Written by Tanya Terry, with photos from previous organ donated related events courtesy of the City of Flint
A free community film screening for the film “ABUNDANT,” which is about people donating kidneys to people they have never met, as well as s discussion about organ, eye and tissue donation is taking place this weekend in Flint. On Saturday, November 14, from 2-4:30 p.m. the City of Flint, Gift of Life Michigan and the Flint Area (MI) Chapter of the Links are hosting the events, to be held at Cinemark Flint West 14.
“ABUNDANT” is a documentary film that follows the unbelievable events that occurred when a cast of kidney donors came together to create a live staged storytelling show, notes the film’s website https://abundantmovie.com/#
The website continues:“ABUNDANT enters the world of extreme altruism: non-directed kidney donation where people donate kidneys to complete strangers. Through touching personal stories and illuminating interviews with nationally-acclaimed experts, “ABUNDANT” explores how our culture struggles with abundance and what we can do to become more altruistic as a community.
Shebra Bernard, director of Health Strategies and Advancement for the City of Flint, shared: “So, at the start of the year, the City entered a partnership with the Gift of Life Michigan, with the mission to debunk myths surrounding organ and tissue donation. We wanted to meet the needs of residents by hosting intentional events where they’re able to get information from those that receive donations, those that are on the waiting list, those that are caregivers, for anyone going through the process. And for this town hall, we wanted to host it with the intention of doing that. And accompanying it is a free screening of a movie called “ABUNDANT.”
“The majority of people who are waiting for transplants are waiting for kidneys,” added Shalonda Griffin, Mid-Michigan Community Relations coordinator for Gift of Life Michigan.
Griffin continued: “About 86% of all people who are on the registry nationwide are waiting for kidney transplant. Unmanaged diabetes and unmanaged hypertension are the two main causes of kidney failure. And unfortunately, as we see more and more people get diagnosed with those things, that causes more people to be in need of kidney transplants.”
Bernard added: ” We are also doing it alongside,the Flint Area Links, Incorporated…One of their initiatives is called Black K.A.R.E., which is kidney awareness, resources and education…So their focus is to provide information to the community, African Americans, surrounding the need for more kidney donors and giving them the resources to be informed.”
African Americans develop kidney failure at nearly four times the rate of those of European ancestry, according to pennmedicine.org.
Two sisters will be part of the panel discusssion after the film screening. One received a liver from a deceased donor about 12 years ago. Then, she received a kidney from her sister.
“They can donate a heart, liver or a lung-and along with organ donation, we also want to highlight tissue donation,” said Griffin. “People often forget about tissue. One in 30 Americans are going to benefit from tissue donation at some point in their life. So that means skin, or maybe someone has been burned and now they’re in need of a skin graft, tendons for people who are dealing with ACL tears, or maybe they have issues with their knees, even things like nerves can be used if someone has a finger, for instance, that has been severed. They can be reattached, and they may be in need of a nerve transplant.”
