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The word “heart” is often spoken by the people who knew Kel Kelley. He was known for the kind heart he put into his many community activities, and he was a leading proponent for heart transplant recipients and their families.
“Kel never met a stranger,” said Joanne Kelley, his wife of 23 years. “He was one of the most open, transparent men you could ever meet. He was an inspiration to other people in the community.”
Kel and his wife started TripleHeart, Inc. after he received a heart transplant nine years ago. It has become one of the four top Web sites nationwide for transplant support and had led to several other successful projects.
Kelley, 60, died at 10:55 p.m. Monday at WellStar Tranquility Hospice of congestive heart failure. Memorial services will be held Wednesday, Feb. 6 at Douglasville First United Methodist Church, Prestley Mill Road, with Pastor Max Caylor conducting. Jones-Wynn Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to patient services of the Georgia Transplant Foundation, designated “In memory of Kel Kelley.” The foundation’s address is 3125 Presidential Parkway, Suite 230, Atlanta, GA 30340. Its Web site is www.gatransplant.org.
He was born Elmer G. Kelley Jr. on June 30, 1947 in Huntsville, Alabama and grew up in the Anniston area.
He attended Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama, where he earned a B.S. degree in music, with minors in economics and military science in 1970. While a student, he played trumpet in the Jacksonville Marching Southerners.
After graduation, Kelley taught four years at South Cobb High School in Austell, where he was choir and music director, assistant band director and football game announcer.
He left the teaching field in 1974 to join Prudential, where he worked for 23 years, selling all lines of insurance and earning recognition as one of the top disability agents in the country.
Kelley began having heart problems early in life and suffered his first heart attack at age 35. During the following years, he had several more heart attacks and eventually underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 1995. His final heart attack came while he was recovering from this surgery.
He left the insurance business in 1996 and was put on the heart transplant list at Emory University Hospital after a test showed his heart working at only 12 percent capacity.
He received a heart transplant on Nov. 18, 1999 at Emory from a 23-year-old donor in the Savannah area.
“We’ll always remain extremely grateful to that family,” Mrs. Kelley said. “This person helped 11 different individuals in need of some type organ.”
It was during the Kelleys’ experience with the heart transplant ordeal that the idea for TripleHeart, Inc. was born.
“There was a lack of information and what information we did get was a waste of time,” Mrs. Kelley said during a 2007 Sentinel interview. “The doctors and nurses wouldn’t tell us what we needed to know and there were no support groups.”
Due to patient confidentiality laws, physicians couldn’t give transplant patients the names of other patients.
They founded TripleHeart in 2001 and set up the Web site, www.tripleheart.org. Mrs. Kelley said while all transplant experiences are different, there’s many similarities that families can share and help others know what to expect.
In one case, a woman heart transplant recipient was pregnant and was fearful for herself and her unborn child.
“She reached out to us and pleaded for us to find another woman who was also a heart transplant recipient who had successfully delivered a baby,” Mrs. Kelley said. “We were able to connect her with another woman with a similar experience in 24 hours. This gave the woman the comfort and assurance that she could go forward and have the baby. It turned out the two women had used the same heart doctor.”
Several projects were spun off TripleHeart. One was Project VALENTINE, a drive which collected old cell phones and chargers for people waiting for transplants.
“The project has collected more than 3,000 cell phones in Georgia, Alabama and Florida,” Mrs. Kelley said. “Often transplant families cannot afford the service contract for a cell phone, but these donated phones allow them to call 911 to get help. This gives them a great deal of comfort to know they can reach help, no matter where they are.”
Students at both Jacksonville State University and University of Southern Alabama have led cell phone collection drives for the past six years.
“I’m going to try my very best to keep the Web site going,” Mrs. Kelley said.
Despite failing health and work with the transplant groups, Kelley still found time to devote to many community activities.
He was on the board of United Way, chaired the Leadership Douglas group, was a charter member of the Professional Men’s Bible Study Group and was actively involved in the Douglas County Jail ministry program.
