Blog

Congratulations to the 18 people and organizations we will recognize at Gift of Life Michigan’s seventh Champions Gala on May 2. They were selected from dozens of nominations for their extraordinary efforts to promote or…

Name: Tom Brock Age: 65  Home: Hartland Transplant: Heart Why did you need a transplant and when did it happen?  In the summer of 1987, I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease affecting my heart…

Readers share their messages  The back bumpers of thousands of vehicles across the state sport the Donate Life logo specialty license plate which encourages residents to give the gifts of life, sight and mobility.  The…

Donors give life, sight and mobility to thousands. Learn the answers to frequently asked questions about tissue donation, and read three beautiful letters from tissue graft recipients to their donor families.

The organ donation process is carefully regulated for patient safety and conducted with the utmost respect for donors and their families. Organ procurement organizations (OPO) such as Gift of Life Michigan must adhere to medical, ethical and legal standards.  Brain death is death. Physicians at hospitals across the nation make the determination, or declaration, that a patient has died before that individual can become an organ donor. It’s important to understand what brain death is and how it’s determined in this context. 

Gifts pay for efforts to grow the Donor Registry  Gift of Life’s annual fundraising appeal is underway with an email campaign and a brochure mailer for friends and advocates of Gift of Life, donation and…

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 oxygen for the previous six months.  It wasn’t there.  “I…

Dr. Tim Frankel is in the midst of groundbreaking research into pancreatic cancer, and the key to his findings is the generosity of organ donors from Gift of Life Michigan, just a few miles across town.  Since 2021, this state’s organ donors have provided more than 100 pancreases to Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor for pivotal research into one of the world’s deadliest cancers. Organs that can’t otherwise be placed for transplantation go to Dr. Frankel and his team, allowing them — for the first time anywhere — to compare normal pancreas samples with cancerous ones. 

Kathy Vogelsang said goodbye to her daughter, Rebecca, as the bright and funny high schooler left for play practice on a frosty March morning in 2008. A phone call not long after changed the trajectory of her entire family’s life.  That call also meant five patients waiting for organ transplants would receive the ultimate gifts — their chance to survive their otherwise-fatal diagnoses. 

“We made referrals to Gift of Life from the ER back when that wasn’t really happening at many hospitals,” Sheila Alston said. “I always thought, ‘I’m going to work there someday.’ I needed to know that something I did made a difference. And I wanted to be there for someone who was losing a loved one.” 

After being burned over 60% of his body, to the bone in some places, only skin grafts — lots of them over months — saved Roy’s life. He lived with gratitude for 26 years after his accident.  “Because of that precious gift of skin, Dad was here to see my two brothers, my sister and I graduate from college, marry, and welcome eight grandchildren."

Making the decision to become an organ donor upon your death is the first step in the organ donation process. But before a patient can become an organ donor, several things must happen.   After every…

Choosing to sign up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry gives you the opportunity to create a lasting impact on others’ lives. Making that decision known to your family is just as important.   In Michigan,…

Signing up to be an organ donor is just the first step in making your decision known. The next step? Sharing that decision with those closest to you. In Michigan, your decision to someday help…

Richard “Jake” Jacobson’s motto is “at least one.”  “My hope is that by sharing my story, I might help at least one person who is struggling,” said Jake. “Not just someone on the waiting list…

Most Americans are in favor of organ donation, but not everyone who joins the donor list is able to donate. In fact, only 3 in 1,000 people die in a way that allows for organ…

Four Michigan pickleball players are hoping to set a new world record and raise both awareness and money all in one swing.  West Michigan residents Brad Haverkamp, Julie Ondersma, Sydney Sonday and Caleb Dang will…

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. She had just come home from studying abroad, something her…

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 to increase awareness regarding the range of choices available to…

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 over and his coloring seemed a bit yellow. She decided…

A Michigan organ donor has made history and saved the life of a 68-year-old woman from Flint, Mich. Suffering from leukemia, she needed an urgent bone marrow transplant and is now the first person in…

Gift of Life Michigan is proud to announce that its own Senior Performance Improvement Specialist, Sheila Alston, received the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT) Nurse of the Year DAISY Award. Alston was honored…

From the outside, 18-year-old Alex Chandler seems like a typical teenager with a love for video games and spending time with his friends. On the inside, he’s got something pretty special.  Alex received a liver transplant at just 8 months old, which has allowed him to grow up and hit a magic milestone in June as he graduated from Belleville High School with the rest of his class. 

