[INSPRATIONAL MUSIC STING] - Welcome back folks.

We're now joined by E. Denise Peoples, who is a double lung recipient, been with us many times in the past.

Community Services Manager for the New Jersey Sharing Network.

You'll see their website up in just a moment.

And C. Lawrence Crump, Esquire and Councilman at Large, Brick City, Newark, New Jersey.

Denise, Lawrence, great to have you with us.

- Thank you for having us.

- Great being here.

Thank you, Steve.

- You got it.

Denise, as we put up the website for the New Jersey Sharing Network, our longtime partners in this public awareness effort around organ and tissue donation, describe what the serious problem is.

Of the 4,000 people waiting for a transplant in New Jersey, how could it be that 68% of those 4,000 people waiting for a transplant are people of color when the population of people of color in this state is much, much, much lower?

Please, Denise.

- First of all, Steve, thank you again for having us.

- As always.

- And for always being such a great advocate for the New Jersey Sharing Network.

We can really always count on you to bring informative information to your wide and broad viewing audience.

So thank you.

- Are you done?

I thought you were gonna keep on saying nice things.

- Oh, I'm sorry.

- I'm joking, I'm joking.

- You only sent a little bit of money, so it was over.

- It's okay.

Go ahead.

- So a lot of people feel that once they register to be an organ donor, that they're automatically gonna be an organ donor.

It is such a rare, rare gift, and that is one of the things that our, one of our initiatives is, is to get the word out there about that information.

Less than 1/10 of 1% of all deaths actually go on to be an organ donor.

And less than 10% actually go on to be a tissue donor.

So although we have this large number of people of color and everybody registers and they think that for some reason a myth is, or if you're African American, then you're gonna be matched with somebody African American or vice versa, or Hispanic or whatever the case is.

That is not it.

We don't have enough people registered.

I don't know if we'll ever have enough people registered, because as many people that are transplanted, in the same day, we lose more people and then more people are added.

- And Denise will come back and tell us a little bit more about her situation, her story, the Gift of Life, if you will.

But Councilman, you've known Denise for how long?

- Over 10 years.

- And why is this such a personal and policy issue for you?

- I thought it's personal because if you know Denise, you understand that how this affected her life and how this made her a stronger person.

The world is filled with a lot of people who we need to hear from, and fortunately Denise is one of those people that I've heard from and inspired me to become an organ donor, to be quite frank.

It's just critical.

As growing up, you hear the myths, particularly in the African American community, that if you donate, if you're an organ donor, you may not be able to have an open casket.

Just wild myths like that.

If you are injured or in an accident, they'll do less to save your life if you're an organ donor.

- Not true.

- And that's absolutely false.

And I think it's important that me just knowing Denise as a person and then just being involved and knowing what's going on with organ donations that I can, from my office, shout as far as I can to make sure people are aware of what's going on and then become organ donors.

- Absolutely.

Let's just, Denise, help us on this.

There are two initiatives.

One is Say Yes, Save Lives.

And the other one is Live Healthy and Move.

How are they connected to?

Which is it?

Help us understand that.

- So Yes, Save Lives is our global New Jersey Sharing Network cry and just everything about us for this year.

We have a brand new CEO.

- Carolyn Welsh.

- And we just have so many great things going on.

Carolyn Welsh, yes.

- Right.

- And she is getting ready to celebrate her anniversary with the Sharing Network.

And we are very excited to have her and the energy that she brings.

And with Live Healthy and Move, that is not so much an initiative as it is an event.

So this event happened because we were sitting down talking, and unfortunately when a lot of people see the Sharing Network for the very first time, it's at the worst times of their life.

They're in an ICU, a PICU, a CCU, their loved one, if it's an adult, they just left home this morning.

This afternoon, they're getting a call to rush to the hospital.

Something's happened, and they see their loved one in this condition and just their minds are blown.

And then when they meet certain clinical triggers, the Sharing Network will come to the hospital and speak to that family.

We don't want that to be the first time.

We go there to ask for a gift.

We decided at the network to give back something to the community.