He received the Connor Award in 2001, the state’s highest insurance industry award. He was named the 2006 Jacksonville State Alumnus of the Year.
Mrs. Kelley said Kel played 15 different musical instruments, but he enjoyed piano the most.
“He became a prolific songwriter and created many melodic, Christian themed songs,” she said. “He cut two CDs of his music.”
Mrs. Kelley said Kel’s health had been declining in recent months and he’d been a hospice patient for the past seven weeks.
“It was a very slow decline,” she said. “Every year, he had more and more blockages (in his heart arteries), but he was still able to live a modified lifestyle. Last October, he had a heart attack and they found two of the three major arteries blocked.”
Mrs. Kelley said the medicine Kel took to keep the body from rejecting the transplanted heart also added to the arterial disease.
“It’s a trade off for extra years of life,” she said. “In those nine years, he was able to see his children married, grandchildren born and we enjoyed that extra time as husband and wife.”
In addition to his wife, Kelley is survived by a two sons and daughters-in-law, Patrick and Krista Kelley, Jasper, Ga., and Tommy and Stephanie Griffiths, Birmingham; a daughter and son-in-law, Kimberley and Phillip Underwood, Kennesaw; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
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The bricks shown above were placed on the Jacksonville State University Alumni Association’s walkway to honor the 2006 Alumni of the Year. I’m very proud to be counted among this distinguished group. Prvious Alumni of the Year include Randy Owen of the singing group Alabama and Heather Whitestone McCallum, Miss America in 1995.
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Georgia Transplant Foundation Newsletter - Most Recent
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 The University of South Alabama's Jaguar mascot stands in front of the Mitchell Center. USA is located in Mobile, Alabama and their Greek Life students, under the supervision of Ms. Sally Cobb, sponsored and led USA's
2005-2006 Project VALENTINE™. The university collected over 200 used cell phones for organ transplant candidates and recipients. Upon completion of the drive, the Greeks presented the phones to one of the seven hospitals owned and operated by the university and associated with University of South Alabama Medical School. USA is one of the nation's premier medical schools in the United States. Many thanks from TripleHeart™ and Project VALENTINE™.
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Transplant Support - Lung, Heart/Lung
WEB SITE: http://groups.msn.com/TransplantSupportLungHeartLungHeart
Free and easy to join.
Other great resources also available.
Message Board - Another great way to connect to others and ask your questions that you have been meaning to ask and would like feedback from other members.
The Resources that are offered at the site continue to grow each day. You will find something of interest to both pre and post transplant recipients, and also to family members and caregivers. In the Resources you can find: Links, Medical Journals, Books, Medical Equipment, Money for Meds, Rx Programs, Support Groups, Lung Tx Centers, Heart Tx Centers.
Remember, the chat room can be found at:
http://pub45.bravenet.com/chat/show.php/3827307012
All you need to do is create your nickname and then a profile (ex: post lung, Loyola, live in Ohio)
Then join the great chat.
The Chat room is open 24 hours a day, but most often chatters can be found every evening from 8pm Eastern Time on into the night. Twice a week we have planned topic chat beginning at 8pm Eastern Time.
Please stop by and see what site others say makes a huge change in their lives.
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The Georgia Transplant Foundation's Annual Wellness Conference
Sometimes the best motivation is simply surrounding
yourself with people who share similar stories, experiences
and successes. The Georgia Transplant Foundation's annual
Wellness Conference brings together transplant candidates,
recipients, living donors and family members for a day
of friendship, fellowship, education and fun.
The conference features medical updates from transplant
healthcare professionals, as well as break-out sessions
specific to each type of transplant. This year's conference will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center in
College Park. Registration will be available online closer to the
date of the conference. Registration packets will also
be mailed prior to that date. If you have received this
email, you are in our database and will be receiving
more information closer to the Wellness Conference. For
more information, contact Amanda McBride at 678-514-1185
or amcbride@gatransplant.org. www.gatransplant.org |
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Kel recently added Piedmont Mountainside Hospital of
Jasper, Georgia to its list of distribution centers as
a recipient of Project VALENTINE cell phones.
