- [Narrator] Funding for this edition of One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

Here when you need us most, now and always.

The Russell Berrie Foundation.

Making a difference.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Working for a more a healthier, more equitable New Jersey.

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

Fedway Associates, Inc.

The Fidelco Group.

Valley Bank.

Johnson & Johnson.

And by Rowan University.

Promotional support provided by Meadowlands Chamber.

Building connections, driving business growth.

And by Northjersey.com and Local IQ.

Part of the USA Today Network.

- This is One-On-One.

- I'm an equal American just like you are.

- The way we change presidents in this country is by voting.

- I'’m hopeful that this is the beginning to accountability.

- Life without dance is boring.

- I don't care how good you are or how good you think you are, there is always something to learn.

- I did do the finale, and guess where my trailer was?

A block away from my apartment, it couldn'’t have been better!

- People call me 'cause they feel nobody's paying attention.

-_ It'’s not all about memorizing and getting information, it'’s what you do with that information.

- (slowly) Start talking right now.

- That's a good question, high five.

(upbeat music) - Steve Adubato here with my colleague Jacqui Tricarico at the New Jersey Sharing Network 5k.

Now you could walk or run this, right?

- Yeah.

You can walk or run.

It's a 5k event, but it's so much more than a 5k.

What it really is is a celebration of life.

Every organ and tissue donation has a story.

And we have the incredible opportunity to talk to some of those people, hear these stories about organ tissue donation and the lives that it impacts every day.

- So we talked to a young woman whose dad received a heart.

He was here with her as well.

We talked to a mom who lost a son, but on his 17th birthday he signed up to be an organ donor.

He saved four people's lives.

Hundreds of others were helped.

So family members, survivors, people who've received the gift of life, right?

So many people here to make a difference.

Real quick, remind people how many people are waiting?

- We have 4,000 people right now.

Over 4,000 in New Jersey waiting for a life-saving transplant.

And one organ and tissue donor can save the lives of eight people and enhance the lives of over 75 more.

- That's right.

So the Sharing Network, New Jersey Sharing Network, we've been partners, friends with them.

They are underwriter supporters of ours for a long time.

We've been involved in public awareness.

Why?

Because Jacqui, too many people are waiting.

Too many people are not aware of the opportunity that they may need or a family member may need.

My wife happens to be an organ donor.

She donated her kidney.

She didn't know there would be a need until there was a need.

- And there is always a need.

And like you said, there's all different types of donors.

Living donors as well.

And we get to talk to some people that also were living donors, too.

And that's interesting and a different part of the discussion as well.

- Jacqui knows.

That's why they she's been producing this event for years.

That's why they call it "Giving the Gift of Life."

It is the gift of life.

This is the 5k.

This is the New Jersey Sharing Network in beautiful New Providence, New Jersey.

So Jacqui and I are gonna have you meet some really extraordinary people right now.

- (Inspirational Music) Elisse Glennon has been part of the NJ Sharing Network family for a couple years.

- 12 years, 12 years, Steve.

- Absolutely.

Like, remind people some statistics.

Is it 4,000 people waiting in New Jersey?

- Yeah, currently 4,000 people are waiting for a life saving transplant, over a 100,000 people nationally waiting.

And that's why we're here today.

- We're making progress?

- We sure are.

Every year, year after year, records are broken both in the number of organ donors, and the number of living donors, and in the number of people registering to be an organ donor.

So this work, your work is working.

People are getting the message and hearing about the power of organ donation.

- Remind people, 'cause you can go on the website, you'll see it right now, then go on the website.

But there are other ways to register and say, "I'm in."

Right?

- Yeah.

- What else can you do?

- There's three ways: You can go to our website, NJSharingNetwork.org.

- [Steve] Right.

- You can register at your motor vehicle, local motor vehicle.

Or the easiest way is if you have an iPhone, you can go to the Health app and just select "organ donor" and your information will be passed along.

- You can do that as well?

- You can, yes.

That is probably the simplest way.

The role of media and public awareness as it relates to organ and tissue donation.

- You know, there's so many amazing stories when it comes to organ and tissue donation.

Hopeful stories, sadness, grief, happiness on both sides.

And the opportunity to share those stories with people and make organ donation really real and personal is so impactful and so important.

- Joining me now is Maria Perez and she is the mother of Roberto.

Roberto was an organ and tissue donor.

Can you tell us about Roberto?

