Gift of Life Michigan opened its doors to CBS Investigative Correspondent Tom Hanson last summer, providing him unprecedented access to allow viewers an inside look at the organ donation process from beginning to end.
The exclusive news story aired April 14 and provided multiple perspectives on the complex process. The segment followed the recovery process of Mitch Potter, a generous donor from Gobles, Mich., whose selfless decision saved four lives. CBS was also able to interview Melanie Uzarek, from Allen Park, Mich., a patient waiting for a lifesaving kidney transplant for over three years.
“What Gift of Life does for donors, their families and thousands of desperate patients waiting on the other side of our work is urgent and difficult,” said President and CEO Dorrie Dils. “Each donation involves hundreds of people doing their jobs at the highest level. We also rely on so many partners to help us honor the decisions of donors and ensure we can test, match, recover and deliver organs in time to save lives.
“We were honored to welcome CBS to see our work firsthand and what we do for others.”
CBS addressed organ nonuse during its visit. Organ nonuse happens when the transplantable organs that organ procurement organizations (OPOs), such as Gift of Life Michigan, recover from its donors are not accepted by transplant centers or researchers. Today, 21% of organs recovered by OPOs go unused. Dils spoke to Hanson on the topic of nonuse and provided insight into how the system can improve.
“OPOs, donor hospitals and transplant centers have always worked together to save lives, and everyone wants to save even more,” said Dils. “But we can’t do this unless the federal government aligns all parts of the system to make sure every transplantable organ gets used.”
OPOs continue to have year-over-year growth in lives saved by organ donation and transplantation. Already in 2025, Gift of Life is seeing a reduction of organ nonuse in Michigan thanks to closer collaboration with our transplant centers. At the same time, the number of people dying while waiting has decreased in the state by 45%, from 152 in 2020 to 83 in 2024.
The system is growing because it is continuously improving, and more people are saying yes to donation. The best way to save lives is by joining the Michigan Donor Registry. To join, visit golm.org/signup.
