Dying For Transplants
By: Melody Kirkpatrick
Nearly nineteen people a day die wait
ing for an organ transplant. Transplants are
needed when one or more of your essential
organs no longer work properly or stops work
ing. Waiting lists are available but usually the
donated organs go to the sickest patients first.
Most experts agree that it may not be the best
idea because either they are likely to die with or
without the transplant or they might need anoth
er transplant The truth is there is a shortage of
donated organs because the demand for organs
is much greater than what has been donated.
Every organ in your body is indeed im
portant but the kidneys are the most donated or
gan and the most needed organ for transplants.
Some functions of the kidney include; filtering
waste from your blood by excreting it through
your urine, regulate your blood pressure, and
it maintains the volume of your body’s water.
Even though you have two of them, and they
are the size of your fist, you can survive with
just one because they are codependent.
A dangerous side of transplants is that
you have a fifty percent chance of survival
whether you receive them or not. The saddest
news about receiving a transplant happened ear
lier this year. There were four people to receive
transplants from the same donor.
The donor was infected with HIV (the virus
that causes aids) and hepatitis C. All four recipi
ents were also diagnosed with HIV and hepatitis
C. The diseases in the donated organs were not
detected in the donor at that time. The reason
the disease were not detected was because the
donor had the diseases for approximately three
weeks and that wasn’t long enough for the test
to prove a positive result.
For now, one of the recipients of the af
fective organ is being referred to as Jane Doe
for privacy concerns. She received a kidney
transplant at the University of Chicago Medi
cal Center. The Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue
Donor Network and the University of Chicago
Medical Center allegedly knew about the po
tential high risk of the donor because of his gay
lifestyle.
The organs were first tested by Gift of
Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network and
then the organs were approved to be transplant
ed. The only problem besides the organs being
affected was the fact that the recipient was not
told of this matter, according to her attorney. An
organ transplant resulting in a patient receiving
aids does not happen often. In fact it has almost
never happened since 1986.
The attorney for the U S Center for Dis
ease Control and Prevention stated “that guide
lines were violated twice. The first violation
happened when Jane Doe was not told about the
donors’ health condition. The second violation
was that no test was done to check the health
status of the patient after the transplant. Spokes
man, John Easton for the University of Chicago
replied by saying “We believe we follow guide
lines”.. . If Jane Doe was told about the donor’s
health conditions, then she could have made up
her mind about receiving the transplant. It is a
messy and sad situation but it will all unfold
when both parties present this case in court.
Transplants have probably saved mil
lions of lives. Sometimes it’s the only chance to
stay alive and well. Thousands and thousands
of people wait months or years to get the news
that they will receive their transplant. It must be
a remarkable feeling to know you have a second
chance at life. Transplants give people a chance
to live longer than otherwise expected.
Handling Holiday Stress
By; Carmen Lentz
Handling Holiday Stress:
Even though most of us welcome the
approaching holiday season, few of us are
exempt from the stressors that accompany it.
While trying to pull off the perfect holiday, we
frequently find ourselves frazzled, stressed and
facing a mind-boggling array of demands which
include exams, travel, shopping, decorating,
gift-wrapping, partying, and scores of related
holiday activities. Peace and joy give way to
stress, strain, and exhaustion! Advance planning
and knowledge can help shrink stressors to a
manageable level, and ward off problems before
they arise. Here are some tips to help you enjoy
your holidays.
1. Forget about perfection; Media por
trayals of the holidays usually aren’t realistic.
Standards that are too high set us up for holiday
stress. Accept that it is ok if you can’t finance
the “perfecf ’ gift, that you may forget some
thing important, and that you may need to trim
your holiday “to-do” list down to a more man
ageable size.
2. Don’t abandon healthy habits: Some
splurges are ok, but don’t make it a lifestyle
over the holidays. Get plenty of sleep, keep up
your exercise and physical activities, and don’t
drink too much. Overindulgences usually add to
our stress and guilt.
3. Give yourself a break: In all the hustle
and bustle, be sure to take some time for your
self. Plan some downtime into your schedule.
Give yourself permission to listen to music,
relax, and do nothing for a few minutes every
day.
4. Stick to your budget: Decide what you
can spend on gifts ahead of time and stay within
your limits. Who needs the stress of trying to
pay the bills for gifts sometimes months after
the holidays? The holidays are about spending
time, not money, on those we care about.
5. Plan ahead: Set realistic expectations
about the time it will take to get things done. If
you travel, plan for delays. Organize shopping
so that you can minimize trips into crowded
shopping areas.
6. Set differences aside: Try to accept oth
ers as they are, even if it isn’t how you want
them to be. Realize that friends and family may
be feeling stressed out from the holidays too.
Practice compassion and patience.
