Dennis Schrauben

Dennis was a great lover of baseball and especially the Tigers although he complained loudly when they didn’t play as well as he thought they should. We chose this picture of him in his “Tigers” gear and then surrounded the picture with words in Tiger colors that describe who he was to others.
Just a few words here about how we became involved with organ donors and recipients.
Several years ago our nephew was the recipient of a liver a the University of Michigan and a short time later our good friend’s son was also a liver recipient at Mayo in Phoenix. This awakened us to the realization of what a gift organ donation is to the recipients of organs but also to their families. A couple of years later I was sitting in the Michigan Legislative gallery to lend support on a day when there was to be a presentation about organ donation. I overheard two people talking about the need for a meeting place in the Lansing area. That is the day I learned about the Transplant Olympics of America! Every two years the Olympics are held someplace in the USA and Michigan fields a team of transplant Olympians. Because of the need for a Lansing meeting place and the graciousness of out local parish, St. Michael Grand Ledge, my husband, and I had the privilege of hosting Team Michigan for the last three Olympics. The Team, along with their families, donor families, and the Kidney Foundation came to St. Michael prior to the Olympics to pick up their uniforms, paper work, and finalize plans. Following the Olympics they again came to St. Michael to celebrate their Olympic trials and triumphs. The people present in that room shared their stories…recipients and donors…and it was/is an inspiring gift to us to just be present as listeners. My husband Dennis talked to everyone he met about that “roomful of miracles” at these gatherings whether they were recipients or donor families. On the day of his death, August 25, 2010, as a donor he became a small part of some of those “miracle stories” he so often talked about. It was a moment of pure joy in the midst of the sadness of his death to know that he too was a “miracle.” Thank you to all the people of Team Michigan, The Kidney Foundation, and Gift of Life for making us aware of this “Gift of Life” opportunity. -Karen Schrauben and the Dennis Schrauben Family