
Featured | November 20, 2023
Gift of Life Michigan breaks record for organ donors in a year
Unprecedented 500 donors save lives so far in 2023 Michigan’s organ and tissue donation program has broken another record by reaching the 500 organ donors mark in a single year with more than a month…
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News | November 20, 2023
Gift of Life Michigan breaks record for organ donors in a year
Unprecedented 500 donors save lives so far in 2023 Michigan’s organ and tissue donation program has broken another record by reaching the 500 organ donors mark in a single year with more than a month…
News | November 10, 2023
Gift of Life Michigan CEO praises protections for living organ donors
Gift of Life Michigan celebrates the passage of a law that prevents health insurers from denying or limiting coverage for living organ donors in this state. Sen. Kevin Hertel sponsored the measure (SB 384), which…
News | October 20, 2023
A new bill will require education about organ donation in Michigan public schools
A new bill introduced Tuesday in the Michigan House would require education about organ, eye and tissue donation for 9th graders in public schools statewide. Twenty-four states, including neighboring Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana, require it….
Blog, Let's Talk, Stories of Hope | October 16, 2023
Tissue donor changes life for breast cancer survivor
“I can look in the mirror every day and not be reminded of the hell I went through.” Curpri Sanders experienced the happiest time in her life and the saddest in the same month. As…
Blog, Gift of LifeLines, Stories of Hope | September 12, 2023
Transplant Throwback: Guadalupe Alejos
Blog, Gift of LifeLines, Stories of Hope | September 12, 2023
Lansing heart recipient saves lives by telling her story of hope
Life was “exceedingly rich” for Rachel Kuntzsch when it nearly slipped into darkness forever. She was happy, 44 and her Lansing consulting firm was thriving. Rachel was a strong, vibrant mom, friend, daughter and wife….
Blog, Gift of LifeLines, News | September 12, 2023
New law lets residents sign up through tax forms
Michigan residents who haven’t yet added their names to the Michigan Organ Donor Registry will have a new and easy way to do so in 2024. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the Check Your Heart Act…
Blog, Gift of LifeLines | September 12, 2023
Baby Jade Townsend saves the life of another infant
Blog | September 12, 2023
Using digital marketing to save lives
Blog, Gift of LifeLines, News | September 12, 2023
Gift of Life’s gala generates thousands for critical programs
Blog | September 12, 2023
“All of Us” surges in popularity at schools across Michigan
Blog, Gift of LifeLines | September 7, 2023
Think again if you believe you’re too old to be a donor
One of the greatest myths related to organ and tissue donation is that there’s a strict age limit and that older people couldn’t possibly save the lives of others. That couldn’t be farther from the…
Blog, Gift of LifeLines, Let's Talk, Stories of Hope | September 7, 2023
Volunteer Spotlight: Gift of lungs motivates Debora Dearring to share her own spirit and compassion
Debora Dearring lived at Henry Ford Hospital for nine months, seven of them waiting and praying for a double lung transplant that would save her life. The days and months were long and she was…
Blog, Gift of LifeLines | September 6, 2023
Heart study with Stanford University results in more transplants
Gift of Life Michigan has worked for years to find new ways to increase the use of donor organs for transplantation. One five-year study, in particular, revealed such dramatic and significant findings that Michigan’s organ…
Blog, Gift of LifeLines | September 1, 2023
Staff Spotlight: Cindy Zarate takes care of donors in the days, hours and minutes before they give their final gifts
Donation Coordinator Cindy Zarate squeezes a terry cloth towel soaked with warm, soapy water and slowly wipes it across the arms of a man whose life ended the day before. It’s her job to be…
Blog, News | August 17, 2023
Donate Life Night at the Zoo celebrates organ donors, transplant recipients and renewed life
Gift of Life’s largest West Michigan outreach event returned this week to the popular John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids with a new twist. This year, more than one thousand Donate Life Night at the…
Blog | August 7, 2023
‘It happened to me’
Transplant recipients tell their stories to 100 visitors at Gift of Life Michigan Community Open House Both Rachel Kuntzsch and Tristan Johnson were healthy and active when their doctors delivered unimaginable diagnoses of life-threatening illnesses….
