Season´s Greetings!

The aim of MY HEART BELONGS TO YOU collection is to raise awareness of organ donation and heart diseases. The profit from MY HEART BELONGS TO YOU collection goes to scientific research about organ donation and heart diseases.

If you want to contribute and support, purchase MY HEART BELONGS TO YOU - a silver heart or gold heart for yourself or your loved ones.

Silver heart and Gold-plated silver heart in Sterling Silver, handmade in Sweden. Delivered in a white gift box with text MY HEART BELONGS TO YOU.

Purchase a piece of jewelry at our shop http://shop.pamelalindgren.com/en/grp/my-heart-belongs-to-you-1.php

Music Artist Etzia in Recycle Me t-shirt 
“YOUR HEART BELONGS TO ME”.

Did you know that your heart beat faster when you are in love? When you catch sight of your beloved and your heart starts racing, that's because of an adrenaline rush!

Here's how it works: The brain sends signals to the adrenal gland, which secretes hormones such as adrenaline, epinephrine and norepinephrine. They flow through the blood and cause the heart to beat faster and stronger! It is also likely that norepinephrine, a stress hormone that governs attention and responding actions, makes you feel weak in the knees!

Always fun to know such things! Take care of each other and love one another.

More info about what your heart and brain are doing when you're in love, here; http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/12/love.heart.brain/

Photo Pontus Johansson.

Season´s Greetings!
Support an important cause “Organ donation concerns us all”!
If you want to contribute buy a silver heart, kidney, lung or a liver for yourself or your loved ones.

The profit from Life Recycle Me collection goes to scientific research about organ donation and transplantation through Gelins Fonden http://www.gelinfonden.org/english.htm

Purchase a piece of jewelry at our shop http://shop.pamelalindgren.com/en/grp/life-jewellery.php

Worldwide music artist Etzia supports Recycle Me! Thank you so much!

Every time organ donation is being discussed, remember to share your thoughts and your wishes about organ donation with others. We can all make a difference by telling others what we think about organ donation. Let your family, your friends and your loved ones know what you think!

The dancehall flavour is what defines Etzia, but as a citizen of the global city she has a feeling for all types of Urban Music. Etzia was born in New York, has her roots in Panama and Trinidad, and grew up in Sweden with her mother. She represents today's vibe and is ready to release her new album, stay tuned!

Etzia gives concerts and travels all around the world, we are so happy for her help with promoting Organ Donation Awareness! In this photo Etzia is wearing “Brave Heart” golden metal heart, specially designed for selected artists in favor of Recycle Me.

If you like to know more about Etzia and hear her music go here;

http://etziamusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Etziamusic?fref=ts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suggoSZhtqM

You can also find Etzia on Instagram/ETZIA

Jewelry Design; Pamela Lindgren
www.pamelalindgren.com

Photo by; Pontus Johansson
www.pontusjohansson.se

This is Doctor Amar Chandan, he recently became a medical doctor! Congrats! Amar’s passion lies in internal medicine and neurology. We are soon to expect new breakthroughs in these fields according to Amar. We will keep you updated!

Thank you Amar for helping us spread organ donation awareness around the world! And thank you all for keep spreading the word - Organ Donation concerns us all, make your wishes known!

Recycle me is a non-profit design proposal to benefit human organ donation. The idea of the proposal is t-shirts prints and jewelry in the shape of human organs. By wearing a t-shirt or jewelry people will make a pro-donation statement.

The lack of human organs today is costing the lives of many people in need of new organs. It is also taking many people’s lives through the illegal market based on organ robbery. The situation is unacceptable and must be changed. Recycle me is a step in the right direction to create a better world. Recycle me also encourages you to make your wishes known; we can all make a difference by telling others what we think about organ donation.

The profits from the Recycle me project will go to Professor Lars-Erik Gelin Memorial Foundation for Transplant Research.

If you like to support you can purchase a t-shirt or jewelry at our web shop.

You find it here;
http://shop.pamelalindgren.com/en/grp/life-jewellery.php

Photo Pontus Johansson. Design Pamela Lindgren 2014 ©.