- Roberto was a great kid.

I call him now my son, my angel, and my hero.

In 1997, he had a brain aneurysm and he passed away but he was able to save five lives.

Were you hesitant at first to have Roberto...?

- I'm gonna be honest with you, yes I did.

- It's a big decision.

- It's a big decision.

And it was my husband who approached me in the hospital.

At the moment as a mother, seeing your child leaving you, it was hard.

I said, no, but like an hour later like God talked to me and he said, "Why not?"

Robert was a soccer player, a very healthy boy.

And I said, "Why not?"

And I'm a hundred percent so happy that I did the decision.

And he was able to save five lives.

Were you able to connect with any of the families that he saved?

- Yes I did.

- What was that like for you?

- For me, it was nice and sad at the same time, but we did a beautiful connection with the kidney recipient and the heart recipient for a lot of years.

We are like a big family now.

- Today for you being here at the New Jersey Sharing Network 5K event, it's really a celebration of life.

We're celebrating Roberto.

We're celebrating all these amazing people who left behind the gift of life.

- Exactly.

How important is for you and your family to be here today?

Even though it is 25 years that Robert pass away, we are very connected with them.

Hopefully, maybe in a year, I'm gonna be retired.

So I promise them, I will come with my husband, volunteer job, and I continue spreading how important it's to be a donor and tissue donor.

This is Heather Prutzman, who is the mother of an organ and tissue donor, Joey Savage.

- Yes.

- First of all, to let everybody know.

Joey, a special person.

17 years of age, he signs up to be, did you even know he was gonna do that?

- No.

I had no idea when we went to get his driver's license - His friend and Ryan from boyhood, you know all the way back here, he's laughing.

Did you know?

- I didn't know, but it sounds like something that he'd just go for.

- Yeah.

- He just did it.

- [Heather] Yeah.

- Why do you think he did it?

- He loves people.

He just loved helping people and doing things for people.

So, I think his mindset was, you know what, if I can help people, if something should happen to me further on in life so they can live their lives to the fullest, you know.

'Cause he had such a huge heart and that's my boy, you know.

He decided to sign up.

And he asked me a couple of questions when we were in DMV that day when he got his driver's license and I answered them.

And then, his nickname is J-SAV, so.

And he's very popular.

He's a social butterfly.

And he looked at me a little smirk on his face and said, "After all I am J-SAV."

- What happened with him?

- Joey hit a tree with his car driving home and he ended up with massive brain trauma on October 12th, 2017.

And five days later they legally declared him brain dead.

So, organ recovery was the following day and he saved four lives through organ donation.

- Four people were saved.

- [Heather] Yes.

- But it was even more than that.

- Yes.

So, 126 through tissue donation, including myself.

- Including yourself?

- Yes.

- Talk about that.

- So I have a blood and bone marrow cancer, Multiple Myeloma and it ate away at, the Myeloma ate away at the bone marrow in my spine, and I needed major spine surgery.

So I called NJ Sharing Network and lo and behold, Joey had three pieces of bone left in the bone bank and two were a perfect match for me.

So my spine surgeon got together with MTF and they made it work.

So Joey gave me my quality of life back.

'Cause I could barely walk going into that surgery.

So I always say that I had Joey's back for 25 years and now he's got mine.

- We're here with Chris Bautista, who is the chair of the New Jersey Story Network Foundation, and Victor DiSanto, who's the chair of today's event the 5K event here in New Providence.

And both of you got connected with the New Jersey Sharing Network because of your sons.

First, can we hear about Luke?

- Sure.

Yeah.

Back in 2016, Luke had just turned 15 years old and unfortunately he passed away about a month later and yeah, we, we got involved really, really quickly.

And it's, it's kind of interesting today because the first person that I met at the very first 5K three weeks after Luke passed away was Victor's son.

And it was the first time I had ever met somebody that I knowingly knew received an organ transplant.

And that was it for me.

It was like we, we went back, we started our own 5K team, Team Luke.

We represent strong every single year and we love being part of this community.

Helps to honor the memory of my son and what he was able to do when he passed away by giving the gift of life.

- And he did so much giving the gift of life.

But then you, on the other hand too, you and your family have raised so much money.

- Yeah, It's so it's, it's close to 370, I think.

But yeah, it it's amazing.

And the, the money is extremely important.

Obviously we do so many great things with the foundation but it's, it really is about being together.

