Tommy Schomaker survives and thrives helping sick kids like him
He graduated this spring with a nursing degree
Tommy Schomaker entered the world in 2000 with half a heart.
Just seven days after his birth at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, Tommy underwent his first of six heart surgeries, marking the beginning of a long relationship with the Ann Arbor hospital and years of critical medical challenges.
The generosity of a little girl’s family gave the 8-year-old — who was running out of time — a chance to grow up.
Fast forward nearly 25 years.
Tommy now works as a nurse assistant on the same hospital floor where he once fought for his life. Today, some of those nurses are co-workers and the doctors who oversaw his care can’t help but grin as they see him walking the halls wearing hospital scrubs.
President & CEO Dorrie Dils
Our donation champions inspire hope and resilience for so many
Heart recipient Tommy Schomaker’s full-circle story inspires us
Every spring, we have the privilege of recognizing extraordinary people and organizations that help us carry out our life-saving mission. We rightfully refer to them as champions, because their dedication, compassion and resilience promote or make donation happen in their hospitals and communities.
On May 2, we presented another 18 awards at the annual Gift of Life Michigan Champions Gala in Detroit.
We were thrilled to tell the story of 24-year-old Tommy Schomaker that night. His battle with heart disease began at birth, and his life was saved by a young donor named Audrey when Tommy was just 8. He later faced the challenges of rheumatoid arthritis and, most recently, fought and triumphed over cancer.
One day after the gala, Tommy experienced a life goal: He received his nursing degree from Michigan State University. His next great hope is to work at a pediatric cardiac unit so he can help patients like him and families like his. Tommy’s full-circle dream would not have been possible without little Audrey.
Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor.
His goals also might not have been realized if Tommy hadn’t persevered with strength, purpose and positivity.
I recently heard a leading expert in change management speak about how we choose to respond to life’s challenges.
One perspective that resonates with me is the idea of shifting our mindset from asking, “Why is this happening to me?” para “Why is this happening for me?” It’s a call to find meaning and growth in even the most difficult circumstances, and it transforms adversity into an opportunity for learning, growth and the ability to make a difference.
This spirit of resilience is something we see in our donor families and transplant recipients like Tommy. They find ways to transform their experiences into something meaningful, inspiring hope and healing for others. The champions we are honoring this year share this same courage and determination. They are individuals who run toward challenges rather than away from them. They are leaders, problem solvers and lifesavers who embody the very heart of our mission.
As we celebrate these remarkable individuals and organizations in this issue of our premier publication, we extend our deepest gratitude for their dedication, courage and commitment to making a difference.
“Every spring, we have the privilege of recognizing extraordinary people and organizations that help us carry out our life-saving mission.” — Dorrie Dils
2025 Champions Gala
Congratulations to the 18 people and organizations we recognized 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 make organ, eye and tissue donation happen in Michigan over the past 18 months and beyond.
Without them, and other passionate advocates across the state, Gift of Life’s efforts to fulfill the generous decisions of donors and their families would be difficult to impossible.
Staff Spotlight: Veteran Donation Coordinator Josie Springer lends skill and compassion to life-saving mission
As grieving parents prepared for their daughter to save lives as an organ donor, Gift of Life Michigan’s Josie Springer headed to a craft store for a plaster handprint kit to make a treasured keepsake for them. Josie Springer is […]
Transplant Throwback: Lisa Haney
Name: Lisa Haney Age: 54 Home: Detroit Transplant: Heart Why did you need a transplant and when did it happen? My heart issues started as I was leaving the Army in 2017. I was doing my discharge physical, and my […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Deb Gustafson gets a kidney, then offers comfort to families from her heart
Deb Gustafson’s life changed at church one morning when a friend named Bonnie sidled up to her and whispered, “I want to be tested.” Disease had destroyed Deb’s kidneys, and she’d been living without hers for more than three years. Only dialysis kept her alive, and that took everything out of her. “The next step was hospice,” she said. “I […]
Gift of Life’s employee giving hits a new high
Nearly one-third of Gift of Life’s 394 employees gave back financially to the organization last year, the highest percentage yet for the payroll-deduction program that funds outreach programs in communities statewide and more.
The 126 participants gave a combined $25,717, an increase of 29% over 2023, said Susan Rink, director of advancement at Gift of Life.
“Not only are our employees working to support our life-saving mission, so many of them are giving portions of their paychecks to help us reach more people and register more donors,” she said. “Their contributions to the critical Todos nosotros high school education program alone are profound.”
Education legislation would bolster the Donor Registry
More than 14,000 Michiganders were added to the Michigan Organ Donor Registry last year as a result of Gift of Life’s most celebrated legislative victory in years. The historic Check Your Heart Act made Michigan the first state to offer taxpayers the opportunity to join the Donor Registry through their state income tax forms.
That was real progress, and we celebrated on behalf of the roughly 2,500 patients waiting for an organ transplant in Michigan. We expect that more Michiganders will have checked the box during this year’s tax season, and we thank them.
We also know that stubborn barriers to Donor Registry momentum could be overcome with the passage of additional critical legislation.
Neighboring states Ohio, Indiana and Illinois all require education in their public high schools about organ and tissue donation and their donor registries.
Michigan has no such requirement. Because of that, our teens are registering at a lower rate than our neighbors after they take driver’s education and obtain their first license or state ID.
New members join Gift of Life Michigan Governing and Advisory Boards
A message to the donation community
Religion and organ, eye and tissue donation
Gift of Life set records in 2024
De paseo con Gift of Life
Nearly 2,500 people attended Gift of Life’s six major events across Michigan last year, helping the organization celebrate the gifts of life, sight and mobility.
Attendees traveled to Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Ann Arbor and Novi for the Champions Gala, Check Your Heart Rally at the Capitol, Donate Life Night at the Zoo, Detroit MOTTEP LIFE Walk/Run, the Check Your Heart Open House at Gift of Life, and the annual Donor Family Gathering.
We also visited classrooms, hospitals, places of worship, government meetings, colleges and universities, sporting arenas and more.
Learn how you can get involved and also volunteer at golm.org/volunteer.
Join us!
Revise su mitin del capitolio del corazón
June 17 • Lansing
Done Vida Noche en el Zoológico
July 17 • Grand Rapids
LIFE Caminar / Correr
July 26 • Detroit
Casa Abierta Comunitaria Check Your Heart
August 12 • Ann Arbor
Visit golm.org/events to see what’s going on.
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