Transplants News
Circa 2014 Advancements in Transplantation
Welcome to Transplants News
As we face a growing gap between those in need and those who give, it is vital to educate readers on the importance of becoming an organ, tissue and bone marrow donor. This site will continue the constant battle to raise awareness for the need of organ donors by educating readers on the ever-changing world of transplantation, but will also inspire readers with amazing stories of research, technology and innovation in transplants, garnering more success than ever before. Transplants News encourages readers to educate themselves on transplantation not as a miracle treatment, but as an emerging field of medicine with a great deal of potential.
Mediaplanet Turns Interest into Action
Mediaplanet specializes in the creation of content marketing campaigns released through multimedia platforms. We provide our readers with insightful and educational editorial in the fields of their interest, designed to motivate them to take action. Our unique ability to pair the right leaders, with the right readers, through the right platforms, has made Mediaplanet into a global powerhouse in content marketing. We continue to explore and expand our network of partners and clients through the shared interest of providing our readers the best experience possible.
This was their website created as part of Mediaplanet’s Transplants campaign in which they joined many industry leaders to raise awareness of the thousands of Americans who die every year waiting for a donor organ that never comes. This site informed visitors about relevant news stories regarding transplants, the importance of being an organ donor, advancements in transplantation, financial planing, wait lists, etc. The content is from the site's 2014 archived pages and gives just a small sample of what the site offered.
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- Transplants News
- Being An Organ Recipient
Multiple Listing to Reduce Wait Times for Transplant Patients
BEING AN ORGAN RECIPIENT Mediaplanet sat down with Dr. Sridhar Tayur, owner of OrganJet, to learn how to list smartly.
Mediaplanet: How can transplant patients benefit from “listing smartly?”
Dr. Sridhar Tayur: There are two main considerations beyond cost: outcomes, that ensure a good and long post-transplant life, and wait times to obtain a transplant. By selecting a transplant center “smartly,” patients can reduce their wait times and improve outcomes.
MP: How does geographical location affect an organ transplant?
ST: The wait times are strongly correlated to geography. In New York, New Jersey, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles, the wait times for kidney and liver transplants are very high compared to those at centers elsewhere. Patients in the high wait areas can list in a center with low wait in other geographies, depending on their insurance coverage and ability to travel or move.
MP: How can one find a low wait transplant center near their home?
ST: The data is available publicly through Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients website and is updated periodically.
MP: What can early transplantation mean for patients?
ST: In the case of kidney transplantation, you could get a transplant before you even go on dialysis. If you are already on dialysis, earlier transplantation has two benefits: better outcomes and less time on dialysis. It is also important to know, for kidney patients who have been on dialysis for a while or have been listed in one center for a while, they can transfer this wait time so far to a different center and so take credit for "time served." For a liver patient, getting a transplant at a lower Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score also means better outcomes and less inconvenience during pre-transplant time. In all cases, the outcomes are better and life before and after transplant is better. Listing in more than one place is allowed and patients should look into the many benefits of multiple listing.
MP: What is the average time a patient who lists “smartly” waits for an organ compared to other patients?
ST: This can vary significantly from region to region. Generally speaking, a patient can reduce the wait time by at least two years, and in some cases, even more for a kidney transplant. For liver transplants, one can get the transplant at a lower MELD score. Research has shown that access to transplantation increases nearly 100 percent by multiple listing smartly.
MP: Once a patient is informed of their match, what is the process he or she will go through next?
ST: They need to get to the transplant center in six hours for liver or under eight hours for kidney. They can drive, like some have from New Jersey to Pittsburgh, or fly commercial, as some have down from New York City to Kansas City or Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh. Some others have moved to a new location when they hear that they are near the top of the list, like one patient who worked in Connecticut, but got her liver transplant in Indianapolis. A private jet is a good back-up option; many have used it for liver transplantations, flying from San Francisco to Portland, for example, and many of these costs are covered by insurance.
Real Life:
I work as a search engine optimization professional for a number of online web stores. Some are highly technical and involve sophisticated coding jargon that is alien to me. But many are focused on sports and leisure activities, offering a variety of products to enhance the active lifestyle of their customers. My favorite of late is this small business that specializes in sports equipment, with a niche focus on pickleball. That's their standout offering, and I'm captivated by the variety of their inventory. They have everything from high-quality paddles to portable nets, tailored for both beginners and seasoned players. The unique aspect is their selection of pickleball gifts, which are both functional and thoughtful. I purchased a custom-engraved paddle for my friend, and the joy it brought was immense. It's moments like this that make me appreciate the simple joys in life, contrasting sharply with the complexities and urgencies like those faced by individuals waiting for organ transplants. I recall how miraculous it felt when Elsie and her family received a donor match. I am overjoyed to share that Elsie is now a vibrant teenager eagerly anticipating her college journey. She indeed was one of the lucky ones. Transplant News, an initiative by Mediaplanet, has been instrumental in spreading such hope. Their Transplants campaign, distributed through The Chicago Tribune on April 27th, 2016, and also published online, has undoubtedly played a pivotal role in this awareness drive. Let's remain hopeful that they persist in their vital campaign.