Music Artist Kapten Röd is supporting Organ Donation Awareness by promoting Recycle Me. In photo with “Brave Heart” limited edition jewelry for Recycle Me. We are so proud!

Designer and founder of Recycle Me Pamela Lindgren has created a limited edition of a piece of jewelry for organ donation awareness called “Brave Heart”, a gold-plated heart in brass in the size of the human heart.

- My intention with this piece of jewelry was to make it large, to make it really striking; symbolically I also made it gold-plated. It takes a brave heart to make a difference when it comes to really caring for each other, a gold-hearted person.

- Reflecting on organ donation raises questions on life itself and of course on your own life. If you in a critical situation were offered a way to survive, a second chance, wouldn´t you take it? To me the answer is evident - Yes, of course I would! There is, I believe, a universal law telling that the one who wants should also give. If I was to die prematurely in a tragic accident, it would be an even bigger tragedy if my heart could have been given to another person to save his or her life but never was because no one knew I wanted to. I think we all are obliged to let others know of our readiness to donate organs, to save lives but also to put a stop to the illegal organ-market based on organ robbery causing even the death other people.
- Pamela Lindgren Designer MFA

Photo Pontus Johansson.
www.pontusjohansson.se

Design Pamela Lindgren
www.pamelalindgren.com

If you like to know more about the great artist Kapten Röd visit:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kapten-Röd/19478216908

http://kaptenrod.se/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbPNwzFNQ7E

Music Artist Kapten Röd is supporting Organ Donation Awareness by promoting Recycle Me! Thank you so much. It means a lot!!

Björn Nilson alias Kapten Röd has his own, personal experience of the importance of organ donation. In his family there is an inherited kidney disease. At present it´s incurable. In worst case it may cause kidney failure and the need for a kidney transplant. A close relative of Björn is alive today only because she underwent such a transplant surgery.

There are many causes of kidney disease. Almost one million Swedes have impaired kidney function, often without symptoms. Kidney failure is a hidden disease. If kidney function is greatly reduced or fails, dialysis becomes necessary, or even a kidney transplant.

Every time organ donation is being discussed, remember to share your thoughts and your wishes about organ donation with others. We can all make a difference by telling others what we think about organ donation. Let your family, your friends and your loved ones know what you think!

If you like to know more about the great artist Kapten Röd visit:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kapten-Röd/19478216908

http://kaptenrod.se/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbPNwzFNQ7E

Photo Pontus Johansson
www.pontusjohansson.se

Design Pamela Lindgren
www.pamelalindgren.com

This is Jan Holgersson, a skilled scientist making groundbreaking research in order to save more lives! Read about his research team and what they do here below! Jan is working with both Prof. Suchitra Sumitran-Holgersson and Prof. Michael Olausson who already supported RECYCLE ME! Thank you so much for spreading the word - Organ Donation Concerns Us All.

“The Jan Holgersson research team conducts research in the field of transplant diagnostics focusing on developing new techniques for risk assessment of organ transplant recipients. The development of new tests for more reproducible quantification and specificity-determination of ABO and nonHLA antibodies are high on the agenda, as are the development of assays to quantify cells producing such antibodies. A very active line of research involves making cell factories producing mucin-type fusion proteins with tailored glycosylation through genetic engineering. Such mucin/immunoglobulin fusion proteins are developed to function as vaccine adjuvants and inhibitors of virus infection amongst other things.” Text from: http://www.surgery.gu.se/Forskargrupper/laboratory-for-transplantation-and-regenerative-medicine/research-group/

Fun fact; Jan and Suchitra are married, they meet in the Bio lab!

For more info;
http://www.surgery.gu.se/Forskargrupper/laboratory-for-transplantation-and-regenerative-medicine/

The Rock band Rhytm aBuse supports Recycle Me! Thank you so much! By wearing a Recycle Me t-shirt or jewellery you help us spread the word about Organ Donation Awareness.

Ellinor Johansson, member of Rhytm aBuse music collective. Art Project Manager and Writer. Torbjörn Lööv, founder of Rhytm aBuse music collective. Composer, Lyricist, Producer and Musician.