Things like healthy living, blood pressure screenings, all these type of things to hopefully keep people well enough so they'll never need a transplant.

Or if they wanna be a living donor, they can, if they're healthy enough to do that.

So we really give back with our hospital partners, our community partners.

So many people come.

Our funeral home directors will come and talk about pre-planning because it's just so many things that people don't know.

And that's what Live Healthy and Move is.

It's just to give people information.

- And Councilman, I said this before we got on the air.

I don't take this off, my Sharing Network Donate the Gift of Life.

And you have two.

Why do you have two, Denise, real quick?

Why do you have two?

Show folks.

- So that if I see someone, I can start a conversation and give them one.

- Along those lines, Councilman, let me ask you, how much of this?

And P.S.

let me disclose, the Sharing Network is an underwriter of our programming to create greater public awareness around organ tissue donation.

Councilman, what do you see the role of government officials like yourself in helping to create, quote, greater public awareness around what's real and what's factual about organ and tissue donation, especially in Black and Brown communities?

Please.

- So I can say as a councilman what my goal is, is to promote it as much as possible about organ donations, about dispelling the myths and misconceptions first and foremost, but also being an actual promoter of it and an advocate for it.

For instance, legislation on my end is not going to make a change around the state, but what I do is promote national minority organ donation month or other months where organ donation is an important issue or listed.

And we continue to do that.

When I go to meetings, discuss it.

I did an article in the New Jersey Sharing Network magazine.

- I saw it.

- Just being an organ donor myself, my hope is to make sure that people understand if I'm able to do it and I'm willing to do it, there really isn't an issue and that everybody could do it.

- And go on the website of the Sharing Network if you wanna find out more about how you can sign up to be an organ or tissue donor, do that.

Denise, I have about a minute left.

The Gift of Life.

How and when did it come to you?

- Came to me October 2nd, 2006.

I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2000 and dealt with that disease, which is just amazing.

And it is the journey I don't wanna forget and I'll never forget.

And it brought me to this place, it brought me to doing what I'm doing now.

Just being able to share that story 'cause people wanna see, they wanna touch.

Oh my gosh, you don't look like you got a transplant.

Oh, you're joking.

- Double lung transplant.

- No, there's no way.

- Double lung transplant.

Double lung.

- Double lungs, yes.

Yep.

- And you look sound and are stronger than ever.

Hey, we're looking forward to seeing you for the walk, Jacqui Tricarico, my colleague and I are gonna be there for the 5K coming up in New Providence.

You're gonna be there?

- I will be there singing the national anthem.

Yes, I will.

(clapping) Are you running, Steve?

- No, I'm walking.

Will you stop?

I'm just walking at this point.

I'm lucky I'm walking.

Don't do that to me, Denise.

Councilman, thank you.

I thank you, I can't thank you enough, Councilman.

Denise, it's great seeing you as always.

I'll see you for the 5K.

Don't make me look bad.

- That's right.

- New Jersey Sharing Network organ and tissue donation.

See you after this.

Be right back.

- [Narrator] State of Affairs with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Celebrating 30 years in public broadcasting.

Funding has been provided by The Russell Berrie Foundation.

IBEW Local 102.

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

PSEG Foundation.

RWJBarnabas Health.

Let’s be healthy together.

PNC Foundation.

New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Newark Board of Education.

And by The Fidelco Group.

Promotional support provided by New Jersey Monthly.

And by NJ.Com.

- I’m very grateful that I’m still here.

- That’s me and my daughter when we went to celebrate our first anniversary.

- With a new kidney I have strength.

- They gave me a new lease on life.

- I’m still going everywhere and exploring new places.

- Nobody thought I was going to be here, nobody.

- I look forward to getting older with my wife, that’s possible now.

- [Narrator] We’re transforming lives through innovative kidney treatments, living donor programs, and world renowned care at two of New Jersey’s premiere hospitals.

- They gave me my normal life back.

It’s a blessing.

- [Narrator] RWJBarnabas Health.

Let’s be healthy together.