There are many issues associated with organ donation and transplantation. These issues span from political to financial, from spiritual to moral. Because healthy organs continue to be buried every day and the need for those organs is enormous, these issues have to be addressed. Gifted: The Docuseries will tell the complete and accurate stories of both tragedy and victory to encourage a nationwide social discussion.
Executive Producer
Robert is a novelist, screenwriter and critical care nurse who has dedicated most of his career to the field of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. He authored the book, Gifted, and is a keynote speaker and subject matter expert on the topic of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
Producer
Josh is an Emmy-winning video producer with 20 years of experience creating compelling corporate films, television commercials and online marketing videos for businesses and causes. He holds a BA in Film and Video from Columbia College Chicago and an MA in Communication from University of Illinois. Josh is also an FAA commercially licensed drone pilot.
Production Team
Chris is an Emmy-winning video producer. His production experience includes corporate film, television commercials, online marketing videos and a number of independent projects and films. He holds a BA in Visual Communication from the University of Illinois and is an FAA commercially licensed drone pilot.
Production Team
Payton is a graduate of The Los Angeles Film School where she earned a BS in Digital Filmmaking (with honors). Her work has earned two Silver Telly Awards, one Gold Telly Award, one Gold Communicator Award, one Regional Emmy® nomination, and one Regional Emmy® Award since joining Storyteller in 2019.
We’re proud to partner with The Maddog Strong Foundation for our fundraising efforts in support of Gifted–The Docuseries. The Maddog Strong Foundation is a public 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization created in honor of Maddie “Maddog” Grobmeier who passed away unexpectedly from an asthma attack the day after her 18th birthday. Maddie inspired many by donating her organs and tissues so that others could live on to do amazing things for the world.
Episode 1 of GIFTED: The Docuseries follows the inspirational story of Donor Hero, Heather Miller. Just weeks away from graduating from West Virginia University to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse, Heather’s family faced the ultimate decision. On life support following a tragic car crash, Heather would want her last act on Earth to be helping others. Honoring her legacy, the Miller Family donated her organs so four people could live on through the miracle of transplantation.
Episode 1 follows the Miller Family’s journey through grief and healing as they honor Heather by not only bringing awareness to the issue of organ and tissue donation, but by raising money to fund nearly 200 Nursing Scholarships. Viewers will hear from the first responders and healthcare professionals who cared for Heather in her final days, along with visiting one of Heather’s organ recipients who shares his gratitude for Heather and the Miller Family’s selfless act in their darkest hour.
In GIFTED: The Docuseries Episode 2, we will meet a courageous family who was willing to share their remarkable story of generosity, compassion, and hope by allowing our production team to chronicle their journey from despair to hope, and the miracle of organ and tissue donation as it unfolds in real-time.
Through this journey, many may wonder what an Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) really is? How does an OPO function? What role does that organization play in the life-saving process of organ, eye, and tissue donation? In Episode 2, we dive deep into these question for viewers.
Through our partnership with one of the premiere OPO’s in the nation, Mid-America Transplant in St. Louis, MO, our production has access to take viewers where they can’t normally go: behind the scenes of an innovative OPO.
Episode 3 will add to the education of the donation process seen in Episode 2 by taking viewers directly to the transplant center to see the magical world of organ transplantation. We will follow organ transplant recipients along their journey from illness, through transplant evaluation, into listing, to the organ transplant procedure itself, and on to post-transplant care. Viewers will get to meet the surgeons, doctors, & nurses that perform these life-saving transplants.
As the parents of an organ donor, we understand first-hand the lasting impact donation makes but most people don’t. That’s why Gifted-The Docuseries is so incredibly important. It will bring a national audience the experience and show the lifesaving impact donation makes on a grand scale.
The purpose of this whole project, to get the word out for people to understand and to talk to their families, that would be the single most important thing that could happen.
As a donor mom, I have watched and read many stories about transplant recipients. There are very few that touch on the organ donor. Gifted-The Docuseries encompasses ALL aspects of donation. This would have been very beneficial at the time of my daughter's death. There were so many unanswered questions. Gifted-The Docuseries sparks curiosity about the process of organ donation. When curiosity is sparked, deep cycles of learning can be achieved. Once a person has learned, I feel confident that this series will empower them to say “yes” to donation.