They dedicated this song to us “Life” Enjoy!

http://www.reverbnation.com/Rhytm_aBuse/song/22005397-life

https://soundcloud.com/rhytm-abuse/05-life

Thank you Anna for supporting Recycle Me! Recycle Me supports organ donation and scientific research about organ donation and transplant.

Anna Ingvaldsdotter has a kidney disease called ADPKD. The disease affects the kidneys ability to filter waste products from the blood and also causes the kidneys to become enlarged which can lead to kidney failure. Today there is no cure for ADPKD, there are only treatments to manage problems caused by the condition. Anna lives a healthy and very active life; she is determined NOT to let the disease rule her life!

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that are located on either side of the back of the body, just underneath the ribcage. The main role of the kidneys is to filter out waste products from the blood and pass them out of the body as urine. The kidneys also play an important role in helping to maintain blood pressure at a healthy level keeping salt and water in balance making hormones needed for the production of blood and bone.

“Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is an inherited condition that causes small, fluid-filled sacs called cysts to develop in the kidneys. Although children are born with the condition, ADPKD does not usually cause any noticeable problems until the cysts grow large enough to affect the kidneys' functions. In most cases, this doesn't occur until 30-60 years of age. When ADPKD reaches this stage, it can cause a wide range of problems, including:
tummy (abdominal) pain
high blood pressure (hypertension)
blood in the urine (haematuria) – which may not always be noticeable to the naked eye
potentially serious upper urinary tract infections (UTIs)
kidney stones

Eventually, kidney function gets worse and worse, until so much is lost that kidney failure develops.

Read more about the symptoms of ADPKD and diagnosing ADPKD.”

Text from; http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Autosomal-dominant-polycystic-kidney-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 ©  
This week RECYCLE ME had the pleasure to meet Håkan Gäbel, former Transplant surgeon with a great deal of experience and knowledge! He told many fascinating stories, like the one about a donated kidney from a dead donor in Belgium that was flown to Sweden. This kidney has now been functioning well for 29 years in the receiver! In this picture Håkan is helping us promote Kidney Awareness holding a YOU&ME glass kidney.

Fun facts; Håkan is also the father of twin doctors Markus and Jakob who last week helped us promoting RECYCLE ME! Håkan Hedman, President of the Swedish Kidney Association, was the receiver of the kidney from Belgium and Håkan Gäbel was the Transplant surgeon!

Håkan Gäbel about himself;
“I received my medical education at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Gothenburg. After training as a specialist in surgery in Örebro among other places, I returned to Gothenburg in 1975 and was then offered a temporary position at the Transplantation Unit. I became so fascinated by this work that I have remained faithful to it since then. I took my M.D. degree in 1983 and gained my assistant professorship after presenting my thesis on pancreas transplantation in pigs. I worked at the transplantation units in Gothenburg, Malmö and Stockholm up until 1997. I have practical experience of most of the many questions arising due to transplantation activities. I have also worked internationally, first and foremost with donation issues as well as quality and security aspects of donation and transplantation. I was recruited way back in 1995 to the National Board of Health and Welfare, to work part-time. As from 1997, I worked full-time at providing information and introducing new regulations on the donation of organs and tissues. Even though I am now retired, I keep myself up to date on developments in the field of transplantation.”

More information here; http://socialmedicinsktidskrift.se/index.php/smt
and here http://socialmedicinsktidskrift.se/index.php/smt/issue/view/62

If you like you can support the Swedish Kidney Association by buying a glass kidney. You can find it here: http://www.njurforbundetwebshop.com/

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 © 
Twin brothers Jakob and Markus Gäbel both work as surgeons and save lives. We are so thankful for their important work. Thank you Jakob and Markus for participating in the RECYCLE ME project to spread organ donation awareness.

Remember that we all can make a difference by sharing our thoughts and wishes about organ donation. It concerns us all; every YES for organ donation is a chance to save lives!

“For some people life changes dramatically and they get limited because of severe illness or disease. The disease might bind them to a lifetime of dialysis-dependency or simply end their life far too early. Transplantation may be the only remaining treatment option.”

