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It’s National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week!
April 22-28 marks National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week in Canada! Since we know that’s a mouthful, we’re using a few other hashtags to talk about the events this week on Twitter: #NOTDAW, #BeADonor and of course, #4Eva.
As you may also know, April is Donate Life Month in the US as well, so no matter where you are in North America, take some time this week to reflect on organ donation & the value of registering as a donor! Please register as a donor this week if you haven’t found the time yet, and if you have, ask someone in your life to register!
Here at 65_RedRoses campaign headquarters we are working on a FREE organ donation app #4Eva. It will make it easy to find out how to sign up as a donor anywhere in North America. We’re also totally excited to finally have the new cut of the film available in Canada (the ultra-eco one is shipping now). All sales of the DVD and our other materials based on Cyrus photos and Eva’s designs support our outreach campaign. The pair also did the gorgeous photo series that form BC Tranplant’s #livelifepassiton series.
Here are a few great activities happening this week for #NOTDAW:
Exclusive Teaser from the DVD Extras: The Day the Pager Went Off
We’re so excited that our eco-edition DVDs have finally arrived in the Hello Cool World store in Canada! To share our enthusiasm with friends and fans of the film, we wanted to show some sneak peeks of the DVD extras on the blog.
Check back on the 65_RedRoses blog daily for more exclusive teasers and updates, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter to hear first new posts!
The first teaser comes from the interviews with co-directors Phil Lyall and Nimisha Mukerji about the day Eva’s pager went off.
Eva’s writing a source of inspiration for Connecticut student living with CF
A few weeks ago we got a Twitter message that touched our hearts: Taylor Brophy (pictured here), a soon-to-be high school graduate in Connecticut, contacted us to share that she had written a short essay about Eva.
She is applying for a CFCareForward undergraduate scholarship and was asked to write about a person who had inspired her. She found a role model in Eva, a fellow young woman living with CF who worked hard to balance her health and achieve her goals.
She has generously given us permission to share her essay on the 65_RedRoses blog. (more…)
A Recap of the 65_RedRoses UVIC Screenings!
Thank you to everyone who came out to UVIC last night to see 65_RedRoses at Cinecenta! And many thanks to the dozens of you who tweeted about the event, shared the Facebook event with your friends, and spread the word online and off about the screening.
We got in touch with Eva’s younger brother Hunter, the lead organizer of this screenings and a UVIC student himself, and Lisa, a volunteer and fellow UVIC student, to hear how the screenings went.
Hunter felt the screenings were a huge success, and said of his personal experience, “I think [the film] opened many people’s eyes to a part of life not many get to see or experience.
“A lot of my friends came up after the movie just to express their disbelief at the whole situation. A lot of them knew that I had a sister who was sick and passed away, but the film really shows what CF does to a person, and the huge gift that a transplant can give.”
Lisa agreed with Hunter, saying, “Everyone seemed incredibly moved by the film and inspired by Eva’s story.
“There were many tears shed by several audience members near the end of the film, and everyone seemed quite emotional about the whole experience. I know several people told me they loved the film, and they were thankful they had been able to view it.” (more…)
A Special Screening of 65_RedRoses at UVIC
Tonight, Cinecenta Theatre at UVIC will be showing 65_RedRoses at 7:15 and 8:45. We’re always excited about screenings, because we love sharing the film with audiences of new fans and long-time friends of Eva alike. But we’re especially happy about this screening, because Eva’s sister Annie and brother Hunter will both be there to introduce the film and talk with the audience about their sister.
Hunter got in touch with us a few months ago about hosting a screening in Victoria, and we are grateful to him and the staff at Cinecenta for helping to make it happen! Eva met her friend and 65_RedRoses co-director Philip Lyall when they lived in residence together at UVIC together and studied in the theatre program, so it’s not an exaggeration to say the film exists because of UVIC. Hosting a screening at her own school is a wonderful privilege.
We are glad to be able to share the film tonight with friends of Eva who knew her as a UVIC student, and those who have heard about the film in recent years and have been waiting patiently for a chance to see it. Nimisha Mukerji, co-director of the film, has said that when people see 65_RedRoses for the first time it’s like they’re getting to meet Eva. And anyone who knew Eva or has seen the film knows that she had a magnetic charisma and an incredible spirit. We hope that everyone walks away from the film feeling like they got to spend time with their amazing friend Eva, whether to them she’s an old friend or a new one.
