LifeCenter Northwest

At 8:01 am on July 12th, LifeCenter Northwest CEO, Kevin O’Connor reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. He joined a team climbing not only to reach the summit at 14,410 ft elevation but to take the message of organ donation to new heights. The team

included Dr. Andrew Precht, Director pf the Liver & Pancreas Transplant Program at Swedish Medical Center, Dr Udo Schmiedl, a radiologist at Swedish, heart recipient Kelly Perkins, and husband and wife Tim Obrien & Cori Mackie. Cori donated a kidney to Tim, who has been a climber all his life and with his new kidney was able to climb Mt Rainier for the 99^th time. Together, the group not only made it to the summit of Mt Rainier but also shared the life-saving message of organ donation throughout our community.

The team at the summit of Mt. Rainier

The Epic Journey to Alaska and My Future
By Randy Small, Heart transplant recipient- May, 2004

2,468.2. That’s a big number! It’s the number of miles that my best friend, Debbi, and I had driven just to meet them. It had been a

remarkable journey, I thought, as I stood in front of the “Welcome to Homer” sign and looked over the railing at the sea. What had begun nearly four years ago was reaching another milestone. I was meeting my donor family in person and all of Homer, it seemed, for the first time and I was terrified!

I was terrified of not being ‘good enough” to give just a little bit of closure to Kate’s (my donor) family. Was my life worth their loss? Would they find comfort in the fact that I was walking, talking and back to living my rather ordinary life because of their extraordinary gift? I carried within me the “Heart of a Hero,” their daughter, sister, niece and friend. Would they all see the miracle that is the Gift of Life? Would they feel my gratitude?

Three years later, and I am now reading a Facebook message from my heart’s aunt and on the 13^th of July I will celebrate my heart’s birthday as it turns 30 years old. It was perfectly normal for me to feel that I would be judged by them, but I never knew I would be accepted into their family. They know that I honor Kate’s legacy daily and am trying to live my life the way Kate wanted when she decided to become an organ and tissue Donor. She wanted someone to live and saved not only my life, but helped 11 other people.

Because of her Gift my journey continues…

Randy hugging Bridget, his donor Kate’s mom.

LifeCenter Northwest, the federally-designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for Alaska, Montana, North Idaho and Washington has launched a new brand identity reflecting the organization’s dedication to saving more lives through organ and t

issue donation in the Northwest.

“Our new brand symbolizes our commitment to saving lives and being inextricably linked with a larger system including donor families, recipients, transplant programs, donor hospitals, and many others,” said Kevin O’Connor, president and CEO for LifeCenter Northwest.

“We decided to rebrand LifeCenter Northwest to reflect our transformation to an organization that will never be content with the status quo,” O’Connor said. “We understand collaboration with all other stakeholders is the only way we can succeed in our quest to help more people in need of life-saving organs and tissues.”

The new identity was developed by Seattle-based design firm Studio Rayolux. “LifeCenter Northwest was perfectly situated for rebranding. A cultural shift had already happened internally, and we were helping them recognize that fact externally—to announce this new refocusing of priorities to the world,” said Thad Boss, principal of Studio Rayolux. “LifeCenter Northwest is all about relationships and collaboration, and we’re proud to be one of those relationships—and to give them the tools they need to commemorate and celebrate their new identity in the wider community.”

The new logo was designed to embody the Company’s values and evoke the feeling of hope and renewal that organ and tissue donation brings to the community. The LifeCenter Northwest symbol incorporates three visual allusions: a heart, which evokes love and compassion as well the literal representation of one of the body’s most vital organs; a checkmark, which echoes the life-affirming decision to join the donor registry; and an infinity symbol, which relates to the continuum of live and the virtuous cycle of sacrifice and renewal.

Another key component to the new visual identity is the Company website. The site was developed to serve as a resource for all of LifeCenter Northwest’s stakeholders: from the donor family searching for bereavement information at the bedside of their loved one in the hospital, and the ICU nurse looking for the latest resources on donation procedures, to the community member researching information so they are able to make an informed decision when registering their donation decision.

“Our new look and feel inspires us to seek out new partnerships, strengthen existing ones, and move forward united in our efforts to help others in need,” said O’Connor. “It is a new day at LifeCenter Northwest, and we are very optimistic about the future.”