Organ transplants are beginning to return to pre-COVID-19 levels across the country and a recent breakthrough in Chicago may provide even more hope for the thousands of patients on the national organ waiting list – as well as patients diagnosed with the virus. Surgeons in Chicago performed a double-lung transplant on a patient with COVID-19; […]
Mustafa Sharafi always wanted to be a father. Granted that wish more than two years ago, the 35-year-old Sterling Heights resident is just as grateful to celebrate this Father’s Day as he was last year, because doctors had told him he would not live long enough to realize his dream. “To have a child is
Father’s Day holds special significance for Sterling Heights dad Read More »
As a legislator, Morris Hood III always sought the middle ground. As a kidney recipient, he used his experience to promote organ donation and the need for minority organ donors, as well as for legislation that improved access to affordable healthcare. Hood, a former state representative and senator, passed away last week at the age
Morris Hood III, kidney recipient, ‘champion for others’ remembered Read More »
Canton, MI — Marcileen Pruitt of Canton will enjoy this Mother’s Day and plenty more to come, thanks to some help from her extended family. Pruitt, 48, is living with renewed vigor after receiving a kidney from her niece last October. She said she feels better than she had in years. “My energy level started
With niece’s gift, Canton mom has renewed energy, purpose Read More »
Amy Bacon said she doesn’t know how she contracted the coronavirus. The Grand Blanc resident and heart recipient said she followed all the social distancing and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to the letter, but was still diagnosed with COVID-19 in early April. As a transplant recipient, she knows she has a
Grand Blanc, MI – Organ transplant recipients are accustomed to taking extra precautions to protect their health. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, they need to even more cautious. “We’ve got to be extra, extra diligent in taking care of ourselves,” said Amy Bacon, a Grand Blanc resident and heart recipient. “We can’t just
Heart transplant recipient recovering from coronavirus Read More »
Hastings, MI – Pam and Doug Reed, of Hastings, MI, supported the idea of organ and tissue donation long before tragedy struck their family last year. An acquaintance of Doug’s was on the waiting list 25 years ago but passed away before a new heart was available. “We feel very strong about organ donation,” Pam
Hastings couple remembers donor grandson: ‘Our little hero’ Read More »
Ann Arbor, MI – Just when Rilynn Payne was scheduled to receive a life-altering organ transplant, fate delivered another twist. Payne, a 3-year-old from southwest Michigan, had overcome numerous obstacles last year and was on schedule to receive a kidney transplant this year, when the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the procedure. “It’s always something,” said her
Ann Arbor, MI – The skies may be cloudy and the trees still bare, but there will be a lot of blue and green visible on Friday, April 17, anyway. That’s because April 17 is National Donate Life Blue & Green Day, a day when anyone can wear blue and green or decorate their homes
As the COVID-19 pandemic enters a new month, two things are clear: organ transplant recipients (along with everyone else) need to take precautions to protect themselves and Gift of Life Michigan is still working with hospital transplant centers to provide life-saving organs to patients in need. “We’re doing everything we can to engage people and
COVID-19 update: protecting patients, staff and the community Read More »
Muskegon, MI – In Andrea Powers’ home, Star Wars characters have joined groups of knitted owls, bees and elephants. Combined with a growing pile of blankets and quilts, they will be donated to Gift of Life Michigan and given to families of organ donors in honor of her sister-in-law. “It gives me some comfort and
Muskegon woman taps ‘the Force’ to comfort grieving organ donor families Read More »
What do you do when your biggest month of the year falls in the midst of a national emergency? This was the conversation taking place in organ procurement organizations, tissue banks, eye banks and other Donate Life affiliates across the country throughout the month of March – and, in many cases, even earlier. April is
National Donate Life Month: Our message in a time of crisis Read More »
National Donate Life Month will be celebrated differently this year, but the message is the same: There’s a critical need for more organ, tissue and eye donors in Michigan and throughout the United States. In the wake of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 virus, Gift of Life Michigan is postponing the celebratory community events it typically
National Donate Life Month moves online, highlights need for organ donors Read More »
Dear friends of Gift of Life Michigan, I am reaching out to you as part of the Gift of Life Michigan family to update you on the steps we are taking during the current COVID-19 crisis. We are committed to protecting our staff, patients and the communities we serve while still providing donated organs and
Our work continues: A COVID-19 update Read More »
In the wake of the rapidly spreading new strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, experts urge transplant recipients to use extra caution to protect themselves and their loved ones. The virus, first detected last year, is particularly dangerous to the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, and many organ transplant recipients fall under that latter category.
Gift of Life Michigan urges transplant community to take health and safety precautions Read More »