“Transplantation Centre at Sahlgrenska University Hospital performs organ transplantations of all types; heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas and intestine. Both children and adults are treated. Most receive organs from deceased donors, but in some cases, transplantation with living donors is performed. Most patients are back at work or studies one year after the organ transplant. Survival results in international comparison (www.ishlt.org) is very good with an expected survival of 85% at 1 year, 75% at 5 years and 60% after 10 years.”

Text translated by Recycle Me from; http://www.sahlgrenska.se/sv/SU/Omraden/5/Verksamheter/Transplantationscentrum/Organdonation/

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 ©   
Just before flying off to Paris, Student Jenny Hedman helped Recycle Me promote Organ Donation Awareness. Thank you so much! Remember to make your wishes known, it can save lives!

The lungs are part of a complex apparatus, expanding and relaxing thousands of times each day to bring in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. Lung diseases are some of the most common medical conditions in the world. Smoking, infections, and genetics are responsible for most lung diseases.

The world’s first successful lung transplantation was performed on Nov. 7, 1983 at Toronto General Hospital. Lung transplants are often the only treatment for incurable lung disorders such as cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. But successful lung transplants are rare, as finding matching donors is very difficult - many patients die while on a waiting list for transplants.

Stem cell specialists have been working on growing lung tissue for some years, but the lung is a complex organ. The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) first announced their solution for growing lungs in 2010. "In terms of different cell types, the lung is probably the most complex of all organs - the cells near the entrance are very different from those deep in the lung," UTMB researcher Dr. Joaquin Cortiella said at that time.”

Read more here; http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/272763.php

Fun fact; Jenny is daughter to Håkan Hedman President of the Swedish Kidney Association.

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 ©   
We had the opportunity to photograph Håkan Hedman in a Recycle Me t-shirt to spread organ donation awareness! Thank you so much Håkan and thank you all for supporting the nonprofit design project RECYCLE ME!

Håkan Hedman is president of the Swedish Kidney Association in 2011 he was appointed Honorary Doctor of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg.

Håkan has many years of experience from Swedish hospital care both as a patient and as an advocate in health and healthcare matters. He has participated in different committees and studies including Patientsäkerhetsutredningen/ Patient inquiry. Håkan is a member of the Executive Committee Centre for Person-Centred Care at the University of Gothenburg (GPCC).

As a child Håkan was diagnosed with a kidney disease and for many years he was dependent on dialysis. By the age of 34 he got a donated kidney from a dead donor in Belgium, this new kidney has now been functioning well for 29 years!

more info about Swedish Kidney Association here; http://eng.njurforbundet.se/

more info about Centre for Person-Centred Care at the University of Gothenburg here; http://gpcc.gu.se/english/

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 ©  
It´s a good thing that we worldwide have such great scientists making groundbreaking research in order to save lives!!

Jenny Nyström Professor, PhD. Jenny´s research aim to lead to better and more individualized treatment options for patients with renal disease (kidney failure or renal insufficiency).

Read about her interesting work!

The research projects in my group are focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind kidney disease and renal transplant rejection, and how they translate into clinically observable data. Renal medicine is vastly lacking mechanistic explanations to renal disease progression and consequently also any specific therapies. Because of this, successful renal transplantations are imperative as a uremic care option. My aim is, through new and innovative approaches, to find such explanatory cellular and molecular patterns ultimately leading to better and more individualized treatment options for patients with renal disease.

BACKGROUND
Since as many as up to a tenth of the adult population in Sweden has some kind of kidney disorder, it is important to increase the possibilities of making a correct diagnosis and providing treatment. Nowadays there are very few treatments for patients with kidney failure and most patients attend dialysis, which means artificial filtering and purification of the blood. This often involves deterioration of the patient’s quality of life and is moreover expensive for the community as a whole. Kidney transplantation is a very good alternative in order to be cured of kidney disease, but unfortunately only about 25 % of patients in dialysis have this option, on account of various complications.

The kidneys function as a filter for the blood, and undesirable substances, excess water and salts are filtered out. The primary urine produced when the blood is filtered has approximately the same constitution as blood, apart from the biggest proteins that remain in the blood circulation. About 180 litres of primary urine are produced each day, but the final urine production is only between 1 and 2 litres per day. This means that most of what is filtered out must be reabsorbed before the urine is collected in the urinary bladder. This process is vital and is regulated by the body. Disturbances in the barrier function lead to proteins leaking out in the urine, ”albumen in the urine”, a typical symptom of kidney disease.

