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Latinx Outreach

The decision to donate is an important decision. We know that faith and family informs this decision.

The Community Spoke

And We Listened

Faith and family play a large role in the decision to become an organ and tissue donor among the Latinx community. We launched Let’s Talk to reach out to those communities, where people are more likely to need an organ transplant, yet less likely to sign up as donors. We talked with people in the community and in faith centers and encouraged them to share their stories, to break down misconceptions, to address myths and to encourage their neighbors, families and friends to sign up as donors.

In the U.S., there are about 110,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ, and about 60 percent of them represent racial and ethnic minorities. In Michigan, it’s about half the patients on the waiting list. This is a discussion that can save lives.

Community Conversations

Read Stories of Hope

Mike Lopez (left) received a liver transplant when John Edmond (right) donated his 7-year old daughter's organs

A brotherhood is born out of death, life and gratitude

John Edmond barely gave it a thought as a woman from Gift of Life Michigan entered his young daughter’s room in the pediatric Intensive Care Unit. He knew his 7-year-old would not survive her accidental…

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Guadalupe Alejos, who received a kidney transplant 50 years ago, standing in front of the Kidney Transplant Center sign

Transplant Throwback: Guadalupe Alejos 

In this series we are looking back with transplant recipients and learning how they are making the most of their second chance at life. In this issue we talk with Guadalupe Alejos, who received a kidney transplant from his brother 50 years ago!
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Terra DeFoe, donor mother, stands in front of a church stained glass window

National Minority Donor Awareness Month

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 in 1996, this awareness month is a collaborative effort by…

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Fenton couple draws on experience to promote organ donation

‘I wasn’t afraid of dying. There’s always hope,’ lung transplant recipient says
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Woman seated on couch holding white stuffed animal with sequin heart

“I never knew what it was like to feel normal”

Marcia Toda recently heard her daughter’s heart beating, still strong, in the chest of 31-year-old Lauren Herrera. The two women met recently at the Gift of Life Michigan campus in Ann Arbor.
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Man at barbeque grill

‘I wanted some good to come from it’

Muskegon mother marks two-year-anniversary of son’s death, organ donation Muskegon, MI – Amanda Garza has a printed version of the last text she received from her son, Nathanael. It reads: “I’m just thinking of you…

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Aimee Cruz, two-time liver transplant recipient, smiles for the camera in front of a white brick wall

‘I see life in a different way now’

Aimee Cruz would be the first person to tell you she’s lucky to be alive. Originally from Puerto Rico, the Ann Arbor resident has had three liver transplants in her life and is grateful for…

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Gift of Life Michigan honors National Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month offers an opportunity to celebrate the culture and contributions of Hispanic and Latinx people and to highlight issues they face today. It runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 every year, recognizing…

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We need each other.

A single organ donor can save as many as eight lives. A tissue donor can help heal up to 75 others.

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