He and Joanne are traveling to Flagler Hospital near
Flagler Beach, Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach
and Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne (all
in Florida) to continue getting free mobile emergency
phone service to those listed for organ transplantation. |
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Freshman Forum/Project Valentine
Photos
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TripleHeart Receives a Brick
When
Jacksonville State University's Alumni Association
began a fund-raiser drive selling bricks to line the
walkway of the Alumni House, I knew that I wanted to
participate but could not think of an appropriate text.
I knew that I wanted to have both Joanne's and my name
even though she is not a JSU alumna. Some grads simply
listed there class year, others preferred to name college
organizations they had belonged to and still others (as
the brick above ours) wished to name after-college successes,
awards and titles.
When discussing this with Kaci and Nan at the "House" they
suggested that, even though I had participated in numerous
activities at Jax State and had garnered a few awards
and letters after my name, that our (Joanne's and my)
work with the Freshman Forum through TripleHeart and
Project VALENTINE were the perfect addition to our brick
text; by working with the Freshman Forum and the Alumni
Association on a worthwhile cause we had cemented a relationship
between current and former students, as well as future
ones that will attend JSU in the years to come.
Thanks Kaci and Nan. I agree.
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RATZINGER: "DONATION OF ORGANS IS AN ACT
OF LOVE"
New Italian Law on Transplants: Cardinal is Donor
ROME, FEB 4 (ZENIT).- "To donate one's organs
is an act of love that is morally licit, so long as
it is free and spontaneous." With these words,
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith, confirmed the line of
the Church on this matter, at a time when Italy has
approved a law to facilitate organ donation and transplants.
Just as in other European countries, the law approved
yesterday in Italy presupposes a person is a potential
donor unless opposition is specifically expressed;
in other words, silence is permission.
Cardinal Ratzinger disclosed he is a member of an
association of organ donors....
Cardinal Ratzinger, Is it always morally licit to
donate one's organs?
CARD. RATZINGER: It certainly is licit to participate
spontaneously and in full awareness in the culture
of transplants and the donation of organs in which
we live. As for myself, I have agreed to give my organs
to whomever might be in need.
Does this mean you are registered with an association
of donors?
CARD. RATZINGER: Yes, I registered years ago and I
always carry this document with me; in addition to
personal data, it states that I offer my organs to
help whomever is in need: it is simply an act of love.
What does it mean for a Christian to offer his own
body for transplants?
CARD. RATZINGER: It means so many things. But, above
all, it means -- I repeat -- to carry out an act of
love toward someone in need, toward a brother in difficulty.
It is a free act of love, of availability, that every
person of good will can do at any time and for any
brother. That is all.
An act which now, in Italy, has been codified with
a law. What do you think of this law?
CARD. RATZINGER: In my capacity, I do not allow myself
to judge the law of any State. I do not judge laws.
I only say that to give one's organs spontaneously
for transplants, in full awareness and full knowledge,
means to give expression to a true, deep act of love
for one's neighbor.
And yet, around this act of love there is controversy,
especially regarding informed silence-assent. What
is your opinion on this issue?
CARD. RATZINGER: No, I will not answer. Those are
legislative aspects about which I cannot make a declaration.
Moreover, I am still not sufficiently familiar with
all the terminology of the norms regarding the matter.
I will not pass judgement on laws, beyond saying that
donation is a gesture of fraternal love.
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Read Mutual Inspiration Society Article
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GOVERNOR TO HONOR
GEORGIA ORGAN, TISSUE AND EYE DONORS
Gov. Perdue with liver
recipient Carina Jimenez at the 2004
Donor Day at the Capitol
Gov. Sonny Perdue will
honor Georgia donor family members, living
donors and transplant recipients at the
state Capitol on April 4 to celebrate
the 5th Annual Organ, Tissue & Eye
Donor Recognition Day. Sponsored by the
Georgia Coalition on Donation, D onor
Recognition Day is a time to recognize
and honor donor family members and living
donors who have sacrificed to give others
a second chance at life. Celebration
festivities will begin at 9:30 a.m.
