Well life is busy, but we just want to pass on a couple of cool things that we have not been able to share with you yet. The first thing came out of the senior trip to Rome that Micah and I were able to go on. While driving up to Florence, I was talking to the bus driver. I told him that I was a little surprised that we had not seen any high-end super cars like Ferraris, Lamborghinis, etc. He told us that in Italy, they are not only very expensive, but that they are heavily taxed and that since all the roads have normal speed limits, there isn’t any opportunity for owners to really have fun with them. So, like here, only the super-rich have them and they just show them off occasionally at special events. This all made sense, but it was still disappointing to not see any of those dream cars speeding past the bus. But as we continued to talk, he did share something that was pretty exciting. There was one group that really could appreciate this type of car and actually use it! He went on to say that several years ago, Lamborghini donated several Lamborghini Huracans to the Italian State Police, but not for the purpose that we would have expected. They were donated to the Polizia di Stato for organ donation! These cars were specially designed with a refrigerated “trunk” (in the front) so that the organs could be preserved and protected. So, these are official police cars with paint, lights, and electronics. According to him and other reports that I have read, they were able to make a typical six-hour trip, 300 miles, in just two hours! On that trip, two kidneys were transported and two people received their Gift of Life as very special Christmas presents. Here’s a link to the video on the police Twitter/X page. And just a reminder, Hannah Helps is a tax-exempt organization …. we welcome super/hyper/muscle car donations!! 😊and all “normal” donations too!
On a whole different note, we also have learned about an amazing “product” called AmnioBand Membrane. This medical breakthrough is a result of organ donation, or more specifically birth tissue donation. After a typical birth, the “afterbirth” things, like the placenta are discarded, but now thanks to organ/tissue donation, more help and healing can come from even those gifts. (Currently, because of logistical reasons, this donation can only made by a mother who is having a c-section.) After the birth has taken place, these tissues are taken by an organ donation organization (OPO) to a facility that then uses them to create AmnioBand Membrane. This membrane is a transparent, stretchy “film” that is primarily used like a skin graft, but with an amazing amount of super-healing power! We saw some pictures of an ulcer (a hole about the size of a nickel) on the foot of someone suffering from diabetes. In six weeks, the ulcer was completely healed! Further, as we were learning about this, another volunteer told us that his father had this treatment too. His dad was in his nineties when he had skin cancer removed from his scalp. For one reason for another, this left a deep hole on his head that would not heal. This hole wasn’t only a medical problem though, but it also robbed him of his sense of dignity. According to this fellow volunteer, AmnioBand was used like a skin graft, and it not only healed up the hole, but it also began to grow hair too! He went on to tell us that this healing returned his dad’s sense of dignity and provided some encouragement and comfort for him and his family. Even more amazing is that AmnioBand is a decellularized product, meaning that no blood typing or matching is necessary between donor and recipient. It can be stored for years, used on virtually anyone, and it works like magic! Here’s a link to look at.
Just a reminder: We are not an exhaustive resource on either of these topics, so feel free to learn more about them on your own.
We are blessed!
P.S. We can’t do this alone. If you would like to donate to Hannah Helps:
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/5609126
Venmo: venmo.com/u/hannahhelps19
Your support is needed and greatly appreciated!
Thank You!
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