African-American Organ Donor Educator & Advocate declares HE "has a dream" for Black History Month
Mike Jones, kidney recipient, organ donor educator and advocate, President and CEO of the One Miracle Celebration of Life Foundation, and contributing author to the recently released Chicken Soup for the African-American Soul book has declared “he has a dream” to bring awareness about kidney disease and its causes to all kidney patients and families across the nation. So this month, Black History Month, Jones will begin his national crusade to educate the masses of color about kidney disease and organ donation and is available for speaking engagements and interviews.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 4, 2006
Mike Jones, kidney recipient, organ donor educator and advocate, President and CEO of the One Miracle Celebration of Life Foundation, and contributing author to the recently released Chicken Soup for the African-American Soul book has declared “he has a dream” to bring awareness about kidney disease and its causes to all kidney patients and families across the nation. With over 65,000 kidney patients in the country, 35% of them African American and 22% Hispanic, there are no foundations west of the Mississippi that focus on communities of color. So this month, Black History Month, Jones will begin his national crusade to educate the masses of color about kidney disease and organ donation and is available for speaking engagements and interviews.
Jones says, “Doctors, nurses, psychologists all tell you what you can and can not do when you are on dialysis, but when the question is asked, ‘Why?’ there is really no definitive answer. I asked my physician has he ever been on dialysis and all he could do was tell me no. So unless the physician has been in the position of the patient, there is no way s/he can know what an individual person can or cannot do unless they’ve been in that patient’s shoes. So being the rebel that I am and being told all these things that I couldn’t do, I just went ahead and done them. There are so many things a person can do on dialysis. What I am teaching is to incorporate kidney disease into your lifestyle as opposed to your lifestyle into kidney disease.”
Jones is focused on raising awareness to communities of color from a patient’s perspective because it makes such a difference in one’s improvement. As an Ambassador for One Legacy, a transplant donor network, and through his various speaking engagements and interviews, Jones sees his dream slowly turning into reality. He became an advocate for donor awareness education after he was blessed to receive a kidney after waiting five long years. He refused to let dialysis stop him from leading a normal productive life. On September 25, 2001, Jones, a young African-American Christian man, received the “gift of life” from his donor, Patricia Abdullah, a White Muslim woman whom he met while enrolled in a four-day Personal Self-Development seminar. After the surgery, Jones was told that it would take him in excess of a year to get back to his normal course of activities. He was able to participate with his normal activities within 6 months of his transplant.
To begin his national kidney awareness and organ donation crusade in celebration of Black History Month, Jones will be speaking at the National Alliance of Mental Health in Beverly Hills, CA on February 3rd. Other upcoming speaking engagements and events include: Feb 11th - Chicago State University in Chicago, IL; Feb 24th - Washington Preparatory High School and Chaparral High School in Temecula; Mar 1st – Garden Grove Rotary Club in Garden Grove, CA; Mar 4th - KSBR Radio interview in San Juan Capistrano, CA; Mar 5th - Donor Recognition Ceremony, Hyatt Regency, Long Beach, CA; Mar 11th – KRLA Radio interview with Dr. Gene Steiner; Mar 18th - HealthCare Partners Medical Group Health Fair, Central Los Angeles, CA; Mar 19th – 4th Annual “Evening of Jazz” Fundraising Event at The Vault 350 Concert Hall in Long Beach. Jones says, “It is such and honor and a pleasure to be able to give back to my community and continue to raise awareness of our culture, especially during Black History Month as we celebrate our culture.”
To book a speaking engagement or interview with Mike Jones, please call Kreative Konsepts, Inc. at (714) 293-5185 or visit www. onemiracle911.com for more information on The One Miracle Celebration of Life Foundation.
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