February 14 is Nationwide Donor Day in america, a day to have a good time and promote the life-giving apply of organ donation.

With a thirst for studying and a drive to assume massive and be daring, EO members personify the transformative energy of the entrepreneurial mindset. So it’s no shock that Dave Galbenski, former EO International Chair and 24-year member of EO Detroit, is leveraging his entrepreneurial imaginative and prescient, mixed with the ability of private expertise, to make life-saving adjustments to the world.

In 2013, Dave confronted a life-altering medical prognosis: main sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a uncommon autoimmune illness that attacked his liver’s bile ducts. With no recognized treatment, the situation requires a liver transplant to get a second likelihood at life.

He was simply 44, and married with a 13-year-old daughter. The prognosis thrust Dave right into a battle for survival, however it additionally ignited a profound realization – that entrepreneurial abilities don’t simply develop companies; they’ll additionally give the reward of life.

Embracing vulnerability

Dave was listed on the transplant wait record on February 14, 2019.

“Within the US, 17 folks on the transplant record die every day, ready for an out there organ from a deceased donor,” Dave defined. “Nevertheless, there’s another choice for individuals who want a liver or kidney: residing donors.”

The liver is the one human organ that regenerates. When a residing donor donates a portion of their liver to a affected person on the transplant waitlist, the liver will regenerate to full measurement in each the donor and recipient in eight weeks. Take into consideration how superb that’s!

“Looking for a residing donor required me to embrace the ability of vulnerability,” Dave continued. “I needed to overcome any adverse ideas of not being worthy of the love that will be expressed to me by way of somebody prepared to sacrifice themselves for my profit.”

Dave’s brother-in-law, Mark Dybis, was a match. “Mark grew to become my angel on earth — my hero. He stepped ahead to present me the best reward potential: The flexibility to expertise a future with the folks I really like.”

Because the EO member chief who coined the EO time period “insta-macy” to explain the instant connection EOers really feel when engaged with the EO group, Dave skilled probably the most profound type of insta-macy by way of Mark’s residing liver donation.

“I’ve by no means skilled an emotion so deep, a connection so sturdy, and a gratitude so overwhelming — ever in my life,” Dave mentioned.

A brand new philosophy of life

“Dealing with my very own mortality at a reasonably younger age induced me to decide on to all the time embrace and stay with an abundance mentality as a substitute of shortage mentality,” Dave shared. That meant residing a full life targeted on the current, not involved with previous challenges whereas by no means shedding hope for a full and productive life sooner or later.

Dave additionally gained a renewed sense of gratitude and objective, which fueled his mission to extend public consciousness and entry to residing organ donation.

On February 14, 2022, three years to the date after first being listed on the transplant record, Dave and his spouse, Lynn, launched the Residing Liver Basis (LLF) with the aim of accelerating the variety of liver transplants within the US by rising consciousness of residing donor liver transplants among the many common public in addition to potential donors and recipients. Winnie Hart, former International Board Director and EO Houston member, and her workforce labored passionately to develop and launch the Residing Liver Basis model.

Along with the inspiration, Dave was decided to go laws in Michigan to cut back the monetary and financial boundaries for residing donors which will deter them from saving the lifetime of one other.

Passing laws to make residing organ donation extra accessible

Dave leaned into his entrepreneurial mindset and expertise as he approached the legislative course of, advocating for insurance policies that will make organ donation extra accessible.

“I totally engaged my curious facet to assemble as a lot info as potential. I leveraged “Gestalt” protocol (Discussion board mindset) to achieve out to my community and ask others to share their expertise with the legislative course of,” Dave mentioned. “I additionally targeted on placing myself within the place of most potential that will permit me do the advocacy wanted to get the invoice handed.”

Michigan Senate Invoice 0384,which prevents insurance coverage firms from denying protection, rising premiums or discriminating in any manner in opposition to residing donors with respect to life, incapacity and long-term care insurance coverage within the state, handed in November 2023. Now, Dave is advocating for a tax credit score for residing donors’ unreimbursed bills and misplaced wages and an employer tax credit score for wages paid to the residing donor in spite of everything depart insurance policies of the corporate have been exhausted.

Dave’s entrepreneurial abilities had been instrumental in each his personal journey and likewise in paving the way in which for others to obtain the reward of life by way of organ donation.

The US nationwide database for organ transplant, UNOS, reviews that residing liver transplants in Michigan practically doubled from 2022 to 2023 – from 8 residing liver transplants in 2022 to fifteen in 2023!

“I’ll take that development price 12 months over 12 months,” Dave acknowledged. “Whereas we definitely can’t draw causal traces on to our efforts, I really like that our consciousness campaigns that began when Mark and I first shared our story on our 1-year transplant anniversary in 2020 and accelerated after we shaped the Residing Liver Basis in 2022, coincide with the rise.”

Growing public consciousness of residing organ donation

“In america alone, 10,000 people are ready for a liver transplant right this moment. The objective is to get that quantity right down to a wait record of zero within the subsequent decade so nobody perishes ready for the supply of an organ from a deceased donor,” Dave mentioned.

Dave, a lifelong baseball fan, has a transparent imaginative and prescient for attaining that objective. In 2023, Dave and the LLF labored to get April 11 designated as Nationwide Residing Donor Day. Concurrently, Dave and LLF shaped partnerships with main league baseball groups. By designating main league baseball video games held on April 11 as “Residing Donor Consciousness Video games,” Dave is making important strides towards his final objective: A world the place each nation celebrates zero waitlists for organ transplants.  Dave’s imaginative and prescient of this final objective is evident, in 2038, on the World Baseball Basic closing, the stands will likely be filled with a thunderous world crowd feverishly waving their nation flags, celebrating a waitlist of zero in all taking part nations.

In 2024, three main league baseball groups – Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies – will host Residing Donor Consciousness Video games on April 10 and 11, to honor residing donors and unfold consciousness about residing organ donation.

Dave’s story highlights the profound affect of the entrepreneurial mindset on each private and societal ranges. By embracing vulnerability, leveraging networks, and residing with objective, Dave has not solely remodeled his life, but in addition created optimistic change that extends far past.

Recognizing magnificence within the journey

“The factor that shocked me most was my realization that there was a magnificence within the prognosis and journey in that it allowed me at a reasonably younger age to acknowledge the great thing about every second that we’re gifted and that in these moments I wanted to all the time be current and be out there,” Dave shared.

“This decade-long journey has enriched my life, my relationships, clearly outlined my ‘why’ and objective in life,” he continued. “When folks ask me if I might wave a magic wand and make my prognosis and subsequent transplant all go away, my response is all the time an emphatic “No!”

“I say no, as a result of my life has been so enriched by the immense gratitude for all times I expertise every day, the particular moments which might be sweeter due to the journey, and the affect I’m able to make for the better good of the world by way of my learnings as an entrepreneur and thru EO.”

Contributed to EO by Dave Galbenski, an EO Detroit member who served as EO International Chair in 2008-2009. He’s a graduate of the inaugural class of EO’s International Audio system Academy. Dave is co-founder and chairman of the International Faculty of Entrepreneurship, which gives schooling for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs. Dave and his spouse, Lynn, based the Residing Liver Basis, which is devoted to rising the attention of residing donor liver transplant.

For extra insights and inspiration from right this moment’s main entrepreneurs, try EO on Inc. and extra articles from the EO weblog.