To celebrate the UVIC screenings, we’re offering a special checkout code for those who want to buy an advance copy of the DVD, or other materials featuring Eva’s art, like t-shirts, pendants or art cards. Just enter “65RRblog412” and save 15% on anything from the 65_RedRoses store! (more…)
Join Our Tweetathon on April 13th!
This Friday, in anticipation of the US broadcast premiere of the film May 3rd, 9/8c on OWN Documentary Club, and the arrival of the new cut of the film to Canada, we are asking for your help to grow our #4Eva movement!
Follow us on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
Join our email list
And of course, donate life!
On Friday, we want you to share a simple message:
#BeADonor @65_RedRoses Support the film. Join the movement. #4Eva http://bit.ly/Iss58B Plz RT!
>> Click here to tweet! << (more…)
Celebrating National Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness Month
This month we are celebrating awareness of organ and tissue donation across North America! April 22 to 28th marks National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week in Canada, and April is National Donate Life Month in the US.
This means that all month long there are great opportunities to show your support for organ donation both online and off! Our friends at BC Transplant reported yesterday a record-breaking 222 registrations in one day– we’re hoping that with our collective efforts, they’ll surpass that by the end of the month.
With two screenings coming up in Victoria this month and several more in the planning stages, we’re using April as an opportunity to share Eva’s story with new audiences, and motivate them to register as donors and talk to their friends and family about the film. We’re also sharing great stories like this video from Global TV, about Cecilia Ferreira, a young woman from Burnaby who received a heart transplant at 13.
Our friends and fellow awareness raisers are also taking action this month. Donate Life America has launched a campaign to register 20 million donors in 2012. Visit their site to learn how you can join the cause! Transplant Trots, 5 or 10k walks/runs held around Canada to raise awareness, are taking place in cities across Canada between April 22 and 28. Find out if there’s a Transplant Trot happening in your community! Trillium Gift of Life also has an extensive list of awareness events happening in Ontario.
Remembering Eva
On March 27th, 2010, Eva’s breath ran out. She was only 25, but in her short life she accomplished incredible things. Her story, shared with the world through the film 65_RedRoses, inspired thousands of people to register as organ donors and gave hope to people around the world awaiting life-saving transplants.
Although Eva’s transplant only gave her two more years of life, she filled them with love, adventure and hope. Her new lungs were the beginning of a new life, and while it wasn’t as long everyone who loved Eva had hoped for, it was a miraculous life all the same. And even though Eva is no longer with us, her beautiful spirit and determination are still present in every action of this campaign to promote organ donation and awareness of cystic fibrosis, and in the messages of love and gratitude that pour in each day from people all around the world.
In tribute to her life and legacy, we are working to bring the new cut of 65_RedRoses to theatres around Canada. The new version of the film follows Eva to the end of her journey, showing how even in tragedy there is love and hope. Our mission is to share this film with as many audiences as possible and hope that each person who sees it is motivated to take action and pass on Eva’s message to others.
We have two BC screenings coming up in the new few weeks – in Vancouver & Victoria: (more…)
Transplant Recipient Brings 65_RedRoses to Cap U
As you might have heard on our Twitter or Facebook Page, there was a free screening of 65_RedRoses on Thursday at Capilano University in Vancouver, BC. We were excited not only because we love sharing the film with people, but also because it was the first public screening of the new cut of the film!
The screening was sponsored by Capilano University, and they provided the use of the beautiful new theatre in the Nat and Flora Bosa Centre. It was organized by Melanie Fahlman-Reid, faculty member at Cap U and liver transplant recipient. She’s also my mom, so being able to partner with her to organize this screening was a wonderful experience. Melanie knew Eva through BC Transplant and loves the film, so she was glad for the opportunity to share it with the Capilano University community. (more…)
Bring 65_RedRoses To Your Community
We’re urging people across North America to help bring Eva’s moving story to your community by hosting a screening! The licensing fees will go back to the #4Eva campaign so it’s a great way to support this growing movement while also raising awareness of organ donation & cystic fibrosis.
There is now a NEW VERSION of 65_RedRoses that features an updated ending! Its Canadian premiere is almost upon us with a free screening at Capilano University in North Vancouver on March 8, 2012.
Now that the US premiere on Oprah Winfrey Network – OWN has been set for May 3rd 9/8c, we are actively seeking campaign partners in the US. There is an opportunity to be prominently featured on our website to promote regional organ donation and CF organizations! Contact us at outreach@65redroses.com for more info. (more…)
