|August 9, 2010| by Sabine Atkins, owner/editor-in-chief,
www.alexoloughlinfansfordonatelife.comFirst of all, I would like to say "Thank you so much!" for all the wonderful comments to my blog posts about my meeting with Alex O'Loughlin!
I hope that I was able to share with you as much as possible of this extraordinary opportunity.
Also, I want to express how deeply grateful I am for meeting DEb and Les, who run the
Long Legs O'Loughlin Fan Network.

Both have welcomed my husband Brian and me to Los Angeles with open arms, and one couldn't wish for sweeter friends, and their commitment to the cause as well as providing a marvelous gathering place for Alex's fans all over the world is outstanding!
The photo below shows Alex O'Loughlin with Donate Life Hollywood campaign director Tenaya Wallace and Susan Whitney, who documented the entire festival with her excellent photography.
Tenaya truly was the heart and soul of the festival, combining a seemingly endless amount of tasks with her beautiful elegance, warmth and openness.
(photo courtesy of Donate Life Hollywood)
Meeting Alex, whom I admire for many years now, was the amazing beginning of a profoundly thought-provoking experience for me. The Donate Life Hollywood Film Festival successfully emphasized not only the importance of a life-saving cause but also illuminated the difficulties involved in organ donation, transplantation and generating more awareness in the viewers of movies as well as TV shows.
The film festival began with showing the Donate Life Film Festival winners:
"6 Days" won the first place.
It is the powerful story of a mother who assures her son can leave a legacy of caring for as many people as possible.The second place winner was "The Fallen Firefighter":
A Newport Beach firefighter saves lives upon his death as an organ donor. This film shares his story through the eyes of his older brother.It was a very touching experience for me to listen to the firefighter's brother. He clearly missed his brother, but on the other hand in was just as obvious that he took solace in the fact that his brother brought hope to the lives of others.
"Mamie Jackson - Life on Dialysis" was the third place winner.
This movie was an unflinching view of how one woman keeps her passion and determination to help others a priority while undergoing dialysis three days a week.During the Awards Dinner Banquet, I was seated at the same table with Mamie Jackson and the director of this movie. Mamie Jackson is an extraordinary woman, who also loves to teach and emphasize the importance of maintaining a good health: The prevention of certain health problems is one of keys to not needing an organ transplant in the first place.
I attended three workshops. The first one was titled "Character First":
Dr. Joe Sachs, physician, writer and executive producer for ER shared his insight and experience on creating medical stories for television.I found this workshop extremely helpful, not only regarding TV medical dramas. While it is crucial for writers to do a lot of research, one can get easily get carried away by a flood of technical or historical details. But in order to tell a story that captures the attention of the audience, a compelling description of the main characters must come first. The audience must be able to connect to the characters in order to find them believable. Family and workplace dynamics, friendships and love, hobbies and addictions must be considered and explained, before the characters are burdened with technical jargon in their dialogues.
"Get A Clue!" was a workshop led by CSI:Miami writer Krystal Houghton, who talked with several experts in their fields (a high-ranking official from the LAPD, a coroner, an organ and tissue donation physician and transplant surgeons).
As important as character development is, writers must also consult experts to create plausible and accurate storylines when real life issues are involved. Of course, there were some macabre anecdotes from the police official and the coroner, but also I learned that heart transplant recipients have scars on one side of the neck, and that DNA yields not always all the answers and that communication is just as important when a crime needs to be solved.
"Doctors Delve Deep" was the final workshop I attended, and it was also the most intense one:
Respected physicians from around the nation revealed the "backstory" of being a doctor and surgeon, including emotions and anecdotes to enhance characters. Tom Mone, CEO of OneLegacy (the Donate Life organization behind the Donate Life Hollywoood campaign) wonderfully led the panel, and the experts did a fantastic job conveying their insights to the audience.
Taking care of patients after an organ transplant is just as much challenging as the surgery itself, and the experts showed how important the patient's community is in the healing process.
Especially touching was the story of a child, who had a heart transplant, but stopped taking his immune-suppressing medications because his classmates made fun of him for gaining weight.
This shows that we as a society must also do our part in helping an organ transplant recipient heal and live happily after this life-changing event.
The Awards Dinner summed up the festival not only with star-studded glamor, but also with honoring the inspiring stories of the people touched by organ donation and the great work of screenwriters and filmmakers.
Carol Barbee, creator of "Three Rivers", received two awards, which was a fitting conclusion for a series that raised the positive awareness of organ donation in the US by 6 % and saved lives.
Recently, I have also become a Donate Life Ambassador. The comprehensive material we received during our training at the Vanderbilt Clinic in Nashville helps me communicate more effectively about the importance of organ donation. I would like to encourage everyone, who lives near a local Donate Life or other organ donation foundation to participate in one of their orientation classes.
Please visit
Donate Life Hollywood for videos of the festival winners, slideshows, and to learn more about the campaign.
(The text in italics is from the official Donate Life Hollywood Film Festival program.)