Films at Festival Promote Organ Donation

Films at Festival Promote Organ Donation
Three documentaries honored for their portrayal of the lifesaving procedure.

The Paley Center for Media
465 N Beverly Dr

By Christianna Kyriacou | Email the author | June 13, 2010

Garrett Terrell died from a diabetic stroke six days before turning 12. The decision by his mother, Myra Crayton, to donate his organs and tissue saved almost 100 lives. Garrett's story is told through the eyes of his mother in 6 Days, the winner of this year's Donate Life Hollywood film festival held at the Paley Center for Media.

"All his struggles were over and somebody else's would be over too," Crayton said. "Seeing the recipients, I know they have struggled on the other end. They're having to wait for someone to die for their loved one to live."

The Donate Life Hollywood campaign was started by Tenaya Wallace in 2007 as part of the national movement to reach 100 million designated donors on state registries through informative and entertaining television and film story lines. After working for an organ procurement organization in Los Angeles, Wallace wanted to share the stories of organ donors and promote accurate portrayals of the medical procedure.

"I vowed never to be involved in the industry," said Wallace, whose parents and husband also work in entertainment. "Working on this side is actually pretty fun. I get to bring the heart to Hollywood."

In its second year, the film festival took place this Friday and Saturday and featured the real-life stories of three families. Each story was transformed into a short documentary to inspire donors and to serve as a resource for entertainment writers.

Before kicking off the film screenings, Chris Sariego, the festival's coordinator and supervising producer of OneLegacy/Donate Life Productions, asked for a moment of silence for organ donors and those who have died waiting for a transplant.

"I'm really down with donation," he told the audience, explaining that both his parents are organ recipients. "This is personal to me."

Donating organs can "give purpose to your loss," said Christian Simpson, a registered organ donor and one of the 6 Days filmmakers. "Even after you're gone, you can help."

Nicole Driscoll worked on 6 Days with Simpson and Jeremy Garcia.

"That heart has a story now," she said about the organ donor symbol on her driver's license. "It awakened us from ignorance."

The second film screened was The Fallen Firefighter, produced in memory of Kevin Pryor, who donated eight organs when he lost his life from a massive aneurysm two years ago after battling a wildfire in Humboldt, CA.

"Even in death he was able to save lives," said Kevin's dad Mark Pryor, who came to the screening. "Everybody who donates is still a hero."

"Good things can come out of great tragedies," said Matt Radecki, who filmed The Fallen Firefighter.

The third film, Justin Burnett's Mamie Jackson—Life on Dialysis, is about a woman who's been living with chronic disease for 46 years and must undergo dialysis three times a week for six hours at a time.

Mamie Jackson started the National Organization for Renal Disease (NORD) 13 years ago. Her nonprofit has provided more than 60,000 free health screenings in underprivileged communities.

"No matter how sick you can be, you can always make a difference," Jackson told the audience after the screenings.

Burnett said Jackson would have been able to put off dialysis for 30 years had she received proper care.

"The thing that crept up on me was the courage you find in everybody's story," Burnett told the audience.

The wait list for a kidney transplant lasts seven to 10 years on average, according to Jackson, who said that many people die waiting.

"Dialysis is traumatic for your body," Jackson said in the film. "The best hope for dialysis patients is organ donation."

http://beverlyhills.patch.com/articles/film-festival-inspires-attendees-to-donate-life