The Life You Save Might Be Someone Else's

In video and arcade games, no matter what you do, you get multiple lives. Usually at least three, and if you’re really good, you can extend that multiple times.

While real life isn’t a parallel universe, some of us do have opportunities to get life extensions when it comes to organs. April is National Donate Life Month, and there are multiple ways for individuals to help others in need of healthy organs.

Organ donation is the process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person (the organ donor) and placing it into another person. Transplantation is necessary because the recipient’s organ has failed or has been damaged by disease or injury.

Organ transplantation is one of the great advances in modern medicine. Unfortunately, the need for organ donors is much greater than the number of people who actually donate. Anyone remotely familiar with the issue of organ transplantation is keenly aware there is a severe and longstanding shortage of human organs made available for transplant in the United States and around the world. There are more than 123,000 individuals waiting for lifesaving organ transplants in the U.S. alone; of these, 101,000 await kidney transplants. On average, more than 3,000 new patients are added to the kidney waiting list each month, and 21 people die every day while waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant. Sadly, only 17,000 people receive a kidney transplant annually.

The focus of National Donate Life Month is visibility and awareness. The more people think about organ donation, the more they sign up to help. The life you save might be that of a close family member or friend.

But you might be saying to yourself, “I’d never be considered a viable candidate to donate an organ!” Au contraire; people of all ages should consider themselves potential donors. When a person dies, he or she is evaluated for donor suitability based on their medical history and age. The Organ Procurement Agency determines medical suitability for donation.

There’s also “living donations,” such as the donation of one healthy kidney or a segment of a healthy liver from a living human being to another. Living donations are arranged though individual transplant centers according to criteria they have in place. An Independent Donor Advocate will represent the interests and well-being of the potential living donor.

To learn more about organ donation, visit the United Network for Organ Sharing web site (www.unos.org), the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ organ donation site (www.organdonor.gov) and Donate Life America (www.donatelife.net).

Registration is simple. If you’re renewing your driver’s license any time soon, all you have to do is check a box volunteering to become an organ donor. If not, you can go online to www.donatelife.net/register-now and sign up. Don’t let another month go by. Sign up today!

Protecting Your (Secret) Identity

Identity theft: a phrase that, if it occurs, causes immense stress in the lives of those impacted by the illegal act.

It’s estimated that 15.4 million consumers were hit with some kind of identity theft in 2016, according to Javelin Strategy & Research, up from 13.1 million the year before. And with tax filing season in full swing, you can expect millions of tax filers to be targeted between now and mid-April, with dreams of stolen refund checks dancing in their heads.

For 2017, Internal Revenue Service has joined with representatives of the software industry, tax preparation firms, payroll and tax financial product processors and state tax administrators to combat identity theft refund fraud to protect the nation's taxpayers. These include new log-on standards if you file your taxes electronically.

Regardless of what the IRS is doing to protect your identity, all individuals should be aware of what they can do to reduce the chance of being a victim. Security measures individuals can take include:

• Always using security software with firewall and anti-virus protections.
• Using strong passwords - including both lower and upper case letters, numbers, and symbols.
• Recognizing and avoid “phishing” emails, threatening calls and texts from thieves posing as legitimate organizations such as your bank, credit card companies, and even the IRS.
• Not clicking on email hyperlinks or downloading attachments from unknown or suspicious emails.
• Protecting your personal data, by ensuring your tax records are secure, and not routinely carrying your Social Security card.

Understand these precautions do not guarantee absolute safety. If someone wants to hack into your background and steal your identity, they will definitely work multiple ways to gain access. Which means you should be aware of scams which have (sadly) been successful in the past.

If you are a victim of identity theft, the Federal Trade Commission recommends these steps:

• File a complaint with the FTC at identitytheft.gov.
• Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a ‘fraud alert’ on your credit records: Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion
• Contact your financial institutions, and close any financial or credit accounts opened without your permission or tampered with by identity thieves.
• If your Social Security Number has been compromised, and you know or suspect you are a victim of tax-related identity theft, the IRS urges you to contact them immediately, either by phone (1-800-829-1040) or online (www.irs.gov). You can also go to https://www.irs.gov/individuals/identity-protection for more specialized information on dealing with identity theft.

But remember, it’s not just your tax refunds which might be targeted. The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office has identified several areas of identity theft concern, including if your monthly credit card and bank statements suddenly stop arriving, you are denied credit for no apparent reason, you start getting bills from companies you do not recognize, or credit collection agencies try to collect on debts that do not belong to you. And you do become a victim, report the crime to the Federal Trade Commission http://www.consumer.gov/section/scams-and-identity-theft. The FTC collects complaints about identity theft from consumers and stores them in a secure online database available to law enforcement agencies worldwide. The FTC provides information on ways to resolve problems resulting from identity theft and refers individuals to various private and government agencies for further action.

A Small Speck Of Sunshine

If it’s the weekend, it must be another visit to West Palm Beach by President Donald Trump.

Which means another weekend of Secret Service, staffers, and news media all packed in front of his Mar-a-Lago resort. Another weekend of closed-off roads, hurt businesses, and a protest or two in front of the president’s home.

