebration after the marathon, where we will be presenting our annual donation check to LifeGift to help promote blood, marrow, organ and tissue donor awareness.

This year we are very excited to announce that Miss Texas United States, Whitney Miller, will be working the TK Foundation water station. She will also be taking pictures and signing autographs at the lunch celebration after the marathon.

Hope to see you at the water station! Feel free to contact us should you have any questions.

The Woodlands Holiday Home Tour...

2011-11-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

The Woodlands

Holiday Home Tour

in Grogan’s Point

Sunday, December 4, 12 pm-5 pm

All ticket sales sold here will benefit

The Todd Krampitz Foundation—

an organization for organ donor awareness— and the

Montgomery County Police & Fire Departments

Ticket includes entry to four estate homes!

Presale is $20 per person

(Tax deductible—keep your ticket for entry and receipt)

Thank you for your support, and Happy Holidays!

Email ticket requests to tkfoundation.blog@gmail.com

Two-Fold...

2011-11-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

Today, as I was perusing my Facebook feed, I came across this heart-wrenching article. A 10-year-old little girl took her own life as a result of constant bullying at school.

At the end of the post, the author related that the little girl's organs had been donated. The parents felt that, since she was such a giving person in life, she would want to give the gift of life to others after her death.

I obviously don't know everything about this family, but as someone who has been touched by the effects of suicide, I commend the decision of this family to give other families the opportunity to keep their children a little longer on this earth despite having lost their own child so devastatingly. It is amazing to me that, in their time of grief, these parents were mindful enough to realize the blessing they could give to others. I am grateful for men and women who allow their sorrow to make them stronger, and instead of turning to anger for their comfort they turn to giving to find peace.

Please take some time to read this girl's story. Remember today that life is too short to be unkind. And remember that giving doesn't have to end with death.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Be safe. Have fun. And eat way too much good stuff!!!

Close to Home

2011-11-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

Florencia Quesnel from San Antonio, Texas:

"I was born with a very rare liver disease (PFIC3) that doctors failed to diagnose for 18 years. Finally at the age of 18 I was diagnosed but unfortunately it was too late to save my liver so I was placed on the waiting list in March 2009. When I was first told about needing a transplant I honestly thought that it was going to be a piece of cake but when I finally able to process everything in my mind, I knew that a long road was awaiting me. Never did I imagine that things would get worse before they got better. My body has continued to deteriorate little by little yet mentally I get stronger each day. I continue to pray that hopefully soon, I will receive my new liver and be able to do the things that I once took for granted."

Quote and video provided by The Waiting List

I don't know Florencia personally, but when I saw this video for the first time I was deeply touched by Florencia's maturity and deep concern for her family. The world could truly benefit from her example of humility and selflessness. That's why I was so happy to hear that on September 15, 2011, Florencia received her liver transplant after over 2 years of waiting. Of course this was a major blessing for her and her family, but it came after 2 long years of sickness, of waiting, and of worrying. 2 years could have been 2 years too long. For so many men, women, and children on the donor waiting lists, 2 days is too long-- let alone 2 years.

Thank you for your support of organ donation. Donor awareness has certainly increased in the past fews years in Texas, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Please continue to help us in our efforts to promote awareness by sporting the TK Foundation Green Tee (contact tkfoundation.blog@gmail.com for more information on obtaining the Green Tee), attending the TK events, and being vocal about the importance of the vital gift of life we can all give by registering to be organ donors.

Steve Jobs: What We Learn from His Liver

2011-10-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

I will be honest with you all. I didn't know much about Steve Jobs until yesterday when my Facebook feed was blown up with news about his passing. I mean-- occasionally my business-minded hubby would spout off something about Apple stock, but apart from that-- he was just the owner of Apple to me. But the more I read, the more impressed I am. Really. The man, if nothing else, was a brilliant entrepreneur. But he was also a cancer-fighter & the recipient of a liver transplant on top of being CEO of Apple. The man had serious will power.

While doing a little reading about Mr. Jobs, I came across this rather frightening statistic: "According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, 15,771 people are currently waiting for a liver in the United States. Last year, 1,481 people died waiting for a donor liver, almost all of which come from the recently deceased. The national average waiting time for a transplant is about a year..."

15,771 people waiting for a liver. Just for a liver! And because they are waiting for a transplant, that means they are in critical condition. Many of them wait longer than a year, and many of them aren't able to make it that long. This is serious business. Unfortunately the only way to better these numbers is to get others to recognize the worth of the people around them and to consequently recognize the importance of becoming a donor.

It's a good fight we are fighting. Just keep on keepin' on, and gradually we will see those numbers decrease.

Happy weekend, everyone!

The Hard Facts

2011-10-03T13:03:00.000-07:00

The simple truth is that, despite the simplicity of registering to become an organ donor, only 38% of licensed drivers in the United States are actually registered donors. Maybe you've had a loved one receive an organ. Maybe you have known someone who has died waiting for one. But one way or another, you are most likely here because you know how important organ donation is. And we appreciate your support.

Being informed on the topic is the best place to start in promoting awareness. Here are some facts that really drive home the necessity and urgency of increasing donor awareness.

104,748 U.S. patients are currently waiting for an organ transplant; more than 4,000 new patients are added to the waiting list each month.
Every day, 18 people die while waiting for a transplant of a vital organ, such as a heart, liver, kidney, pancreas, lung or bone marrow.
Because of the lack of available donors in this country, 4,573 kidney patients, 1,506 liver patients, 371 heart patients and 234 lung patients died in 2008 while waiting for life-saving organ transplants.
Nearly 10 percent of the patients currently waiting for heart transplants are young people under 18 years of age.
Acceptable organ donors can range in age from newborn to 65 years or more. People who are 65 years of age or older may be acceptable donors, particularly of corneas, skin, bone and for total body donation.
An estimated 12,000 people who die each year meet the criteria for organ donation, but less than half of that number become actual organ donors.

(Information provided by the National Kidney Foundation)

If you know anyone who has questions or reservations regarding becoming an organ donor, Life Gift is a great place to refer them. Also, please visit the TK Foundation website to see how easy becoming an organ donor really is!

Thank you for helping us make a difference!