Transplant Triumph: One Patient's Unlikely Happily Ever After
BEING AN ORGAN RECIPIENT
Today, more than 122,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
A STORY OF TRIUMPH: "Eight months after transplant, I competed in my first 5K run; two months after that, my first half marathon." Photo: Gift of Life
Each year, thousands of individuals make the generous decision to become organ and tissue donors, and we are grateful to the families who gave others the precious gift of life during one of the most difficult times in their lives.
These remarkable gifts have given individuals like Derek Fitzgerald, a businessman from Montgomery County, PA, a second chance at life.
"Eight months after transplant, I competed in my first 5K run; two months after that, my first half marathon."
Weighing the possibilities
I went into surgery for a heart transplant in January 2011 on a Monday night and by dinnertime on Tuesday I was using a walker to shuffle my very grateful body through the hallways outside my hospital room. I had been sick for almost a decade. The chemotherapy that had successfully treated my cancer had also left me with a weak and failing heart. For a long time, I had hoped that medications and good living would save me from the need for a transplant. Those hopes vanished as I went into the final days of having all of my original factory issued parts.
The day before the transplant I sat in bed struggling to breathe, wondering how much longer I could go on. After the surgery and after I heard those first heartbeats, an amazing thing happened: I began to think about the possibility of a future.
Pushing through
I left the hospital in seven days. It wasnt easy, but I pushed myself hard to eat right, manage my meds and get moving. My muscles had atrophied in the hospital and I had lost a lot of weight, so victories came slowly at first; learning how to walk without assistance, lifting myself out of bed, taking the first step on the impossibly long flight of stairs to the bedroom—everything had to be rebuilt. As the months passed, my weight began to come back, my meds decreased and most importantly, I was able to recover without rejection.
Eight months after my transplant, I competed in my first 5K run; two months after that, my first half marathon. The following year I competed in 17 different endurance events, including my first Donor Dash 5K, a 200 mile relay run, a full marathon and several triathlons. At the Transplant Games of America this past summer, I heard a quote that really hit home: "Live like your donor is watching," an easy concept for me to grasp. I offer thanks to my donor every day, and even though I know nothing of the person that they were, I think about the values that went into the decision to donate their organs and try to use the example they set as the rudder that steers my way in this world.
This year, Derek and his wife LeeAnn became the proud parents of a baby girl, Emma, and he is busy training for the Transplant Games of America, which will be held in Houston, TX from July 11 to July 16.
A Genetic Legacy: Two Brothers, One Liver
BEING AN ORGAN RECIPIENT: A family shares why live-donor liver transplantation is a life-saving option.
Targeting Cancer with Regenerative Medicine
BEING AN ORGAN RECIPIENT
Regenerative medicine offers the potential to repair and replace damaged cells, tissues and organs by using those that are specially grown.
A LEAP FORWARD: From cell-based therapies through tissue engineering to developing new medical devices, regenerative medicine offers potentially huge benefits, but also faces and poses varied challenges.
Adult stem cell transplants, otherwise known as bone marrow transplants, have been used for over 40 years to successfully treat blood-based cancers such as leukemia, multiple myeloma and lymphomas by ‘rebooting’ the immune system destroyed by chemotherapy.
A peek into the future
Research has now opened the doors to regenerative and reparative therapeutics. For example, researchers are increasingly looking to the field of cell therapy to create “cancer immunotherapies” where the transplanted cells are used to target and destroy cancer cells rather than replace the immune system entirely. However, some scientists are concerned that certain cancer immunotherapies in development may in many cases be killing cancer tumor cells without killing the tumor initiating cells responsible for new tumor growth, often referred to as ‘cancer stem cells.’
"Some scientists are concerned that certain cancer immunotherapies in development may be killing cancer tumor cells without killing the tumor initiating cells responsible for new tumor growth, often referred to as ‘cancer stem cells.’"
