Stories of Hope

When Saginaw-area resident Londel Cook was diagnosed with end stage renal failure at a young age, he didn’t understand the severity of his illness.   “I…

Gift of Life Michigan Community Outreach Coordinator Shalonda Griffin’s late husband Greg was the ‘greatest person she has ever met.’  “He put the color in…

When Cewanda Todd was 19-weeks pregnant, she was told her unborn daughter had a heart condition.   “Our doctors told us that she wouldn’t make…

Deacon Lawrence J. Bailey was a kidney transplant recipient, husband, father and a fervent advocate for organ and tissue donation. Thanks to his selfless decision…

Steven Dye seemed perfectly healthy with no symptoms before he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.   “I had gone to visit my doctor for my…

Jen Bennett, a mother of three from Ravenna, Mich., was working hard to get healthier for her family in 2022. Ten months before the accident,…

When Michael Love woke up groggy from his lung transplant surgery in 2015, he instinctively felt his nose for the cannula that had delivered life-sustaining…

Kathy Vogelsang lends vision as chair of Gift of Life’s Governing Board  Kathy Vogelsang said goodbye to her daughter, Rebecca, as the bright and funny…

One family’s story of tragedy, skin donation and 26 years of borrowed time Roy Schramm shouldn’t have survived.  With burns over 60% of his body,…

Hailey Brouillet was 20 years old and in her junior year at Oakland University when she was hit by a reckless driver in October 2013….

Each year, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Gift of Life Michigan recognizes Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day.  The goal of BRA Day is…

When Blake Hermann was seven months old, his mother, Molly, noticed that he wasn’t progressing like his twin sister Anna. He had yet to roll…

Name: Chef Oliver Hale (Chef O)  Age: 71  Home: Kentwood, Michigan  Transplant: Kidney, twice    Why did you need a transplant, and when did it…

Before Leslie Palacios received two new corneas, her life was a blur.  The Grand Rapids mom of two struggled to read, to cook, to see…

Carla Bussell waited six years to take a good breath.   In 2009, shortly after the birth of her fourth son, she started experiencing shortness of…