MANAGERS AND LIAISONS

MEET OUR MANAGERS

Meet Matt Arrasmith, Team Ohio Manager and double tissue recipient. Matt’s connection to donation is a unique one. At the age of 14 he was very active and had just finished up the 8th grade football season. Matt had a goal of completing an upcoming half marathon and began training for it. It was at that time that he started to experience pain in his left knee. After visiting the doctor and undergoing tests, and an eventual biopsy, Matt’s world was turned upside down. A week after his 15th birthday Matt was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, called chondrosarcoma, in his left femur. He was told that he would have to undergo a round of surgeries and that it was possible that he could lose his leg at the hip.

There was a silver lining, however. Because the tumor was contained inside the bone there was a new procedure that could be performed to salvage Matt’s leg. It involved removing the 6-inch portion of bone containing the tumor and replacing it with donor bone, a titanium plate, and 32 screws. After two surgeries, the procedure was a success. Matt’s leg was saved because someone made the selfless decision to be a donor. 

Later, in 2011, Matt went on to have another 3 surgeries to address failing hardware that held the donor bone in place and received a second amazing gift of life, in the form of another donor bone. The idea that two families had to experience tragedy so that he could have a better quality of life is not something that is lost on Matt. “There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about how different my life might have been without the kindness and generosity of two complete strangers and their families”, Matt said. 

While competing in his 4th Transplant Games in San Diego for Team Ohio in 2022, Matt took home gold medals in the golf competition, Texas hold’em poker, and in the darts competition. He is excited to attend his 5th Games when they are held in Birmingham, AL, in 2024. Matt shared his thoughts on what The Transplant Games mean to him, “It means so much to be able to meet new friends who have been through similar challenges and can relate to you. The Games give us a great opportunity to raise awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation, and allows us to express our gratitude to our donors and their families for giving such an unbelievable gift.”

MEET OUR LIASONS

Meet Jenn Beckett, Team Ohio Donor Family Liaison.

Team Ohio Living Donor Liaison

Open Position

Meet Mary Collins, Team Ohio Tissue/Cornea Liaison. Mary's story started many years before donation. At age 19, she was told her kidneys were damaged and she would need to take blood pressure medications for the rest of her life. At age 36, she was told her kidneys were failing and, eventually, she would need dialysis, or a kidney transplant. She was 37 when she decided to go on home peritoneal dialysis. She did that for 2 years then decided she wanted to pursue a transplant. April 24, 1995, she received the Gift of Life, a kidney transplant. On November 29, 2001, she received bone tissue in her neck due to a collapsed disk. Since receiving these transplants, she met and married the love of her life Brian (1997), she was able to see both of her girls graduate from high school, see both of them get married, and has been able to live to see and hold her grandchildren, like most grandmas love to do. Mary’s oldest child is now 21 and her grandchildren are 4-year-old twins— a boy and a girl. When her daughter had the twins, she donated her placenta to Lifeline of Ohio where they were able to make many skin grafts to help others. In 1998, she attended The Transplant Games of America in Columbus, Ohio. She started volunteering for Lifeline of Ohio in 2000. She also attended the Transplant Games of America in Pittsburgh, in 2008, and the 2016 Transplant Games of America in Cleveland.

Team Ohio Marketing Liaison

Open Position

Email

General Inquiries
info@teamohio4life.org