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THE BASICS
DONATE TODAY, SAVE LIVES
TOMORROW
TRINE ENGEBRETSEN, MD, HER HUSBAND, Choosing to HOW TO GIVE
RYAN LABBE, AND THEIR SON ANDERSEN donate your There are several ways to become an organ
organs is a donor in the state of Georgia.
promise to help
»» Call 866-57-SHARE (74273).
others. »» Select the “organ donor” box when you
register for a new driver’s license or
renew online.
»» Visit www.donatelifegeorgia.org.
Your donation may be critical to the lives of
many families in the future.
“Making the decision to donate your organs
today can be very powerful,” says Carol Babcock,
MFT, Manager of the Center for Palliative Care at
Medical Center, Navicent Health. “To know that
you have already decided to help someone else is
a wonderful gift for everyone.”
WITH EACH PASSING minute, the list of children and adults Labbe was born with a liver disease that left him without bile
in need of organ donations gets longer. Some are facing life- ducts. An early surgery replaced these with part of his small intestine.
threatening illnesses, while others are suddenly dealing with the Only about one-third of children who undergo this surgery return to
consequences of traumatic injuries. All of these individuals could normal liver function without a transplant.
benefit greatly from the generosity of people who have chosen to
donate their organs. “After those procedures, most people need liver transplants pretty
quickly,” Labbe says. “But I did well without one, living a healthy life
THE POWER OF ONE until adulthood.”
One person who decides to donate can help as many as eight Then Labbe’s liver began to fail.Thankfully, he was dating a liver
people in need of life-saving organs, such as hearts and kidneys. recipient he met through a website dedicated to those with liver
conditions. Dr. Engebretsen supported him as he began the process of
Trine Engebretsen, MD, general surgery resident with Navicent seeking a transplant, and in 2008, Labbe had the donated liver placed.
Health, and her husband, Ryan Labbe, both received organ
donations. As a baby, Dr. Engebretsen had a severe liver disorder. Today, the couple lives a full, healthy life together, both working
Her parents had no choice but to seek a transplant from two of full time and raising two sons, Andersen and baby Owen, who was
the surgery’s leading pioneers,Thomas Starzl, MD, and Andreas born in June.
Tzakis, MD, PhD.
“A transplant is a new chance at life,” Labbe says. “In almost all
“At that time, transplantation was science fiction,” says cases, the risks of this type of surgery are worth it. Life is better
Dr. Engebretsen, who was the first liver transplant recipient in thanks to the generosity of others.”
Florida. “Fast forward 20 years, and Dr.Tzakis is still hard at work
performing liver transplants, specifically on my husband, Ryan.” IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN DONATING YOUR ORGANS, MAKE
SURE YOUR LOVED ONES KNOW AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO
BECOME DONORS AS WELL.
6 navicenthealth.org | FALL 2015
