Teach Life – Organ & Tissue Donation Documentary
Recommended for a 1-class period lesson.
In this 30-minute educational documentary, students will hear the story of Maddie Grobmeier, a student athlete who had just graduated high school when she suffered an acute asthma attack while attending a concert. A few months earlier, a rollover car accident had prompted Maddie to have a conversation with her family about her decision to be an organ donor. Students will learn about Maddie’s life-saving decision from her friends, teammates, coaches, and family members. Then they will hear from experts in the fields of donation and transplantation about the donation process, including how organs are matched to recipients, what organs and tissues can be donated, how a transplant recipient must care for themselves post-transplant, and why it is important to make an informed decision when asked if you want to register to be a donor.
Teach Life – Social and Emotional Responses to Donation and Transplantation
This video can be used with the other videos or on its own
In this 13-minute educational documentary, students will learn more about the social and emotional issues surrounding this life-saving topic. They will hear from donor family care specialists who work with families experiencing tremendous grief, who will talk about how connections might be made between donors and recipients. Students will also learn about the survivor’s guilt often experienced by transplant recipients and how that can impact making those connections.
The following 3 videos can be shown individually but are best when used used in sequence in a 2-class period lesson:
Teach Life – Organ & Tissue Donation Documentary – Introductory Video
In this 20-minute educational documentary, students will hear the story of Maddie Grobmeier, a student athlete who had just graduated high school when she suffered an acute asthma attack while attending a concert. A few months earlier, a rollover car accident had prompted Maddie to have a conversation with her family about her decision to be an organ donor. Students will learn about Maddie’s life-saving decision from her friends, teammates, coaches, and family members. This version is meant to be viewed as an introduction to the more in-depth videos about the organ and tissue donation process (Part 1 and Part 2). Recommended as an introductory video for a multi-class period lesson that includes all three videos.
VIEW / DOWNLOADTeach Life – Organ & Tissue Donation and Transplantation Processes (Part 1)
In this 20-minute educational documentary, students will be taken on an in-depth exploration of the science behind donation and transplantation. Hearing from doctors, nurses, clinicians, and other professionals, students will learn about various roles in the Organ Procurement Organization ranging from family support to transportation to laboratory testing. Students will explore the science behind matching donors and recipients as well as what organs and tissues can be donated. Students will hear from a transplant surgeon about what recipients experience as they wait for that life-saving call to post-surgical care.
Note: this video contains graphic images of medical procedures and human organs.
Teach Life – Organ & Tissue Donation and Transplantation Processes (Part 2)
In this 13-minute educational documentary, students will continue to explore the science behind donation and transplantation, including the role of immunosuppressive medications, what may lead to rejection, how organs are transported and preserved, how long an organ can last after transplantation, and the difference between brain death and cardiac death.
Note: this video contains graphic images of medical procedures and human organs.