U.S. Representative Charlie
Norwood, who received a lung transplant
in October 2004, will also be in attendance.
Entertainment will be provided by Harvel
Douglas, a heart transplant recipient,
and Haley Vincent, a liver transplant
candidate.
President Bush proclaimed
April as National Donate Life Month,
citing the growing needs of nearly 85,000
Americans on the national organ transplant
waiting list. In Georgia, nearly 1,600
are waiting. Last year, 111 Georgians
became living donors, and to date, nearly
1,400 others are living donors. For information
about donation, call 1- 866-57-SHARE.
To register for Donor Recognition Day,
please call 678-279-4018 or email rsvpdonorday@yahoo.com.
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Lisa Stiles Nance
Author of: Life In Limbo, Waiting for a Heart Transplant
ISBN 0-595-29772-2
$12.95
Order at www.iuniverse.com or www.life-in-limbo.com
Do you know of anyone listed or trying to qualify for an Organ
Transplant who needs a Free cell phone to call 911 while they are waiting?
Have them get in touch with us. WE CAN HELP! through Triple
Heart™ 's Project Valentine ™.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 
Cobb Close-Up
by Tucker McQueen - Staff
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Kel Kelley's success comes from being alive. After having two heart
attacks at 35, he didn't believe he would make it to 40.
At 50, he was on a heart transplant list. A year ago, at 55, doctors
predicted his 4-year-old heart would not last another year.
Last spring, he went home to Mobile to tell his parents and sister goodbye.
Earlier this month, with the same heart, he went back --- this time for
a vacation.
"There are no statistics for my survival," Kelley said. "I may be a
mess physically, but I feel better than ever."
Kelley's gift of life has given him a new direction. A former workaholic
in the insurance business, he now spends his days helping others who
are waiting for or have had organ transplants. He developed a Web site,
www.TripleHeart.org, to give patients support and information he wished
he had had while going through the process.
A year ago, he started Project Valentine to collect cellphones for people
on transplant lists. After gathering 500 phones, he asked a group he
once headed, the Cobb chapter of the National Association of Insurance
and Financial Advisors, for help. Current president Jamie McGarry said
it's a great community project, and he hopes people will drop off their
used cellphones and chargers at several locations in metro Atlanta.
Kelley said the phones, which can be used to call 911, give patients
peace of mind. He got the idea from an experience he had before his transplant.
He was with his wife, Joanne, at a shopping mall when he collapsed. He
said no one stopped to help, but luckily his wife had a cellphone.
"I am blessed to be alive," Kelley said. "I am now doing what God wants
me to do. Before, I was too busy making a living."
In Marietta, cellphones and chargers can be dropped off through April
9 at Allstate Insurance Co., 180 Cobb Parkway, Suite C-12; Radio Shack,
2550 Sandy Plains Road in Sprayberry Square or at Legacy Financial, 2440
Sandy Plains Road, Building 16, Suite 100. |
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See the article
about Triple Heart , Inc. ™ in the
Spring 2003 Vol. 10, No. 1 Issue of
Gem Of The Hills
The Alumni Magazine of Jacksonville State University
Click Here to View Article
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In Jacksonville State University student newspaper.
Volume 51, Issue 19
Feb. 6, 2003
Freshmen donate cells for donor
recipients
Jamie M. Eubanks
The Chanticleer News Editor
Freshman Forum is getting in the spirit of February and teaming up with
TripleHeart and Project: Valentine to help people who are awaiting organ
transplants.
TripleHeart is a Web site created after
JSU alumnus Kel Kelley received a heart
transplant four years ago.