Our objective with this project is to try and develop better diagnostic techniques and treatment of patients with kidney disorders involving albumen leakage. In order to achieve this we must know more about how the normal barrier between blood and urine is structured, knowledge that is unfortunately still inadequate. The filtration process itself takes place in the vascular bundles (glomeruli) in the kidney, and the glomerular barrier consists of three layers: the endothelium, the basal membrane and specialised epithelial cells. The cells also produce negatively charged sugar-filled matrix molecules. We want to decide its functional role and how its composition is regulated at the cellular and molecular levels in different types of kidney disease. We can find out how different states of illness influence the genetic expression in the cells of the kidney in comparison with the healthy state, since we have access to small samples of tissue through biopsies of people with kidney disease. We can also make cell cultures from biopsies in order to study and compare these with healthy cells, so that we can gain knowledge about the detailed signal mechanisms in the various types of kidney cell. We are particularly interested in understanding how a certain protein works that seems to make some kidneys more liable than others to develop IgA nephritis. One might say that we are looking for the ”keyhole” that the IgA ”key” molecule fits into. Our hypothesis is that if the ”key” fits then a person becomes ill; otherwise people can have the ”key” in their blood without developing the disease.

We also want to look at background causes to the fact that certain patients who have previously rejected their transplanted kidneys tolerate them once a piece of the donor’s liver has also been transplanted. What is it in the piece of liver that allows the kidney to remain in the receiver’s body? One theory that we want to follow up is that there are special genes involved in this, and one of the candidate genes is indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenas, which has previously been shown to be important for a mother’s tolerance of her foetus during pregnancy. We also want to find out how dendrite cells (or cells in the immunological system) may be involved in the resulting tolerance. The combination of advanced molecular and functional methodology with kidney biopsies and clinical data from patients with kidney disease offer us great opportunities for achieving new and relevant research results concerning the mechanisms behind human kidney disease and transplantation.

Text by Jenny Nyström Professor, PhD.
Translated by Margaret Myers for Recycle Me

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 ©  
Take good care of your lungs! Meditation is good for body and mind. Your lungs are a complex and necessary organ that can be recycled by donation. Thank you for supporting Recycle Me!

Did you know that the human lungs can contain 6 liters of air? You bre¬athe in and out anywhere from 15 to 25 times per minute without thinking about it and when you exercise, your breathing rate goes up. You breathe so regularly that it is easy to take your lungs for granted, you can't even stop yourself from breathing if you try.

Read more about the first human lung made in lab.
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/14/health/texas-lungs-grown/

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 ©   
It takes a brave heart to make a difference.
Consider your wishes, they can change a Life. Share this picture and spread the word. Organ donation concerns us all! Thank you!

Recycle Me supports organ donation and scientific research about organ donation and transplant.

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 ©  
Kalyan Mitra, researcher from India showing his support for Organ donation and Transplantation by wearing this Recycle Me T-shirt! Thank you so much!

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 © 
Golden Hearted Edith Augustsson from Kenya in a Gold print T-shirt "Your Heart Belongs to Me”, posing for a good cause - Organ donation. Thank you so much!

Did you know that the World's First human Heart Transplant was performed in South Africa by Professor Christiaan Barnard in Cape Town on the third of December 1967.

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 ©
Did you know!? The liver is the only organ in the body that has the ability to regenerate itself. Both the donor and the recipient's livers grow back to full size approximately 3 months after the surgery. The liver is a very special organ, even if more than fifty percent of its overall mass is damaged -- for instance, by intoxication -- it can regenerate itself completely.

LIVER FACTS
The liver is the largest solid organ in our body. It’s about 8 inches (20 cm) wide, 6.5 inches (17 cm) long and 4.5 inches (12 cm) thick and weighs approximately 3.5 pounds (1.6 kilograms). You’ll find your liver mostly under your ribs in the upper right part of your abdomen, just below your diaphragm.