Blog, Let's Talk, News | August 1, 2023
National Minority Donor Awareness Month is crucial to saving more lives
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…
Blog, News | July 24, 2023
Gift of Life Hosted Annual LIFE Walk/Run on Belle Isle
Gift of Life MOTTEP hosted its 26th annual LIFEWalk/Run event on July 22 on Belle Isle in Detroit. The event included a 5K walk and run, and a 10K run. The theme for the event…
Blog, News | July 19, 2023
Gov. Whitmer signs bill to add Organ Donor Registry question to state income tax forms in 2024
Check Your Heart Act is the first of its kind in the nation. Groundbreaking legislation to bolster the Michigan Organ Donor Registry became law on Tuesday with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature on the Check Your…
Blog, News | June 26, 2023
Hundreds celebrate new legislation placing donor registry question on state income tax forms
Check Your Heart Act would be first of its kind in the nation More than 400 people in Michigan’s organ and tissue donation and transplant converged on the lawn of the Michigan Capitol in Lansing…
Blog, News | June 22, 2023
Gift of Life Michigan CEO named president-elect of association representing organ donation programs across the country
The Association for Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) has named Gift of Life Michigan President and CEO Dorrie Dils as its president-elect. The Saline resident will serve in the national role for one year before becoming…
Blog, News | June 19, 2023
Rally in Lansing will celebrate new legislation placing donor registry question on state income tax forms
Check Your Heart Act would be first of its kind in the nation As many as 400 people in Michigan’s organ and tissue donation and transplant community will converge on the lawn of the Michigan…
Blog, News | June 5, 2023
Gift of Life Michigan breaks yet another state record for donors
Organ and tissue donors help hundreds in May Gift of Life Michigan helped a record 63 people become organ donors and 177 gave the gift of tissue in May, saving and healing hundreds of critically…
Blog, News | May 11, 2023
Bill to add donor registration option to tax forms passes Michigan House
Key legislation that would allow state income tax filers to add their names to the Michigan Organ Donor Registry is one step closer to reality. The Check Your Heart Act passed the House today. It…
Blog, News | April 26, 2023
Donor Registry Awareness Bill introduced in Michigan
NEW SENATE BILL WOULD INCREASE AWARENESS, PROVIDE EDUCATION ON ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION Updated April 26, 2023 This week, Sen. Kevin Daley (R-Lapeer) introduced Senate Bill 287, which mirrors House Bill 4060 introduced by State…
Blog | April 14, 2023
Transplant Throwback: Carol Cerny
Blog | April 14, 2023
Historic gift funds student education
Blog, News | April 14, 2023
Gift of Life sets organ and tissue records in 2022
Blog | April 13, 2023
Placenta donation offers super-healing powers to patients in need
Moms and babies are helping heal painful open wounds with generous gifts of “miracle tissue” Little Coleton Voss has no idea how many people he’s already helped in his young life. But with the gift…
Blog | April 13, 2023
Check Your Heart campaign aims to bolster Organ Donor Registry
Blog | April 13, 2023
Workplace partnerships expand our reach
Blog, News | April 13, 2023
Proposed state bills would educate and register more donors
Check Your Heart Act would add donation question to income tax form Patrick Wells-O’Brien spends a lot of time generating innovative ideas about how to add thousands of names to the state’s Organ Donor Registry….