And this 5K is all about, you know, it's more than a 5K.

It's all about celebrating life and that's what we're trying to do.

And the money of course is important to help keep things running.

- And tell us about Joe, your son Joe.

- Joe was 12 years old when he received a heart transplant.

He's now 27 years old, doing extremely well.

He just got engaged to be married.

- Congratulations.

- Sometime in 2023, he's doing extremely well.

We had a tough period and those 12, 16 years out now.

So he's doing very well.

- And being here today, it's just such an important event for both of you.

You're doing so much, you're involved so much.

Talk about though the spirit of what it's like being here for people who've never been to this event.

Talk about what it's like walking around, seeing people it kind of feels like a big family, right?

- It is a big family.

I just spent some time walking around through tent city which is one of my favorite things.

People set up tents to honor their family and their their donors and their loved ones.

And walking through there is just always so emotional for me.

It's always one of the highlights of the day for me, but it is just a huge celebration of life.

We're on the recipient side, as Chris mentioned.

So we have a little different perspective than Chris's family, but our families have come together to become one big family.

- (Inspirational Music) This is Carolyn Welsh, she is Vice President, Chief Operating Officer of the Sharing Network.

- People say, what are these 220 people do?

Describe, not all of them, but the basic mission of the organization.

- So, the mission of the Sharing Network, New Jersey Sharing Network is to save and enhance lives through the miracle of organ and tissue donation.

Amazing, amazing thing that we do every day.

35 years, this organization's been around.

- 35 years.

- Lots of change.

Started with, I think, what?

Nine employees, something like that.

How many now?

- Yes, we're going up to 220 probably by the end of the year.

- But you know, with the 4,000 people waiting, - Yes.

- In New Jersey, a hundred thousand in the nation.

The work never stops.

Even though progress has been made, there are always people waiting.

Talk about it.

- Yes.

So, 17 people die waiting every day for a life saving organ transplant.

So, our work is not done.

We have made tremendous strides, tremendous progress, but our vision for the future is setting aggressive goals, constantly working to improve, and to do the best that we can to save more lives.

So, we've set an aggressive goal to reach 300 organ donors in three years.

And we've done strategic plans to make that happen.

And the donation hashtag donation needs diversity campaign.

- Say it again.

- Hashtag donation needs diversity.

It's an award-winning campaign that we've done for the last few years to make sure that we're reaching the people that are most affected by transplant and donation in urban and multicultural communities.

- Let's talk about that.

- Sure.

- The diversity issue.

- Yes.

- That gets missed sometimes.

The need is greater.

Talk about it.

- Yes.

So, 67% of those waiting for life saving organ transplant are people of color, multicultural communities.

And in New Jersey, we're in this beautiful state because we're diverse, right?

- That's right.

- That's where we live.

And it's awesome.

And what we do is reach out to the communities that we really need to talk to, educate, build trust, and work together to make sure that they understand that we're here to facilitate that gift.

And also, to help them save lives of the people that they live with every day.

- I'm here with Michelle Brugger, who her and her husband own Martial Arts for Life here in New Providence, New Jersey.

Tell me a little bit about the company and why you started it here in New Providence.

- Sure, so we're a family owned martial arts school, and we teach families from New Providence, Summit, Berkeley Heights, the whole area.

And it was just a passion of ours and something that my husband always wanted to do, and eventually together we opened our own school.

- And how long have you been here?

- We've been here 17 years.

- 17 years.

So when New Jersey Sharing Network came and made a home in New Providence, why was it important for you and your husband Rich to get involved and really learn more about the organization and what they were doing?

- We just like to partner with local organizations in the community, obviously support each other.

We all lift each other up.

And we really just wanted to get involved.

It's a great cause.

Wanted to raise some money.

Before you got involved with the New Jersey Sharing Network, you did have a knee, ACL replacement, you had some knee surgery.

And it wasn't until you actually learned more about organ and tissue donation that you said, "Hey, wait a second.

I think I might be a recipient of a donor."

- Right, so I had torn my ACL, had ACL reconstruction in 2005, got involved with the Sharing Network in 2012.

And when I was talking with one of the employees, she was talking about a young girl who got slide tackled in soccer and tore her ACL, and I got goosebumps.

And I was like, "Wait a second.

I tore my ACL and I received tissue."

And we talked a little bit more about it, she asked me some questions, and I was like, "Holy cow, I'm a tissue recipient."

