One Breath at a Time, Inc. has created this blog to keep Tampa General Hospital lung transplant patients and their families up to date on the latest news from the organization and the world of lung transplantation. We are grateful to the people at Google for affording us this space at no charge to post whatever we'd like, within reason and good taste, and we intend to do just that. We can be just a bit more informal on a blog.
We've had a really great year. Our web site is now up and running. If you're just finding out about it, you can visit online anytime at
http://www.onebreathatatime.net. It's got LOTS of great features that will inform those anticipating a lung transplant, familiarize family and friends of transplant patients about the procedure and a whole lot more. After your visit, use the site's "Contact Us" utility to let us know what you think and to make any suggestions you may have for improvement or additional content.
We've had some very successful social events and fund raisers. In September, there was a barbecue at the downtown Tampa Hyatt Regency. Talk about class. You'd think an organization with the fine dining reputation of the Hyatt wouldn't do so great in the chicken and ribs department but the food was wonderful and the crowd enthusiastic.
Dr. Mark Rolfe brought everyone up to date on the TGH lung transplant program and we had a silent auction.
Our October golf tournament turned hard work from the committee into a truly profitable event for One Breath at a Time. The weather was perfect and all had a great time.
A few weeks ago we named one of our prized volunteers,
Bob Landes, person of the year. Treasurer
Jerry Greenier presented Bob with a classy plaque memorializing his passionate dedication to making our goals a reality...always being there to do whatever is needed. It was just a few days after Bob's 60th birthday and a real surprise for him. Congratulations, Bob, and continued appreciation for your tireless efforts in every direction. You are irreplaceable.
We've been working hard to finish up our raffle of a $27,000 Harley Davidson FXSTSSE SCREAMIN’ EAGLE SOFTAIL SPRINGER® motorcycle. We've got about 250 more tickets to sell and away we go!!! We hope to raise close to $40,000 for our organization. If you'd like to participate in this exciting raffle, go to:
http://www.onebreathatatime.net/harley.htm Follow the instructions on that page for easy purchase of raffle tickets. Remember, all proceeds benefit One Breath at a Time, Inc. Please hurry, tickets won't last!
Our president, Angel Oliva, donated a portion of the Harley to us and has worked constantly to help move the tickets. Bob Landes has been at many of the motorcycle rallies, joining other volunteers in selling tickets. We truly appreciate the many volunteers who have helped with this effort and the generosity of the many folks who've purchased tickets.
The death of singer/entertainer Robert Goulet, while waiting for a lung transplant in Los Angeles this month, was another important call for more education about organ transplantation. Awareness of the need for organs for transplantation purposes is one of the functions of our organization.
We ask that everyone reading this learn the facts about organ donation and enlist potential donors whenever possible. Many people could live longer, more productive lives if only potential donors were aware of the urgent need. Please send a friend or associate to the following link to learn more about organ donation and how donors can register: http://www.onebreathatatime.net/organ_donation.htm
Angel Oliva, a lung transplant recipient himself, spent over a half hour earlier this month talking to Goulet's personal physician - Dr. David Kipper. Kipper phoned One Breath at a Time from Los Angeles to discuss lung transplant matters with Angel after receiving a message from us conveying good wishes to Goulet and offering to assist him in any way possible.
One Breath at a Time has only begun its work. Each week we'll bring you up to date on our latest work, our plans and what may be on the horizon. There's lots of work to do and we'll get it done. If you'd like to communicate with us, please do so through our web site. We want to involve everyone in making One Breath at a Time a continued success.
Best wishes for a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY from all of us!
Tony Zappone, Director of Development
