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Marathoner Brothers Spread the Word on Organ Donation
By Brandie M. Jefferson |
In winter 2007, Dan Davis came to Massachusetts to visit his brother, Don, who was training for his fifth Boston Marathon.
Dan hadn’t been feeling well; previously a doctor told him he had kidney problems. He changed his diet and tried to take better care of himself. He didn’t have health insurance but, being generally healthy, thought he could wait out a minor health problem until he was insured.
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Marathoner Brothers Spread the Word on Organ Donation
By Brandie M. Jefferson
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L-R: Brothers Don and Dan Davis ran the Boston Marathon one year after Don gave Dan his kidney. |
In winter 2007, Dan Davis came to Massachusetts to visit his brother, Don, who was training for his fifth Boston Marathon.
Dan hadn’t been feeling well; previously a doctor told him he had kidney problems. He changed his diet and tried to take better care of himself. He didn’t have health insurance but, being generally healthy, thought he could wait out a minor health problem until he was insured.
“I didn’t really know how bad it was,” Dan said. “I didn’t realize my kidneys had practically shut down.”
He wound up at the ER, diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease. The recommended course of action: kidney transplant. Dan, 45, was fitted with catheters for dialysis and began thinking about transplants, though he wasn’t sure what would happen.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone to step up,” he said. “It’s a big decision. I didn’t really know how it worked. I thought that once someone had kidney failure, they’re basically dead.”
But a lot of people stepped up. He has five siblings, and though several had health problems of their own, the rest – along with relatives from as far away as California – were tested immediately.
“I was the match,” his 49-year-old brother Don said. “No problem.”
Don and Dan want people to know how simple it is to become a donor.
“A lot of people just haven’t taken the next step,” Don said. “They say ‘I meant to do it. I was going to do it.’”
But if people don’t make their wishes clear, not only could it mean prolonged suffering for someone in need of an organ, but suffering for loved ones who do not know what to do when the time comes to make a decision.
A few weeks later, Don secured coverage through Medicare. He was offered a date: April 15. “I thought, ‘We’re both healthy right now. Let’s do it.’”
Earlier in the year, Don had qualified to run the Boston Marathon, which would be a few days after the surgery.
“He gave up his number for the surgery,” Dan said. “It was supposed to be his fifth and final marathon.”
After the surgery, at Massachusetts General Hospital, both men’s thoughts returned to running. But first, they had to walk. The pair went in for surgery on a Tuesday, and they were walking around the hospital the next day. They were discharged Friday, and started working out at the YMCA by Tuesday.
Weeks later, the brothers began planning to run Boston together. By September 2008, Dan thought he could do it, and they began training. They won sponsorship from John Hancock and represented the New England Organ Bank and Donate Life.
On April 20, 2009, a year and five days after the transplant, they ran the Boston Marathon. They finished in about 5.5 hours.
The brothers are spreading the word about organ donation. For Dan, getting his story out is invaluable. “Any time I meet a new person,” he said, “I eventually tell them: I had a transplant. Life’s not over with a transplant.” 
How You Can Register |
| When you apply for a Massachusetts driver’s license or ID, you will have the opportunity to become an organ and tissue donor. By registering as an organ and tissue donor with the RMV, you will be entered into the Massachusetts Donor Registry, which is legal consent for donation. However, also share your decision to donate with your family and friends so that they know about your decision to become an organ and tissue donor. For information, visit www.mass.gov/rmv/license/organ_donor.htm. |
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AAA Welcomes New Waltham Manager
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Ed Murray |
AAA Southern New England is pleased to announce Ed Murray is the new Waltham Branch Manager.
A New Orleans native, Mr. Murray earned his bachelor’s degree in business at Louisiana State University in 1997 and has taken several classes toward a master’s degree in business.
He worked for mortgage companies – including Wells Fargo and Aegis – in that area before being transferred north to Rhode Island, and then, to Massachusetts.
Mr. Murray said he enjoys helping AAA members. “With AAA, a member might come in and say, ‘I’ve been a member for 20 years.’ They seem really proud of it,” he said.