Students at the Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District in Kingsford (200 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge) raised more than $1,500 for Gift of Life – all in pennies.

An innovative bioengineering company in Indianapolis is pioneering a novel approach to bone marrow transplants to treat blood cancers and other life-threatening blood disorders. Ossium Health is collaborating with Gift of Life Michigan and other organ procurement organizations to use bone marrow from organ donors.

Terra DeFoe, the mother of organ donor Emilio DeFoe, says doctors will work hard to save your life if you’re a registered organ donor. She says the pervasive myth must end.

Just 21% of new drivers in Michigan are registering as organ donors, and we’re concerned about that low number.  Other states have double that percentage. We don’t think Michigan teens are less generous, they just…

High school students fresh out of a wide-eyed hour of Gift of Life’s All of Us education experience about organ and tissue donation were still standing around Cristal Rivas and her table of human organs…

Name: Chef Oliver Hale (Chef O)  Age: 71  Home: Kentwood, Michigan  Transplant: Kidney, twice    Why did you need a transplant, and when did it happen?  I received my first kidney transplant in 1985 after…

“At least once a week, I walk these hallways and I can’t believe I get to work here,” Dain Mendoza said. “Even on those hard days, you think about someone who is going to get more time with their mom, dad or child because of our donors. That’s so powerful, and I don’t take it for granted.” 

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 her son play football and her triathlete husband cross the…

“If I can just add one name to the registry, I can save eight lives,” 2024 Volunteer Champion and two-time heart recipient Chris Kowalski shared in a special video message to a packed conference center.  …

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 breath. She was tired all the time and started passing…

The Check Your Heart Act became law last year, making Michigan the first state in the nation to place the Donor Registry question on a state income tax form.  That was exciting progress for Gift…

As an Army sergeant and medic, Lisa Haney was trained to save lives. Then her own life was saved during the military discharge process in 2017.   After serving nine years, she submitted her paperwork and…

The placenta is an organ that provides oxygen and vital nutrients to a growing baby. Although the placenta is delivered after the baby is born, many people are left wondering what they can do with…

There’s nothing more powerful than giving the gift of life to another through the generosity of organ donation. If someone is suffering from a failing organ, a new one can restore their health and help…

Donating an organ is one of the best things you can do for someone else. A selfless act that demonstrates your commitment to helping others,, donating a kidney is something that many people can do….

Gift of Life Michigan is proud to announce that Ryan Cormier, Director of Tissue Services for the organization has been elected Chairperson of the Accredited Tissue Banks Council (ATBC). His term will begin later this…

Donate Life Night at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids experienced its largest attendance yet. More than 1,400 donor family members, living donors, transplant recipients, patients on the waiting list and other supporters from…

For years Brad Gohr watched as his mother, Charmaine Neymeiyer, battled Autoimmune Hepatitis, a disease that slowly attacked her liver. After years of her health fluctuating, she was added to the wait list for a…

OPO Leaders Elected to Champion Organ Donation Mission Today, the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) announced the appointment of its new President and the newly-elected members of the 2024-2025 Board of Directors, whose terms…

Registration still open to this free event Gift of Life Michigan’s largest West Michigan event honoring organ, eye and tissue donation returns 6-9 p.m. Thursday, July 18 at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids….

Hundreds gather in support of organ, eye and tissue donation   More than 400 people from across Michigan gathered outside the state Capitol building in Lansing on Wednesday, June 12 in support of organ, eye and…

The tenets of the Catholic faith are something many adhere to. But at times, these tenets can raise questions from those in the faith. One question that comes up for many Catholics is what the…

Hundreds expected in support of organ, eye and tissue donation on June 12 Hundreds of organ, eye and tissue donation supporters are expected to join Gift of Life Michigan in Lansing on June 12 to…

197 people gave tissue in May to heal patients in need May was a record-breaking month for the state’s organ and tissue donation program, thanks to nearly 200 people who donated bone, skin, ligaments and…

The decision to donate a kidney as a living donor should not be taken lightly, as it may come with potential long-term consequences like any other minimally invasive surgery. Studies have shown that living kidney…

There are many myths associated with the medical profession. One of the most common misconceptions is that doctors won’t act fast to save someone’s life if they have registered to be an organ donor. In…

More than 12,000 new registrants added during 2024 tax season Thanks to the Check Your Heart Act, the Michigan Organ Donor Registry has 12,475 new registrants. This increased volume resulted in year-over-year growth for the…