How “Three Rivers” Inspired the Gift of Life

Alex O’Loughlin, Carol Barbee, the writers, cast and crew of Three Rivers can rest assured that they have made a difference in people’s lives. With the involvement of Donate Life, Dr. Gonzo Gonzalez-Stawinski and other experts, Three Rivers was the one medical drama on television that gave audiences accurate organ donation storylines.

For once, the organ and tissue donation community did not have to resort to letter-writing campaigns to set the record straight or have to worry about a television show preventing viewers from becoming much needed donors.

Tenaya Wallace, Donate Life Hollywood’s campaign director, and CEO of OneLegacy, Tom Mone,  write in a recent article titled “Television Can Save Your Life“:

The night that “Three Rivers” premiered, 9.2 million people saw what could essentially be called a 42-minute PSA on organ donation. There are not many public education campaigns that can reach 9.2 million people in a single hour.

From the outset, producer Carol Barbee and her writers reached out to donation and transplant professionals to ensure accuracy in each story and to find the stories that reminded us that death touches us all, that precious legacies can be left by anyone, and that people can gain life through a tremendous gift. Alex O’Loughlin, the show’s star, became a Donate Life Ambassador and wore the Donate Life pin and wristband proudly each episode. This was television taking the high road.

Unfortunately, the high road doesn’t immediately translate into high ratings and the advertising revenue on which television depends. At a time when networks are casting about for new ways to combat declining audiences, quick decisions to shelve compelling shows without allowing them to mature and develop an audience may be a part of their problem, not their solution.

In the world of organ donation, saving lives comes first, and “Three Rivers” helped to do just that. We can only hope that whatever new form “Three Rivers” takes on, even in a midnight rerun, it will keep inspiring the gift of life.

Alex O’Loughlin confirmed his intent to continue his work with Donate Life America in his latest blog post. Undoubtedly, he was very inspired by the stories of how the show has helped to save lives, some of which are shared in Tenaya Wallace’s and Tom Mone’s article.

Alex blogged, “Already in this short time I have received so many beautiful letters of support and gratitude from so many of you who have lost loved ones, and also shared the gift of life with others as a result of those tragedies.”

Even if Three Rivers‘ course is coming to an end, it’s encouraging to know that the gift of life will continue.

[tags]alex o’loughlin, alex o’lachlan, three rivers, andy yablonski, cbs, donate life, carol barbee[/tags]