So it made the connection to the Sharing Network even more important for me because I have benefited from the hard work that they do every day.

- And aside from that, what else have you learned about organ and tissue donation that you like to pass on to other people, to educate other people about?

What is it really about and how important is it?

- So you always hear about somebody receiving a heart or a lung or kidneys, and that gives them life.

But it's so much more than just life.

It's function.

It's the ability to do what you want every day.

And for me, that's really what it was.

I was teaching martial arts.

I got injured in martial arts.

And if it weren't for the person who decided to just check that box and donate their organs, I wouldn't be able to be functioning just normally on an everyday basis.

So it's not even just about life.

It's about function and enjoying the life that you do have for so many people, and I think we take that aspect of it for granted.

- We're here with a very special participant in the 5K, Shannelle Bhajan.

- Yes.

- And your dad, who's actually right behind you, he's a heart transplant recipient.

And you are leading a team.

What's it called?

- Team Sweethearts.

- Where's that name come from?

- So we were thinking of a name, and he's a heart transplant recipient.

So Sweethearts, like the candy.

We're sweet.

We're happy he has a heart.

- I love it.

- A new heart.

You were nine years of age.

Your dad's taking you to school.

Tell everyone.

- So he takes me to school and he doesn't feel well, he's throwing up.

And he drops me off.

And then by the time school's over and I get picked up, you know, my life is completely different.

They tell me my dad's in the hospital, and I'm kind of shocked at the time.

But then this actually prolongs for months after.

He ends up getting a massive heart attack.

I can't even get into the ward because I'm so young.

And then he comes out a completely different person and my life is changed.

- And the new heart, how does that happen?

How do you connect to the Sharing Network?

He had something called pulmonary hypertension, which was keeping him off of the list.

Because you know, they want to give an organ to the best possible recipient.

You know, they want you to survive.

They want your quality of life to improve.

- And then he was ready and it happened.

- Yeah.

- Do you mind calling him in?

- This is my mom, Jacqueline Bhajan.

And this is my dad Mahesh Bhajan, he received the heart transplant last year in July.

- Wow.

How you doing, Mahesh?

- Very good.

- You're feeling good.

How great is she?

- Excellent.

- She's the best.

What's it like to be together now?

My life changed drastically.

But one thing that stuck with me the entire time was to be grateful for what I do have.

You know like while I was growing up in my teens, my dad couldn't really like, do certain things with me.

Like play sports, or really like run with me.

But the most important thing is that he's still here today.

And that's what matters most.

You know, you want your loved ones close, and you want them with you at all times.

And that's what I got.

So I'm the happiest person ever.

- I'm here with Sam Prince, who is a heart transplant recipient and also a volunteer with the New Jersey Sharing Network.

11 Years ago, you received a new heart.

Can you tell me about that?

- Well, Jacqui, 11 years ago, I received the gift of life on March 14th, 2011.

I was born hypoplastic left heart syndrome and one lung.

I still have one lung to this day.

Basically, what hypoplastic left heart syndrome is, I was born with a half a heart.

I was stuck in a bubble all my life.

I couldn't do things.

And my heart transplant turned my life around, 180 for the better.

I can now ride a bike, play sports go to school and even walk down the street without getting out of breath.

- So tell me about that transition when you received that heart.

I'm sure there was a lot going on afterwards with recovery and rehab but how did it just totally turn your life around?

- Changed not only my life, but it changed my family's life.

We were able to be a normal family.

We were able to go on vacation.

We were able to socialize and go to dinner with people and go outside, go to beaches, stuff like that.

Without being the fear that, oh, I'm gonna get sick, I'm gonna have to go to the hospital.

- And New Jersey Sharing Network came into your life at that point and your family's life.

And you and your brother, Max, you started your team 10 years ago?

- Yeah, 10 years ago.

- 10 years ago now, right?

So your team's still going strong 10 years later.

Talk about Max's Mitzvah Movers.

- Well, my brother started this team, Max's Mitzvah Movers in honor of me for his bar mitzvah project.

Usually for mitzvah projects, you don't keep it, but we kept it for 10 years going strong.

We've raised over $50,000 for the New Jersey Sharing Network.

We keep on going.

We promote organ donation everywhere we go.

- Your team's grown and grown and grown over the ten years.

- Humongous, Jacqui.

And then tell me too, you had something really fun happen recently.