Blog | April 13, 2023
Staff Spotlight: Michigan donors contribute to groundbreaking research
Nick Olden has one job and it’s pivotal: He finds ways for non-transplantable donated tissue and organs to help humanity through research. Gift of Life Michigan’s research coordinator and the clinical teams working alongside him…
Blog | April 13, 2023
Michigan donors help with important brain research
Unique partnership has the potential to improve millions of lives The families of donors in Michigan are saying yes to research that could lead to breakthroughs in crippling diseases of the brain. In fact, 170…
Blog, Stories of Hope | April 12, 2023
Grueling time on dialysis ends with ultimate gift
Organ donor saves star high school athlete who then literally pays it forward to help donation programs A young donor saved two things most important to Tristan Johnson: His life and his ability to play…
Blog | April 6, 2023
Gift of Life recognizes champions of organ, eye and tissue donation
Gift of Life is grateful to leaders in our community who champion our mission of honoring life through donation. Later this month the organization will present Gift of Life Champion Awards to 21 people or…
Blog, Let's Talk | April 6, 2023
Organ donation awareness is key in multicultural communities
MOTTEP and Gift of Life Michigan balance disparities with outreach and information Dr. Jewel Mullen, the associate dean for health equity at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, published an opinion piece…
Blog, News | April 5, 2023
Bill would add organ donor registry question to state income tax forms
If passed, Michigan would be the first in the nation to do so Key legislation introduced on March 24 would include an important question on state of Michigan income tax forms: Would you like to…
Blog, Stories of Hope | March 29, 2023
Volunteer Spotlight: Liver transplant recipient dreams big
Volunteer wants to help transplant families with House of Hope for extended stays in Detroit Aarolyn McCullough was inspired by one simple question: “Where can I buy groceries?” Aarolyn was volunteering to spend time with…
Blog, Stories of Hope | March 1, 2023
Monroe man raises awareness about organ donation while waiting for a new heart
Philip Perry is trying to stay busy and remain healthy – anything he can do to keep his mind off the fact that he needs a new heart. “I’m trying not to think about the…
Blog | February 20, 2023
Kidney donor reaches new heights
Shelby Township woman saved a life, then took on Mounts Everest, Kilimanjaro Emily Polet-Monterosso got healthy so she could give a kidney to a stranger, then started climbing mountains. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever…
Blog | February 8, 2023
Michigan woman pens book about daughter, organ donation
“But God” chronicles difficult life that led to a decision to save others Sara Schmidt’s final act saved two lives. A registered organ and tissue donor, her gifts saved two other women – one in…
Blog, Let's Talk, Stories of Hope | February 3, 2023
Heart recipient adopts second mission: Advocating for organ, tissue donation
“I always tell people to sign up,” Grosse Pointe Woods woman says Vickie Figueroa makes her living ensuring that people of Black, Hispanic and Native American heritage are included in the Catholic Church and cared…
Blog, Gift of LifeLines | January 31, 2023
Don’t Let Misinformation About Organ Donation Affect Your Decisions
Don’t let misinformation about organ and tissue donation affect your decision to sign up as a donor and leave a legacy of kindness and generosity. Please consider this credible, accurate information as you make your…
Blog, Let's Talk | January 22, 2023
Most Common Organ Donation Myth
Most common myth: Doctors won’t work to save your life if you register to be an organ donor. It’s just not true. A terrified Terra DeFoe waited and watched in 2014 as doctors at Michigan…
Blog | January 11, 2023
National Donor Day 2023
When is National Donor Day 2023? February 14 is a special day in the U.S. We all know it’s Valentine’s Day, but did you know it’s also National Donor Day? What is National Donor Day?…
Blog, News | January 9, 2023
Gift of Life Michigan sets record for organ, tissue donors in 2022
Gift of Life Michigan helped a record 463 people become organ donors and 1,821 give the gift of tissue last year, saving thousands of lives and healing tens of thousands more. The 2022 figures represent…
Blog | January 8, 2023
Can Family Override Organ Donation
Many prospective organ donors sometimes have concerns about whether their families may attempt to override their decision to donate after death. Although most loved ones are committed to honoring the decisions of the deceased, the…
Blog | January 8, 2023
Who Can Donate a Kidney?
More than 90,000 Americans are waiting for a kidney transplant, so becoming a kidney donor can save lives. If you consider becoming a donor for a family, friend, or even a stranger, your generous gift…