Sigh.

When Trump was a private citizen - essentially, before last November - his visits to Mar-a-Lago drew little notice, and certainly didn’t have the far-reaching negative impact on the region. Four months later, it’s quite a different story. Palm Beach County officials are (rightfully) worried about the amount of law enforcement overtime being racked up every time Trump visits, and Palm Beach County business owners are (also rightfully) worried the regular visits will kill their operations.

For many residents, two months into a Trump presidency has meant business headaches and travel restrictions - both on the road and in the air. Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies assist with security and traffic management when Trump comes to town, which includes rerouting traffic along A1A from Southern Boulevard to South County Road.

Because Trump’s visits are affecting both area business owners and local taxpayers, the county has requested reimbursement from the White House. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw estimates Trump’s visits cost $60,000 a day in deputy overtime; there are estimates each weekend visit have cost area taxpayers millions of dollars … and there appears to be no end in sight.

It’s not just the Mar-a-Lago area which is being impacted. At Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana, the airport shuts down whenever Trump comes to town; Federal Aviation Administration restrictions ban all flights out of the airport. This puts a serious hurt on all business things airport-related, from companies towing advertising banners targeting beachgoers in Palm Beach County and skydiver operations to flight schools and sightseeing flights. It’s unknown how many millions in lost business revenue will be the result of Trump’s constant trips to the Gold Coast.

Now, granted, there are some positives with Trump visiting on a regular basis. Tourism officials have reported hotel occupancy in central Palm Beach County has seen a slight uptick compared to last year during a recent Trump visit. And with every Trump trip, a slew of security personnel, federal staff members, and pool reporters covering the administration follow suit, staying in area hotels and dining out. And economic development officials are thrilled about the free publicity provided by reporters’ live waterfront shots.

But this appears to be a small speck of sunshine in a potentially four-year-long hurricane.

Perhaps the federal government will provide some sort of financial assistance to the county. Or find a way to restrict President Trump’s visits to the area. Or both. Until then, expect his expensive treks to West Palm Beach to continue, unreimbursed.

Giving Youth A Voice

What a long, strange trip it's been ...

Today was National Speech & Debate Day, and as part of a grueling, long charter bus ride from Palm Beach County to Pensacola (extended by several hours due to the breaking down of our initial transportation), I had the opportunity to reflect on what this means in my life.

When I was attending Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School, we didn't have a debate program (or if we did, it certainly wasn't anything of note). We did, however, have a high school radio station, WBFH-FM, "The 10-Watt Big Shot," led by station manager Pete Bowers. In retrospect, there are many parallels between the two programs. Both are student-centric "real world" operations, involving critical thinking, writing, researching, public speaking, and other important skills young adults need to learn in order to function in life after graduation. Both involve veteran students working with newer students to learn the ropes. Both lead to long-lasting bonds of friendship and professional camaraderie. And while there were no educational radio competitions in the 1980s, there certainly is today, with broadcasting students competing in areas such as promotions, news casting, sports announcing, and other areas of radio, which again matches up with weekend debate tournaments (albeit, not nearly as often). The radio station was my home away from home for three years, and I remained in broadcasting through most of my college career as well.

(A shout out to Bill Keith and David Legg, high school radio teachers at programs in Plymouth-Canton and Novi, who I also hold in high regard.)

Fast forward to 2000, when I became a debate coach as part of my teaching duties at South Fork High School. The first coaches I worked with were Trish Zenczak, Angie Anyzeski, and the recently-retired Dale McCall. They helped me get my feet wet, as did Marna Weston and Daryl Hall. And after I came to Wellington in 2002, I was blessed with the chance to work with other amazing coaches, such as John Day and Jason Wysong, and debate parents such as Eilleen Dempsey and Holly Levine. All of these wonderful people, and so many more, have been a blessing in my life.

Now, the student has become the officer and the mentor, and I have had the opportunity to work with a plethora of coaches who have dedicated themselves to the world of Giving Youth A Voice. People like Shawna Dooner, Mierka Drucker, Steven Schappaugh, Kristen Taylor, Jenny Cook, Kristin Carbone, Traci Lowe, Eric Jeraci, Jennifer Kwasman, Fawn Tenenbaum, Megan West, Beth Eskin, Leah Carolan, Dario Camara, Carol Cecil, Christina Calaluca, Shari Dodd, Terri St John, Anna Hutcheson, Adam Jacobi, Bob Ickes, Jennifer Bell, and Peter Pober. Parents like Sue Ann McDaniel, Amy Yeackley, Lori Baumel, Michael Kennedy, Janell Leatherman, Kathy Hernicz, Karen Mangini, Ana Palomino, and Veneta Gilchrist (among so many others).

And of course, it's all about the students. Giving youth a voice in this unforgiving, tumultuous world. I am so very proud of what I, and we, have accomplished. Cynics see a world in despair. I look at my debate students, past and present, and see an amazing future ahead, one where positive change can and will take place. Together, we have, are, and will continue to #TransformTomorrow ... and that's a pretty cool thing, in my opinion.