Heather Luchies had long known she would need a kidney transplant. Fortunately, when the time came, a donor was closer than she had anticipated. In fact, she had married him nearly two decades earlier. Now 46, Heather Luchies was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a condition that causes scar tissue to build up on […]
Husband saves wife with donated kidney Read More »
Gift of Life honors donors, recipients and volunteers who help save lives Rebecca Anderson has been able to watch her daughter get married, graduate from Michigan State University and earn a master’s degree. She’s traveled to the Mediterranean and celebrated her 30th anniversary with her husband, Rex – and it’s all due to someone she
Virtual activities highlight National Donate Life Month Read More »
Katy Rozman has a message for young transplant recipients or young people waiting for a new life-saving organ: you are not alone. “Sometimes all we need is someone to relate to and I don’t always think that’s available – especially for transplant kids,” she said. She should know. Now 31, Rozman has had heart troubles
‘I just tell people: think of your loved ones.’ Read More »
Student groups adapted in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic Thanks to the efforts of college students across Michigan, 164 new names were added to the Michigan Organ Donor Registry. During the annual five-week Gift of Life Michigan Campus Challenge, students from Michigan colleges encouraged their peers to register on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry. This
Campus Challenge adds 164 to Michigan Organ Donor Registry Read More »
State Senator encourages Michiganders to join Organ Donor Registry State. Sen. Kevin Daley (R-Lum) is once again taking up the cause of promoting organ and tissue donation. Daley, whose son donated his organs after he lost his life in a tragic accident on their family farm, introduced a resolution last week to recognize April as
Daley resolution recognizes Donate Life Month in Michigan Read More »
Murphy Ainsworth was always fit, healthy and active – an energetic athlete who is remembered by family and friends as positive and carefree, with an easy-going smile. “He was really loved by everybody,” said his father, Tom. “He took the best of me and his mother. You really couldn’t have asked for a better kid.
‘He was a giver all his life’ Read More »
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 every day. “I’ve been very fortunate to still be here after all the things that have happened in my life,”
‘I see life in a different way now’ Read More »
Legislation enables organ transplants from HIV-positive donors to HIV-positive patients Legislation introduced into the Michigan House of Representatives on March 11 could bring hope to patients living with HIV. State Rep. Felicia Brabec (D-Pittsfield Township) has introduced the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act, which will allow organs from potential donors with HIV to be
Gift of Life Michigan urges legislature to approve HOPE Act Read More »
Leah Howell celebrates two birthdays on the same day every year. One is hers, the other is her donated kidney, which she received the day after her birthday more than 16 years ago. She named her ultimate gift “Joey.” “I’m not really sure where the name came from,” she said. “I think I was joking
‘It changes the way you look at everything’ Read More »
Stephen May had three words that he lived by: Everybody Love Everybody. He initially took it from the 2008 Will Ferrell movie Semi- Pro, but he fully adopted it into his life at Rockford High School, with the sports teams he played on and in the youth leagues where he served as a referee. “He
Teen leaves legacy of kindness, faith and healing Read More »
Kay Walters just celebrated her 70th birthday. Later this year, she’ll mark an even more significant milestone: her 24th year living with a donated heart. “I can’t believe I’m this old,” she said with a laugh. “No one would ever believe that I was 70, that I would get to it.” That “nobody” initially included
Donated heart grants Lansing woman 24 years of added life, and counting Read More »
‘It’s been the thing that’s kept me going,’ daughter says Marty Townsend never met a stranger. “He could talk to anybody,” said his daughter, Kimberly. “He was just friendly with everybody. He could take a walk and find two new best friends.” In fact, Marty Townsend, who passed suddenly after a stroke 16 years ago,
Decision to donate is a ‘silver lining’ for Michigan family Read More »
The medical community continues to learn more about the 2019 SARS-COV-2 coronavirus, and that could bring renewed hope for the thousands of people waiting for a new life-saving organ. A previous Covid-19 infection is no longer an automatic obstacle to donating vital organs and tissue – as long as the donor had fully recovered from
Patients who recover from Covid-19 can still donate organs, tissue Read More »
Last year marked a new beginning for Keisha Dulin. The 41-year-old Canton resident is continuing to heal after receiving a new heart in 2020 – after four years waiting for a new one. “I am just so grateful every day,” she said. “I stay faithful.” Dulin spent more time in hospitals than most children. She
Faith, family and friends help Canton mom triumph over hardship Read More »
Robert “Bobby” Ramos was a hard worker with a creative side. “He was always doing something creative,” his father, Robert, said of his son, who died at the age of 23 from a head injury after he fell from a ladder. “If he wasn’t playing his guitar, he was reading, he was writing, he was
‘My son. My Bobby. My hero.’ Read More »