"One purpose for TripleHeart is to enable
people who are waiting for an organ donation
or someone who is a recipient to have
a location to go to talk to other people,
to get questions answered, to meet emotional
needs," said Joanne Kelley, president
of TripleHeart and Mr. Kelley's wife.
Doctors recommend that patients waiting
for organ transplants get cell phones
in case of emergency or if the hospital
needs to let them know an organ is available.
"We're veterans of the transplant journey," said
Mrs. Kelley. "We discovered in waiting
two years for a heart for my husband
that (before a transplant) patients are
often very, very ill. And they often
don't have enough money to purchase a
cell phone."
To get phones to these people, Freshman
Forum is accepting donations throughout
February.
"Everybody has the old cell phones," said
Katie Scott, publicity chair for the
Freshman Forum. "They're sitting there
and going to waste -- so make some use
of them.
"Any phone that will come on is able
to dial 911," Scott said. Even phones
not activated by a cellular service provider
will dial 911 for free.
"And please remember the chargers," said
Meyori Brown, activities chair for the
Freshman Forum.
"If you can't get rid of your charger,
charge it before you give it away," according
to Scott.
"It's a good, worthy cause because we
are helping people who are in need of
heart transplants to receive their transplant
on time," Brown said.
Phones can be dropped off in the Office
of Student Activities, and the drive
ends March 3.
"It will take some stress away from
people, who are already under huge emotional
stress as it is," said Mrs. Kelley.
Note: Along with the cell phone and chargers, we would appreciate
that the donor charge the cell phone to be sure it operational before
it's forwarded to Triple Heart , Inc. Additionally each checked cell
phone, along with it's charger, needs to be put in a plastic bag of some
sort in order to keep the phones and chargers separated.
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TIME - Cover Story
THE NO. 1 KILLER OF WOMEN: No,
it's not breast cancer. More women die
of heart disease than of all cancers
combined. What you should know about
the latest research, and how you can
protect yourself.
Read
article here
Here is a link to the AHA web site for additional information and programs
offered regarding women and cardiovascular disease:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200011
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Dedications:
A cell phone and charger have been “donated by Billy Shadix in memory
of his father Doyal Shadix. 02/17/2003"
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Project: VALENTINE ™
Collecting and
Distributing used Cell Phones
(with chargers, cords and batteries please)
Note: Along with the cell phones and chargers, we would appreciate that
the donor charge the cell phone to be sure it is operational
before it is forwarded to TripleHeart,
Inc.™ Additionally, each checked
cell phone, along with its charger needs to be placed in a
plastic bag of some kind in order to keep them separated.
Please help those waiting for Organ Transplants
to make that Life-saving 911 cellular phone call for FREE .
Such a precious
gift - so little time
to allow those who are critically ill, who cannot afford a cell phone
to make a 911 call when they find themselves suddenly in an emergency
situation.
Project VALENTINE™ is
a service of
TripleHeart,
Inc.™
A non-profit
corporation in partnership with Douglas
County Kiwanis Club, Douglasville,
GA, GhostNet, Inc. , Jasper, GA, Freshman
Forum, Jacksonville State University
, Jacksonville, AL, NAIFA - Georgia
(Georgia Association of Insurance and
Financial Advisors), NAIFA - Cobb (Cobb
County, GA, S.T.O.P., Etc., Inc. ,
Douglasville, GA, Rathel's Accounting,
Austell, GA and Kroger Pharmacy , Highway
5, Douglasville, GA who support us
by donations and/or acting as collection
and distribution points.
Special thanks
to Douglas County Sentinel , Douglas
County, GA, Alumni Affairs, Jacksonville
State University , Jacksonville, AL,
Douglasville First United Methodist
Church , Douglasville, GA, Communications,
Inc. (authorized service center for
NEXTEL ) Anniston, AL, Douglas
County Bank, Douglasville, GA and Cingular
for their help in making this endeavor
possible.
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TripleHeart, Inc. Copyright © 2001-2008 All Rights Reserved.
Web Site Created, Maintained, Hosted and Sponsored by GhostNet, Inc.
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