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Guadalupe Alejos, who received a kidney transplant 50 years ago, standing in front of the Kidney Transplant Center sign
Blog, Gift of LifeLines, Stories of Hope | September 12, 2023

Transplant Throwback: Guadalupe Alejos 

Name: Guadalupe Alejos Age: 77 Home: Grand Rapids Transplant: Kidney at Trinity Health Kidney Transplant Center Why did you need a transplant and when did it…

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Heart transplant recipient Rachel Kuntzsch
Blog, Gift of LifeLines, Stories of Hope | September 12, 2023

Lansing heart recipient saves lives by telling her story of hope

Life was “exceedingly rich” for Rachel Kuntzsch when it nearly slipped into darkness forever. She was happy, 44 and her Lansing consulting firm was thriving….

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Someone holding a pen signing their state income tax form
Blog, Gift of LifeLines | September 12, 2023

New law lets residents sign up through tax forms

Michigan residents who haven’t yet added their names to the Michigan Organ Donor Registry will have a new and easy way to do so in…

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Newborn baby wrapped in orange towel with headband
Blog, Gift of LifeLines | September 12, 2023

Baby Jade Townsend saves the life of another infant

Case results in protocol change with worldwide implications One of Gift of Life Michigan’s smallest donors – baby Jade Townsend, who lived for just 55…

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Check Your Heart graphic featuring Aimee Cruz saying "I'm here today because someone checked their heart."
Blog | September 12, 2023

Using digital marketing to save lives

Growing awareness one impression at a time Gift of Life Michigan is working to educate and inspire action using data and by telling the stories…

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Artelia Griggs, donor mother, receiving an award from Christine Peiter, Gift of Life employee and tissue graft recipient
Blog, Gift of LifeLines | September 12, 2023

Gift of Life’s gala generates thousands for critical programs

Popular signature event will grow in 2024 The annual Champions Gala honoring people and organizations across the state is thriving thanks to the generosity of…

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Two teenage girls wearing "cornea glasses" that distort vision.
Blog | September 12, 2023

“All of Us” surges in popularity at schools across Michigan

There’s a buzz in the air when Gift of Life Michigan educators arrive at a school with their red trunk of supplies and plasticized real…

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101-year-old Katherine Steck holding a flower arrangement. Katherine donated tissues after her passing.
Blog, Gift of LifeLines | September 7, 2023

Think again if you believe you’re too old to be a donor

One of the greatest myths related to organ and tissue donation is that there’s a strict age limit and that older people couldn’t possibly save…

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Double lung transplant recipient Debora Dearring
Blog, Gift of LifeLines, Let's Talk, Stories of Hope | September 7, 2023

Volunteer Spotlight: Gift of lungs motivates Debora Dearring to share her own spirit and compassion

Debora Dearring lived at Henry Ford Hospital for nine months, seven of them waiting and praying for a double lung transplant that would save her…

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A donor heart under ice in a sterile cooler
Blog, Gift of LifeLines | September 6, 2023

Heart study with Stanford University results in more transplants

Gift of Life Michigan has worked for years to find new ways to increase the use of donor organs for transplantation. One five-year study, in…

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Cindy Zarate in blue scrubs in the ICU
Blog, Gift of LifeLines | September 1, 2023

Staff Spotlight: Cindy Zarate takes care of donors in the days, hours and minutes before they give their final gifts

Donation Coordinator Cindy Zarate squeezes a terry cloth towel soaked with warm, soapy water and slowly wipes it across the arms of a man whose…

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Guests enjoyed free Dippin' Dots ice cream at Donate Life Night at the Zoo
Blog | August 17, 2023

Donate Life Night at the Zoo celebrates organ donors, transplant recipients and renewed life

Gift of Life’s largest West Michigan outreach event returned this week to the popular John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids with a new twist. This…

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Tristan Johnson and his parents speaking at a podium
Blog | August 7, 2023

‘It happened to me’

Transplant recipients tell their stories to 100 visitors at Gift of Life Michigan Community Open House Both Rachel Kuntzsch and Tristan Johnson were healthy and…

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Terra DeFoe, donor mother, stands in front of a church stained glass window
Blog, Let's Talk | August 1, 2023

National Minority Donor Awareness Month is crucial to saving more lives

August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month, designated to heighten awareness about organ and tissue donation in multicultural communities. Originally observed in a single week…

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Someone holding a pen signing their state income tax form
Blog, News | July 19, 2023

Gov. Whitmer signs bill to add Organ Donor Registry question to state income tax forms in 2024

Check Your Heart Act is the first of its kind in the nation. Groundbreaking legislation to bolster the Michigan Organ Donor Registry became law on…

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