The liver has various functions:
It makes and secretes bile to help your body absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K)
It metabolizes and stores carbohydrates, fats, sugars, vitamins (and other nutrients obtained from the foods we eat) for energy and brain function.
It breaks down harmful chemicals (bilirubin and ammonia) produced by the body and keeps the body regulated and healthy.
It manufactures proteins to help maintain blood purity and proper flow.
It breaks down hormones, detoxifies water and removes drugs, alcohol and environmental toxins
And it filters waste products from your blood.

Read more: http://www.liverfact.com/

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 © 
We had the privilege to photograph this great scientist Dr. Suchitra Sumitran-Holgersson, working with using person's own stem cell in order to grow new tissues, veins and much more! Do look at the clip below! Thank you so much Suchitra for supporting Recycle Me, awareness for organ transplantation and donation! The profit from Recycle Me goes to research about organ transplant and donation, this includes finding methods for preventing sickness such as kidney failure, heart disease and much more.

http://youtu.be/tvSE8dvBnxw

Biography:
“Dr. Suchitra Sumitran-Holgersson earned her Doctor of Medical Sciences degree in Clinical Immunology at the Karolinska Institutet in 1991, and became an associate Professor in 2000. In 2008, she joined the Sahlgrenska hospital at the Gothenburg University as the Professor of Transplantation Biology. Her research interests include understanding mechanisms of allograft rejections, stem cell engraftment and tissue-engineering of organs with stem cells. She has contributed to more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 15 book chapters and has seven scientific patents to her credit.”

 

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 © 
Share this picture and spread the word – Organ donation concerns everybody! Thank you!

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 © 
Benyam Lemma is a Swedish artist born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He started playing music as a teenager and has now released 2 albums! Thank you Benyam for showing your support for organ donation and transplant by wearing a RECYCLE ME tank top! It means a lot! Together we can make a difference!

Read heart transplanted Vibeke´s story. Thank you so much Vibeke for sharing your story and photo with us!

My name is Vibeke, I am a heart transplant recipient and every year I will celebrate three “birthdays”.

I was born in October 1989. Around one and a half year later the doctors diagnosed me with cancer. I started getting intense chemotherapy and the cancer reacted. After a year of treatment, the doctors discovered that my heart was damaged by the chemo and I was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. Finally, I was declared free of cancer in 1996.

I learned to live with my heart disease. It was hard though. I could not go out and play with the snow in the winter, but my parents gave me alternative things to comfort me.
I was around 8-years old when I got my first TV.

When I was around 12-years old, a doctor suggested that I should start taking beta-blockers. That changed my life completely.
After a few years I was able to go on “long” walks, ride my bike – I could almost live as a normal teenager. The only thing that reminded me about my heart disease was my daily dose of medicine.

When I was 20-years old, I moved in together with my boyfriend and after a year, he proposed. We started planning our future. We were to get married (which we did in June 2011), I was to get an education, then a job and then it would be time for children. In April 2011, all of our plans fell to the ground. Over a short period, I started having troubles getting up the stairs to our apartment (a 1st floor) and my lips turned blue when I finally reached the door. I had troubles breathing when I lay flat in the bed and was getting more and more tired.
Just to be sure, I went to my practitioner. He said that it might be a mixture of a cold and bad physical shape but he would ask the hospital to check me sooner than planned. A couple of days later I was feeling worse, so we went to the local hospital. There they scanned my heart. When the doctor came with the result, my whole world crashed. My heart disease had gotten worse in a very short time and now my heart was very weak. After a few hours, they transferred me to my usual hospital, where I spend 14 days frustrated, confused and generally sad about the situation. I just wanted to get out of the hospital and back to my normal life. When my doctors told me that my heart never would get better and the only cure was a donor heart, my world just crashed again. Even more so when the examinations showed that I was not weak enough to get on the receivers list at that time. Less than a year after, I had gotten weaker, so in June 2012 I was put on the list. No more than three months later, in October 2012 the phone rang – there was a matching donor heart for me.

My family has been at my side always and all of them sat at the hospital all through the night during my operation. The operation went well and three weeks later I celebrated my 22-years birthday.

Today I study, work and live a complete normal life together with my husband and our two cats. I am so grateful that this second chance was given to me.

