Today's LA Daily News published an op-ed by OneLegacy's Tenaya Wallace,
Donate Life Hollywood campaign director, and Tom Mone, CEO.

http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_13920079

Can a single TV show actually save lives? "Three Rivers," a CBS
prime-time series on donation and transplantation, did. Sadly, that
remarkable fact was not enough to save itself.

As the donation and transplantation community mourns the premature
shelving of "Three Rivers," we stand in awe of its achievements. A month
ago, a San Antonio, Texas, family donated the corneas of a loved one who
had passed away. They said yes because they wanted their family member
to help others, just like on "Three Rivers."

Two weeks later, a family on the East Coast donated the organs of their
teenage daughter because she had talked to them about donation after
watching "Three Rivers" on a Sunday night.

On Thanksgiving weekend, a daughter in Louisiana gave consent for her
mother to save three lives. She too was a fan of "Three Rivers," and the
coordinator was impressed by how much the family knew about the donation
process from watching the show.

For years, the organ and tissue donation community held its breath every
time donation was used as a television storyline. Inaccurate and
horrific scenarios about black markets and stolen organs made us
initiate letter-writing campaigns; even worse, research showed it kept
viewers from signing up to be donors.

Finally, one show got it right. "Three Rivers" viewers got something
extra with their nightly fare of drama: They had a chance to learn the
truth about donation and were challenged to talk about a topic families
rarely wish to discuss - death and their wishes at end of life.


Tenaya Wallace
Campaign Director, Donate Life Hollywood
Communications Specialist, OneLegacy