The goal of developing therapies that can kill these cancer stem cells would be to eliminate or neutralize the tumor cells that are responsible for recurrence after medically induced tumor regression after a patient has already undergone other treatments which may have reduced tumor size, but failed to entirely eliminate the cancer. Targeting these cells for therapeutic intervention could potentially lead to long term disease free survival and possible cures.
Patient-specific treatment
Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer, and is most often caused by unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells from UV radiation. Rates of melanoma have been rising for at least 30 years. It is estimated that approximately 76,100 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2014, and that 9,710 people will die from the disease. People with advanced melanoma typically live for just six to 10 months after diagnosis. Clearly we need to find a solution to this deadly condition and the work of Dr. Robert Dillman, a board certified hematologist, suggests that patient specific treatment may be the best approach to developing cancer immunotherapies for several forms of cancer that resist conventional treatments.
According to an article in Nature, a prominent interdisciplinary scientific journal, some analysts predict that in the next 10 years, immunotherapies will be used for 60 percent of people with advanced cancer and will comprise a $35 billion market. As the field continues to expand, we are hopeful that the continued research and investment in this area may lead to better overall survival rates for late stage cancers.
Chris Klug: From Organ Transplant Survivor to Olympic Snowboarder
BEING AN ORGAN RECIPIENT After being on a waiting list for almost six years Chris Klug received a second chance at life on July 28, 2000.
6 Things You Need to Know About Financing a Transplant
BEING AN ORGAN RECIPIENT The success of transplantation includes having a realistic financial plan.
Teen VAD Recipient Says She’ll Dance Again
BEING AN ORGAN RECIPIENT Heart failure is very rare in children, but unfortunately the prevalence of this condition is increasing.
George Lopez Opens Up About New Frontiers in Medicine
BEING AN ORGAN RECIPIENT
Comedian and actor George Lopez talks candidly about his kidney transplant procedure and feeling healthy for the first time.
More Background On TransplantsNews.com
Introduction
TransplantsNews.com was a heartfelt, informative initiative developed to illuminate the complex and life-changing world of organ, tissue, and bone marrow transplantation. Originally launched as part of Mediaplanet's “Transplants” campaign around 2014, the website provided a rich archive of inspirational patient stories, interviews with medical professionals, educational insights on emerging transplant technologies, and compelling calls to action for organ donor registration.
Though now primarily accessible via archived content, Transplants News remains an important digital time capsule, reflecting a moment in medical advocacy where media, storytelling, and science intersected to generate awareness and empathy for transplant patients. This article will explore the site’s creation, purpose, ownership, audience, content structure, cultural significance, media exposure, and legacy, providing a detailed portrait of why TransplantsNews.com mattered—and still matters—in the broader landscape of health journalism and organ donation awareness.
Ownership and Origins: A Mediaplanet Initiative
Transplants News was created by Mediaplanet, a global content marketing powerhouse known for producing special interest campaigns published in major newspapers and digital platforms. With headquarters at 3 E 28th Street, Suite 1000, New York, NY, Mediaplanet USA has run campaigns in partnership with leading media brands such as The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and The Washington Post.
This particular site was part of a larger Mediaplanet effort to turn “interest into action” by targeting niche audiences with topic-specific content. In this case, the focus was transplantation—an area that not only intersects medicine and ethics but also carries deeply personal emotional narratives.
The campaign itself aimed to:
- Raise awareness of the growing gap between organ supply and patient demand.
- Highlight medical breakthroughs in transplantation.
- Encourage multiple listing and proactive choices by patients to reduce wait times.
- Celebrate success stories that offer hope and perspective to both donors and recipients.
Content Overview: A Multifaceted Resource
TransplantsNews.com featured content across several categories:
1. Education and Awareness
The cornerstone of the website’s mission was to dispel myths and provide clear, accessible information about:
- The organ donation process
- Bone marrow and tissue transplants
- Live donor options
- Waitlist systems
- Regional disparities in transplant availability
For example, an interview with Dr. Sridhar Tayur, founder of OrganJet, explained how “smart listing” and geographical flexibility could significantly reduce wait times for kidney and liver transplants.
2. Inspiring Stories of Survival
Personal stories were central to the site’s emotional appeal. Among the most moving was that of Derek Fitzgerald, a businessman from Montgomery County, PA, who received a heart transplant after nearly a decade of illness. Just eight months later, he ran his first 5K. Within a year, he completed marathons and triathlons. His quote—"Live like your donor is watching"—became emblematic of the site's ethos.
Another notable story highlighted Chris Klug, a professional snowboarder who, after waiting six years, received a liver transplant and went on to become an Olympic medalist. These profiles served not only to inspire but also to show what life after a transplant could look like.