Mr. Murray joined the Club as the Assistant Manager in the Leominster Branch about two years ago. He lives in Concord.
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Driver Improvment Classes
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Rhode Island drivers 55 and older who complete the AAA Driver Improvement Program can qualify for a discount on their auto insurance. Held in two three-hour sessions, the classroom course teaches the basics of defensive driving. The next session is set for 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays, March 13 and 20. Classes are free for AAA members and held at AAA Providence Headquarters, 110 Royal Little Drive. To register, call (401) 868-2000, ext. 2120.
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Register for Photo Classes
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Photographer Richard King will teach the following two-week sessions of AAA’s popular digital photography class: March 24 and 31; and April 7 and 14. All classes run 7-9 p.m. at AAA Providence Headquarters. The cost is $15, payable the first night of class. To register, call Paul Gagne at (401) 868-2000, ext. 2125.
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Chris Barry |
AAA Southern New England is pleased to announce Chris Barry is the new General Manager of AAA’s Member Card Services.
Ms. Barry is no newcomer to AAA – she’s worked with the Club for years as Vice President and Senior Account Executive at Pawtucket, R.I.-based Mercury Print & Mail, where she began her career in 1975.
Ms. Barry, who earned her bachelor’s degree in education in 1972 from Boston College, serves on the Postal Customer Council of Providence’s executive board and is a past president of the local chapter of Mailing and Fulfillment Services Association, a trade association.
Ms. Barry lives in East Providence, R.I., with her husband, Gene.
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Follow AAA On Your Fave Sites
By Megan Gorzkowski
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 Facebook.
MySpace.
Twitter.
You use tools like these every day to stay in touch with friends and family, but did you know you can keep up-to-date with the latest AAA news using these Web sites and more?
Here are some ways you can stay connected with AAA no matter where you are.
Twitter
In our fast-paced world, it’s often easiest to get brief news updates throughout the day rather than all at once.
With AAA’s Twitter updates, you can learn about the latest bargains, travel news and traffic-safety initiatives in short, 140-character “tweets.”
There are four AAA Twitter feeds: “AAAauto,” “AAAdiscounts,” “AAAnews” and “AAA_Travel.”
Visit www.Twitter.com to follow these feeds.
Facebook and MySpace
If you use Facebook and/or MySpace, you are in luck; AAA has pages on both social-networking sites.
They feature the latest AAA news and discounts, along with exclusive photos and videos. Members can share their AAA experiences, whether it’s a Show Your Card & Save story or a road service review.
Become a Facebook “fan” or a MySpace “friend” of AAA to join in.
iPhone app
Imagine an iPhone application that combines two great AAA member features into one amazing, convenient tool.
It’s no wonder AAA Discounts is Apple’s most-downloaded “Lifestyles” free app, with more than half a million downloads as of press time.
AAA Discounts highlights AAA savings partners along your travel route, including everything from dining to lodging to entertainment.
The bonus Roadside Assistance feature sends your GPS location when you use your iPhone to call AAA for road service, letting AAA know exactly where you are if you need help.
The AAA Discounts app also works on the iPod Touch, provided Wi-Fi Internet access is available.
Visit AAA.com/mobile for more information and instructions on downloading this free tool.
YouTube
On AAA’s YouTube channel, you can watch fun video clips on everything from traffic safety to travel discounts.
Get behind-the-scenes looks at new theme-park attractions like SeaWorld’s Manta Coaster or Universal Studios’ Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Watch webisodes of the AAA original series “TripPlay.”
Visit www.YouTube.com/AAA.
AAATravelViews.com
Want the inside scoop from AAA travel experts? Then check out the AAA TravelViews blog.
Find out where AAA travel professionals go for the best eats, sights and shopping. You can even submit your own travel questions to be answered in a future posting. AAA TravelViews includes polls, member discounts and more.
Visit AAATravelViews.com.
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AAA Expands Driving School
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The AAA Driver Training School is expanding its presence in Southeastern Massachusetts, with the acquisition of the Bristol County Driving School in Fall River.
“Both AAA and the Bristol County Driving School have long histories of serving the Fall River area,” said David J. Raposa, AAA Director of Public Affairs. “We plan on providing that same high level of service as we expand our teen driving program.”