When 2014 has passed, I have turned 25-years (birthday), 18-years (cancer free) and 2-years (post-transplant).

- Vibeke Haulund-Aadorf
Denmark 2014

Have a Great Day! And remember to LOVE!

The profit from RECYCLE ME project goes to research about organ donation and transplant. Thank you for supporting us!

"There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.
It's easy.

Nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time.
It's easy.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need." 

Text The Beatles. Lennon/McCartney

”Life is beautiful, but it's complicated.
We barely make it.
We don't need to understand,
There are miracles, miracles." 

Happy holidays!!

We meet these two lovely ladies at the conference! They both support research about organ donation and transplantation by wearing Recycle Me jewelry! Thank you so much! Your contribution is important.

The profits from the Recycle me project will go to Professor Lars-Erik Gelin Memorial Foundation for Transplant Research. Gelins Fondation is one of the main supporters of Professor Suchitra Sumitran-Holgersson and her team’s research. Isn’t it just great!!! We think so!!
http://www.gelinfonden.org/

National Kidney Conference 2014

Recycle Me was attending the Conference and we ALL was absolutely AMAZED by Suchitra Sumitran-Holgerssons Laboratory for Transplantation and Regenerative medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy research about Re Designing and Recycling human organs! The possibilities are almost science fiction liked!

Suchitra gave us an insight into her exciting world with the ”Tissue-engineering of new organs and tissues using nature’s own scaffolds”.

She also explained how they wash organs to get the organ absolutely free from cells and DNA, they then takes the patient in need of a new organ DNA and "clone" it with the “new” organ. In this way they prevent the patient’s body to reject the new organ and much less medication is then needed.

Last spring Professor Suchitra Sumitran-Holgersson with her team at Gothenburg University made a unique transplantation of a vein, produced by the patient's stem cells. For Suchitra this marks the beginning of a new and exciting era in which medical boundaries are being redefined and re-use of organs gives hope and life to many.

Tissue-engineered biocompatible tissues or organs using recipient’s autologous stem cells will be a major breakthrough in regenerative medicine and may help solve the organ shortage.
Read more about vein transplant in this article: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/lab-grown-vein-transplanted-10-year-girl/story?id=16561193

Hopefully we will get the chance to tell you more about this very exciting tissue-engineering!

This is Heather Von St. James.
Eight years ago, she was diagnosed with mesothelioma; a rare and deadly cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. She had just given birth to her daughter Lily, and was only given 15 months to live. After a life-saving surgery that included the removal of her left lung, she made it her life’s mission to educate people about this deadly disease and it’s cause.

Asbestos Awareness Week is just around the corner and we are hoping that you would be willing to help us spread the word. Asbestos has been used for many applications in the past including building materials in homes, office buildings, and naval ships. It is STILL not banned in all nations around the world!

According to the World Health Organization, approximately half of all deaths from occupational cancer are caused by asbestos. Asbestos cancer diagnosis is difficult due to the symptoms of the disease mimicking those of other illnesses.


You can find Heathers awareness page here: http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/awareness/

And more info about Mesothelioma Prognosis here:
http://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-cancer/

Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 ©  
Good Morning to You All!
Today march 13 is World Kidney Day!

World Kidney Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. Get involved!

- See more at: http://www.worldkidneyday.org/#sthash.61hUyyv0.dpuf
The profit from Recycle Me will go to science research about organ donation and transplant. Professor Lars-Erik Gelin Memorial Foundation for Transplant Research.

To Purchase a T-shirt or jewellery go here: http://shop.pamelalindgren.com/en/

Happy Happy Valentine´s Day to You All!! 
We Wish You a Colorful Day full of Love!! 
May all your wishes come true!! All our Love to YOU!

New silver jewellery for RECYCLE ME “LIFE COLLECTION”! 

Valentine’s Day is coming up – make sure to show your love!

Make yourself or someone dear happy on Valentine´s day by purchase a silver heart. Your gift will also support research in transplant- and donation science.

The profit from Recycle Me “LIFE” collection will go to science research about organ donation and transplant. Professor Lars-Erik Gelin Memorial Foundation for Transplant Research. Purchase here;