ITNS nurses received worldwide thanks at Conference in St. Louis
September 26th, 2008
       Photo above: (1) Nurses reading thank you letters          (2) Author, Reg Green, autographing the 500 books

Conference highlight . . .
   A highlight at the joint convention held by the International Transplant Nurses Society (ITNS) and Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO) from September 25, 2008 to September 27, 2008 at the Millennium Hotel in Saint Louis, Missouri was the  luncheon delivery of over 600 patient letters thanking the transplant nurses for the work they do in making the lives of patients everywhere possible.   On behalf of those recipients and donor family members around the workd who had sent in personal  letters, 50 TRIO members hand delivered an autographed copy of Reg Green's book, The Gift that Heals, with each book containing its own unique letter, and in the delivery process hugging all 500 nurses from 17 countries. 
(PS: Reg Green writes: In case my wife reads this, I am officially denying that I hugged five hundred nurses from 17 countries.) 
(2nd PS: It took Reg over 5 hours to personally sign his message in those 500 books - "Thank you, Reg!")

    To say the moment was emotional is an undestatement as both nurses and the presenting recipient often filled with tears in sharing this special connection.  Quotes from nurses included:

And it went on and on . . .
    Even before the event organizer, Jim Gleason, a heart recipient out 14 years, had addressed the group describing the unique gift that each nurse had just received, surprised discoveries as nurses realized their fellow table companions each had a totally different letter of thanks in their book caused a stir in the huge ballroom of over 50 tables sitting 10 nurses each.  Quickly the books were passed around to allow others to read the various letters with even bigger surprise when they discovered letters from small children thanking them for saving the life of their father, or letters from as distant as Australia and the UK, and in several cases, nurses received letters from their own patients!

(PS: Jim shared that just before coming to St. Louis he had asked his church pastor to bless these 600+ thank-you letters that their messages from the heart would be received with open hearts of joy, not pain, by the nurses in the way they were intended.  Pastor John was pleased to do so and asked if he might read some of the letters.  Certainly, I replied.  Pastor John sat down and began to carefully read first one, then more of the letters.  As he continued, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a hankerchef to wipe the tears as he cried in reading the beautiful stories and messages of thanks in those donor and patient letters.  I was very moved in witnessing the impact of those messages.  He went on to bless the letters and they certainly did touch the hearts of the nurses when received.)

And now YOU can read them too . . .
    Challenged with the interest of everyone in reading the hundreds of letters (remember, the attending nurses only go tto read "their" letter and maybe a few at the table around them...), Jim agreed to develop a section of the TRIO web site to post the letters allowing not only the attendees to read more of the letters, but also to offer an opportunity for nurses everywhere to share in this unique experience, extending the outreach of gratitude far beyond this single symposium event.  It is hoped that nurses around the world, especially when they may be feeling overwhelmed with the work they do or recent events in their lives, could find comfort and support in reading the many stories and words of thanks here.

    To read those letters click on: To a Transplant Nurse. (Note: those hundreds of letters are being posted over time, so come back for more in the near future)  Also, there are posted stories and reactions to those letters at: Event Reactions

Its not too late . . .
    If anyone still wants to participate in this event, you may send your letters to a transplant nurse to GleasonJim@aol.com and I will make sure they get included in the final posting here.

     If you have any questions, please contact Sylvia Leach, Managing Services Director of TRIO National at 1-800-TRIO-386 or sleach@trioweb.org.

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