AAA Driver Training School offers 30 hours of classroom instruction, 12 hours of behind-the-wheel training, six hours of student observation, and the mandatory two-hour course for parents. The school opened over a year ago at AAA South Attleboro, and has grown to offer lessons at Bishop Stang High School and through the AAA Old Colony Driving School.
The new school will be run as the AAA Bristol County Driving School. It will also provide driver’s ed at Case High School and Bishop Connelly High School. For details, call (508) 675-2726.
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‘Making Things Better for Motorists’
Budd Elected Vice Chairman of National AAA Board
By Christine E. McDermott
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Wayne A. Budd |
Wayne A. Budd, a longtime member of AAA Southern New England’s Board of Directors, was recently elected Vice Chairman of AAA’s national Board of Directors. A Senior Counsel at the Boston law firm Goodwin Procter, Mr. Budd is a former U.S. Attorney and former Associate Attorney General of the United States.
AAA Horizons interviewed Mr. Budd about AAA’s advocacy role in matters of transportation and traffic safety.
Q: You recently completed your first three-year term on AAA’s national Board. What were some of the key initiatives you worked on?
A: Two of the most important things that are being looked at by the Public Affairs Department of AAA, and that the Board is very much interested in, have to do with senior mobility and teen driving. These issues are front and center.
What I’ve learned over the time that I’ve been on the board is that the AAA brand is so powerful and so trusted, and people have such confidence in it, that we naturally are leaders in these areas. People — both AAA members and others, members of Congress and various state legislators — look to AAA for its views on issues having to do with road safety, enhancing motorists’ rights and the like.
What’s gratifying for me as a longtime member of our local club board and a relatively new member of the national board is the wonderful power of our brand – AAA just reflects so much trust and confidence.
Q: AAA has a long history of speaking out on behalf of motorists when it comes to transportation funding, and recently took on a higher profile than ever by launching a Capitol Hill campaign. How pleased is AAA with the support for transportation projects in the stimulus package, and how will motorists benefit?
A: AAA was very much a part of shaping that package. Some infrastructure problems motorists face — not just in our territory but also throughout the United States — should be eased, and our road system should be enhanced. I think it’s a win-win to the end that it should have its intended effect of stimulating the economy, and it should also have the effect of making things better for motorists. AAA members come out on the top side at least twice.
Q: Several years ago, the national board adopted a Motorists’ Bill of Rights. Why was this important?
A: In order to have the desired effect and to have the message promulgate accurately and consistently, it would have to be out there. It’s like writing down the 10 Commandments: Since they’re there in writing, they become guideposts for all of us. It’s ever present.
Q: AAA’s work on senior mobility has received national attention recently. What is different about AAA’s new approach?
A: It’s about protecting seniors but also to help the offspring of seniors in terms of giving them some guidance and assistance to make the decision as to when mom or dad or grandparents should no longer drive. Among the next steps is to look at alternative transportation for seniors who are no longer able to drive.
Q: On the subject of teen drivers in AAA Southern New England’s territory, there’s been a push for more parental involvement in the driver’s education process. Why is this key?
A: It’s important to the safety of all motorists that teen drivers have the best training and learn to drive, first of all, properly, and then, under conditions that will provide best for their safety and that of all other motorists on the roads and highways.
Q: How does the AAA INsider program for 13- to 15-year-olds tie in to that?
A: The program is not just to get them interested in AAA but also give them exposure to the rules of the road – how to be safe. We’re proud to say that our Club is a national leader with the INsider program.
Q: When you joined the local AAA board in the 1980s, did you expect to stay involved for so long?
A: I had no idea — none whatsoever. I never dreamed I’d have the opportunity to serve on the national Board. I believe in AAA, so it’s invigorating and, frankly, it’s an honor to be part of an organization that is so highly respected around the country and does such good work — and such important work. I’ve been a New Englander all my life, born and raised in Massachusetts. I’m proud to represent this part of the country on our national Board of Directors, and I’m humbled by the fact that the organization would see fit to put me forward as the Vice Chairman of the national Board.
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