Sunday, November 15, 1998
Films By Jamie Redford Focus Attention on Organ Donation
By Angie Herman
"Omaha was a comfortable, accessible community, nonetheles
I saw some of my lowest moments there. Returning there in good health
always underscores how far I've come," said Jamie Redford,
son of actor Robert Redford.
Jamie Redford first came to Omaha in 1992.
He wasn't just passing through or on vacation. He came to UNMC to
learn whether he was a good candidate for a liver transplant.
Redford had been ill for several years due to primary
sclerosing cholangitis, a disease of the bile ducts in the liver.Dr.
Byers Shaw, Jr., chairman of the UNMC Department of Surgery, said
the disease causes the patients own immune system to attack the
cells lining the bile ducts. Over time the liver becomes so badly
scarred that the only option is a liver transplant.
Redford found himself deciding where to go for a liver transplant.
"I chose UNMC because it was consistently ranked among the
top five liver programs in the world. Omaha was close to Denver,
which was home, and I like Bud Shaw," he said.
He waiting six months for a matching donation. Today, that wait
would be much longer. "In the year he received his transplant,
six months was the time people in his status and his blood type
has to wait. Sicker patients and those with other blood types might
have received transplants ealier. Today, he would wait more than
two years," Shaw said.
Redford remembers that phone call as if it were yesterday. "Even
though I was in the hospital when I received the call I thought
it was a friend pulling a prank, then I felt fear, relief and gratitude,"
he said. Redford underwent successful liver transplant surgery in
1993 at NHS University Hospital. For many transplant patients, the
experience produces a new outlook on life. Redford's experiences
compelled him to establish the James Redford Institute for Transplant
(JRI) in 1995.
"A desire to do what I could to bring greater awareness to
the need for more organ donors inspired me to establish JRI, "
he said.
JRI, an independent non-profit organization, has as its mission
the development and dissemination of effective tools that increase
awareness about the shortage of orgaan donors and address the concerns
that discourage people from donating. To deliver this information,
Redford decided to produce his own films.
"Film was the quickest, most encompassing way to portray the
human element of organ donation and transplantation to the puclic
at large. If people can have access to the human element of this
issue they are far more likely to support donations," he said.
Three films have been produced: "The Kindness of Strangers,"
"From One to Another" and "Flow." "the
Kindness of Strangers is a feature-length documentary. It builds
upon the experience of organ and tissue recipients, including the
emotional and complex story of organ-donor families in Philadelphia.
By witnessing the lives of these ordinary but extraordinary people,
the audience learns about transplantation, organ and tissue donation,
and the emotional aspects of the process.
"The Kindness of Strangers' has been entered into several international
film festivals, and JRI is approaching major cable channels such
as HBO, CNN, Sundance and Lifetime to distribute the film.
"From One to Another," a one-hour film, takes the audience
on a journey to explore the personal experiences of those who have
undergone transplants and those who are awaiting a transplant at
UNMC. "From One to Another" has an educational focus and
its targeted for video distribution for health professionals.