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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
September 17, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 17, 2020
 
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Page A—36 Shelton-Mason County Journal — Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020 Catch and release Gilford Palmer, a Shelton resident for 33 years, has been capturing opossum in his yard at Turner and 14th streets, and then releasing, them in the woods. Opossum are the only North American ~ marsupials — females carry their young in their pouches. They are a threat to dogs, Palmer said. “A lot of people don’t know these things are in town,” he said. Photo courtesy of Gilford Palmer By Kirk Boxleitner kbox/eitner@masoncounty.com When Mason General Hospital was recently recognized for its support of tissue donation by LifeNet Health, at least one member of the Mason Health team already understood the value of tissue donation on a personal level. . LifeNet Health. acquired Northwest Tissue Services, a department of the nonprofit Puget Sound Blood Center in 2012, and in. the years since, it’s partnered with Northwest hospitals to receive tissue donations. LifeNet 'Health awarded Mason General Hospital the Washington Critical Access Hospital of the Year Award for 2019, which it gives to its hospital partners who demonstrate “outstanding collaboration and com- mitment” in support of tissue dona- tion. LifeNet Health Executive Vice President Doug Wilson praised Ma- son General Hospital for maintaining its standards going into 2020, even as the hospital’s staff and resources are taxed by the pandemic. LifeNet Health and Mason General Hospital work with the families of prospective donors as families weigh what their loved ones’ wishes might have been regarding the donation of their tissue, Wilson said. The investment of care yields an impressive return of resources, Wilson said, with a single donor often able to help 150 others. “That can mean skin grafts for. treating burns, bone grafts for bad fractures and blood vessels for diabet- ics,” Wilson said. . ' Arla Shephard Bull, marketing co- ordinator for Mason Health, reported that Mason General Hospital’s five tissue donors in~2019 wound up giv- ing to 750 other patients, which Jen- nifer Capps, the chief development and communication officer for Mason Health, described as having “a huge local impact.” , In turn, Mason Health Chief Nurs- ing ‘Officer Melissa Strong, deemed LifeNet Health “a wonderful partner” that has provided the staff of Mason General Hospital with resources rang- ing from education to caregiver cours— es designed to alleviate “burnout” in health care workers, which Strong added is especially appreciated during the pandemic.» Kristyn Criss is not only a regis- tered nurse, but is also the RN team manager in the emergency depart- ment of Mason Health and has worked with LifeNet Health for more than two years in support of tissue donation. Criss‘is a tissue donation recipient. “When I was 15 years old, I got in- jured playing soccer,” Criss said. A collision with another player re- sulted in knee injuries that included a r torn AOL and several tears to her me- niscus, and led to a series of surgeries from 1999 to 2005 that wore on her, mentally and physically. . A hamstring autograft failed after six weeks, and was followed by a sec- ond surgery to remove damaged tissue from the joint, a third surgery to re- pair the damaged tendon a year later ' and a fourth surgery five years later, the latter of which led to the discovery of additional'damage to her surround- ing ligaments, completely shredding her meniscus. Criss had worsening pain and in- stability in her knee, so she talked with additional specialists, one of whom recommended an allograft and referred her to an orthopedist who specialized in AOL reconstruction us- ing donated tissue. Criss knew little about tissue dona- tion at the time, but underwent her fifth surgery in 2005. The transplant was a success. . ~“In the 15 years since, I’ve only had minimal issues, all while working and raising four very active children,” Criss said. While Strong touted the benefits of tissue donation to other young women athletes, who are among those most commonly in need of knee and leg surgery, Criss urged families to talk about tissue donation beforehand. “It can help with the grieving pro- cess, to know that your loved one wanted to help others through the gift of tissue donaticm,” Criss said. How you can help To sign up as a donor or learn more about donation, go to RegisterMe.org. Melissa Strong, chief nursing officer for Mason Health, holds ajLifeNet Health award presented to the hospital earlier this year. Courtesy photo August was National Minority Donor Awareness Month, which focuses on bringing awareness to donation and transplantation in multicultural com- munities. ' According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, transplants can be successful regardless of the race or ethnicity of the donor and recipient, but the'chance of longer-term survival might be higher if the donor and re- cipient are closely matched in their genetic background. Learn more at donatelifemet/nmdam.