3. Cutting-Edge Research and Medical Innovations
The website explored new frontiers in regenerative medicine, immunotherapy, and cancer treatment through cell-based therapies and stem cell interventions. It detailed the work of physicians like Dr. Robert Dillman, who focused on patient-specific immunotherapies for late-stage cancer—suggesting a future where transplant techniques may be used to treat or even cure previously fatal illnesses.
4. Financial Planning for Transplants
Transplants are not just physically and emotionally taxing—they are financially complex. The site provided resources and advice on:
- Navigating insurance coverage
- Budgeting for post-operative care and anti-rejection medication
- Traveling for out-of-state transplants
- Considering options like private jets, which are sometimes covered for emergency liver transport
5. Public Figures and Celebrity Advocates
Celebrity testimonials added a layer of relatability. For instance, comedian George Lopez shared his experience undergoing a kidney transplant and finally feeling healthy for the first time. His openness helped destigmatize transplantation and reach broader demographics.
Goals and Cultural Impact
The primary goals of TransplantsNews.com were to:
- Humanize organ recipients and donors
- Motivate people to register as organ donors
- Educate transplant candidates about their options
- Highlight progress in science and policy
- Spark conversations around ethics, access, and equity
Culturally, the website helped reshape the narrative of transplantation from a last resort to a legitimate, hopeful, and evolving medical discipline. It aimed to make terms like dialysis, MELD score, and donor match part of the general lexicon.
One particularly impactful statement from the campaign emphasized that “more than 122,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.” That figure helped frame the transplant crisis as not only a medical but also a moral issue—prompting readers to take action.
Geographic Context and Regional Disparities
The site was keenly aware of how geography affects wait times, noting that cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston had the longest queues. Conversely, transplant centers in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Indianapolis often had shorter waitlists.
By educating patients about “multiple listing”, the site offered practical pathways for those willing to travel for care. This guidance was grounded in real data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR).
Such information was invaluable to patients navigating the labyrinthine U.S. healthcare system, where options often depend on zip code, income, and insurance network.
Media Presence and Press Coverage
One of the peak moments in the site’s history was its campaign distribution through The Chicago Tribune on April 27, 2016. This wide exposure helped bring stories of hope and survival to a broader audience and lent journalistic credibility to the platform.
The fact that this campaign was picked up by major publications reflected both the reliability of the content and the pressing nature of the issue. It also positioned Mediaplanet as a leader in health-based content advocacy, effectively blending sponsored content with socially responsible messaging.
Audience and Popularity
While hard traffic data isn’t publicly available, the site clearly targeted:
- Patients and families navigating transplant options
- Healthcare professionals looking to educate and motivate
- Potential organ donors hesitant about registration
- Policy makers concerned with healthcare access
- Medical students interested in cutting-edge procedures
The use of real-life stories, interviews, and interactive guides made the site accessible across age groups and backgrounds. It especially resonated with people facing or recovering from life-threatening illnesses.
Emotional and Social Significance
In an age of constant information overload, TransplantsNews.com distinguished itself through empathy-driven journalism. Its purpose wasn’t just to inform—it was to move readers emotionally, inspire gratitude, and catalyze action.
Perhaps most poignantly, the site served as a digital monument to the generosity of organ donors and their families. It honored their sacrifices while advocating for a future where no one would die waiting for a second chance at life.
Stories like that of Elsie, a young girl whose life was saved by a donor match, helped humanize statistics and provided comfort to those still waiting. Her journey—from illness to recovery to preparing for college—symbolized the very heartbeat of the campaign.
Legacy and Current Status
Today, the original TransplantsNews.com website is no longer active in its full form, but its content survives in archives and retrospectives. The legacy of the site lives on through:
- Mediaplanet’s ongoing campaigns
- Educational materials in medical and public health circles
- Media features and citations in health literature
- Impactful memories in the transplant community
It may no longer be updated, but the value of its stories and structure remains timeless.
A Campaign Worth Reviving
TransplantsNews.com was more than a content hub—it was a movement. By focusing on the intersection of personal resilience, medical innovation, and public advocacy, the site succeeded in changing lives, if not saving them. Its approach to storytelling—equal parts technical and emotional—created a space where readers could learn, connect, and act.
The need for such a platform is as urgent today as it was in 2014. With thousands still on waitlists, and new breakthroughs in regenerative medicine just around the corner, a revived or updated version of Transplants News could again play a critical role in bridging the gap between medicine and humanity.
Until then, the archived content stands as a testament to what health journalism can be when powered by purpose.