7. Seek support if you need it: As families
grow and change, traditions and rituals may
change too. Talk about your feelings to those
people in your life who are suppod^jve. Consid
er ways you can get involved and help others.
Communicate & express your feelings.
8. Learn to say no: Only say yes to those
things you really want to do. If you over agenda
yourself, you’ll end up feeling irritated and
overwhelmed. Be selective, and don’t feel you
have to apologize for doing what works best for
you.
9. Keep your resolutions realistic. Don’t
resolve to make too many changes too soon. In
stead, try to incorporate basic, healthy lifestyle
routines. Set small, achievable goals, and then
you can add new ones as you accomplish your
original goals.
10. Enjoy your holidays!!
Carmen Lentz, LPC, NCC
Counseling Services Director
KN16HTS SPORTS
Lady Knights make big splash with three more wins
From: Staff Reports
December 2, 2007 ASHEVILLE, N.C.—Fresh
man Sarah Supcoe (Charleston, W.Va.) had a
perfect weekend winning 12 individual events
for the St. Andrews Presbyterian College
women’s swim team as the Lady Knights won
a total of 30 events to earn victories in three of
four meets on the road including a pair of victo
ries over LaGrange College and a win at Warren
Wilson College.
SAPC started the weekend at Mars Hill
College on Saturday losing to the Mountain
Lions 65-176 but winning 11 events against
LaGrange en route to the 129-31 victory. The
Lady Knights capped the weekend by sweeping
a double-dual meet at Warren Wilson defeat
ing the hosts 94-53 and once again handing the
Panthers a defeat by a 104-21 margin.
Supcoe won all three of her trips into the
pool on Saturday for a total of six wins. Supcoe
set benchmark times for the youthful Knights
in the 200 butterfly (2:18.82), 200 breaststroke
(2:39.98), and 200 individual medley (2:18.54).
The freshmen duo of Becky Branden
burg (Swansboro, N.C.) and Amy Tripson
(Pittsburg, Pa.) won a total of four events
against LaGrange on Saturday. Brandenburg
set a personal record (PR) in the 500 freestyle
(6:44.70) while also winning the 100 butterfly
(1:16.09). Tripson’s victories over the Lady
Panthers came in the 1000 freestyle (12:37.68)
and the 100 breaststroke (1:22.09). Tripson also
had a PR in the 200 backstroke (2:27.71
Junior Kaley Rouse (Lexington, N.C.)
and freshman Tara Barker (Kemersville, N.C.)
also added individual wins on Saturday against
LaGrange. Rouse finished the 100 backstroke in
1:21.93 while Barker concluded the 50 freestyle
in 29.80. Rouse also had a PR in the 100 butter
fly (1:28.37).
Sophomore Leslie Firth (Charlotte,
N.C.) chipped in with three new personal re
cords in the 200 freestyle (2:53.99), 100 free
style (1:18.91), and 500 freestyle (7:38.45).
The Lady Knights capped Saturday’s
‘W’ against LaGrange by setting a pair of
school records in relay events. Rouse, Supcoe,
Barker, and Firth teamed up in the 200 medley
relay (2:20.22) while Tripson, Brandenburg,
Barker, and Rouse worked together in the 400
freestyle relay (4:27.11).
On Sunday, Supcoe once again was the
catalyst for St. Andrews as the Lady Knights
earned their third and fourth victories of their
inaugural season. Supcoe helped SAPC edge
host Warren Wilson by 94-53 by winning
all three of her races. Supcoe swam to a PR
in the 500 freestyle by stopping the clock in
5:42.58 while also winning the 1000 freestyle
(11:38:64) and 200 individual medley (2:23.40).
Tripson, Rouse, and Brandenburg also
all recorded wins against the Lady Owls. Trip
son set a new school record in the 100 back
stroke (1:08.58); Rouse was victorious in the
200 freestyle (2:24.46); and Brandenburg set a
PR in the 100 butterfly (1:15.38).
Barker, Brandenburg, Rouse, and Trip
son capped the 41-point victory against WWC
by winning the 200 freestyle relay in 1:57.76.
The quartet also registered a second victory
with that time against LaGrange.
Supcoe finished the two days with 12
wins with all three of her finishes on Sunday
easily defeating LaGrange. Tripson’s provided
two more wins with her impressive time in
the 100 backstroke while also winning the
100 breaststroke (1:20.90) for five wins on the
weekend.
Rouse’s third individual win of the road
trip came by setting a new school record in the
100 freestyle with a blazing time of 1:06.85.
Brandenburg totaled four wins in four meets
by picking up the 100 butterfly victory against
the Panthers. For the second straight day,Barker
battled to the win againstLaGrange in the 50
freestyle with a speed of 29.77.