You became a Make-A-Wish kid.

And you had your wish granted.

Talk about your wish.

My wish was to go to the NFL draft and announce the first round pick in Las Vegas for the New York football Giants.

And I got to do so.

And I had the time of my life.

And while I was there I got to promote the power of organ donation.

- Joining me now is Catherine Gross and her sister Colleen Bol.

Catherine actually received a liver transplant just back in February - [Catherine Gross] February.

And half of the liver came from your sister.

- Yes.

Yep.

- Yep.

- I need to hear more about this story.

So tell me about what happened and why you needed to receive a liver transplant.

- Sure.

So I've had some autoimmune diseases pretty much my entire adult life.

One of which is called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, which I know is a mouthful.

It goes by PSC, which is the abbreviation for it.

And as part of that disease, you are at a greater likelihood for a lot of complications, including something called Cholangiocarcinoma, which is bile duct cancer.

And I had bile duct cancer.

So I first got bile duct cancer in 2019, and I was able to have a, what they call a liver resection, where they removed part of my liver.

But when I was diagnosed again this past fall, that wasn't an option for me.

So I got the formal diagnosis in December and found out that my only chance really for survival was a living donor.

So we started that process, - [Jacqui Tricarico] Okay.

and we were able to identify my sister, - Well how do, when you know that you need a living donor, because this is the first time we're talking to somebody who's had a living donor - [Catherine Gross] Yeah.

transplant.

How does that process start?

When it comes to living donors, the preference is for somebody that does know you.

Obviously, there are many cases where people do the altruistic gift and they give to somebody, a complete stranger, but ideally, if they can find somebody that knows you and has a personal connection to you, that is preferred.

- And it needs to be a perfect match too.

It just can't be anybody.

And I'm sure that perfect match can most likely come from somebody in your family.

So Colleen, tell me when you knew that she needed a transplant, what was your first thought?

- Well my first thought, honestly, was that it was me.

I never doubted that it would be me.

- And you never had a second thought?

Was it a scary decision for you?

- Oh well, I mean it's certainly scary.

It's a big undertaking.

It's a major surgery, so you know there's gonna be some recovery, and there's some risk involved, but I was very confident in it the whole time.

- [Catherine Gross] Yeah.

- I'm sure there's probably no words that you can ever say to her, to say thank you for doing this.

How has that been for you to try to show her or tell her how important this was for you?

- Impossible?

Let's just say it's impossible - But unnecessary, because it, I mean it was just gonna happen regardless.

So yeah.

So it's all good.

There's no need for that.

- We are honored to be here with Dawn Burke.

We've spoken before.

Dawn is a lung transplant recipient and a volunteer here at The Sharing Network.

Dawn, your journey as a recipient.

Describe what you were challenged by, what you were experiencing.

I was diagnosed in 2016 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis which is scar tissue on the lungs.

And it's of unknown origins and I was placed on oxygen therapy.

- For how long?

- I was on, I got placed on oxygen therapy in 2016.

And I received my transplant in 2019.

- Wow.

Three years.

- [Dawn Burke] Yeah.

- Do, I'm not gonna say, "do you remember?"

Obviously you remember.

Do you remember what you felt immediately after, other than the rehab you had to go through?

How did they change your life?

- It felt like I was, it was like a rebirth, you know?

because I was able to get back to things that I couldn't do or I used to do in a slower pace.

And now it's even brought me to become an advocate with New Jersey Sharing Network and sharing with others of becoming an organ donor.

And I went into various businesses.

Some of them, I put up displays and some of them I gave them flyers and they put it in their storefronts.

Almost everybody had a story of someone that is either waiting or has gone through a transplant and to see me in real life, you know, they couldn't believe it, you know.

- [Steve Adubato] You're an inspiration.

- Yeah.

- You motivate people.

- Yeah.

I'm a walking miracle, 'cause I was at death's door.

You know, and to make it even more of a realization that this, I've used this I think this is what I'm supposed to do.

Because when I received my transplant, I received it nine days after my birthday.

This month, as a matter of fact, will be my third year.

- How great is that?

- It's awesome.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

The Russell Berrie Foundation.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

Fedway Associates, Inc.

The Fidelco Group.

Valley Bank.

Johnson & Johnson.

And by Rowan University.

Promotional support provided by Meadowlands Chamber.

And by Northjersey.com and Local IQ.

Part of the USA Today Network.

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