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Richard "Jake" Jacobson and his dog at a sunflower farm
Featured | November 11, 2024

Veteran shares struggle in hopes to inspire “at least one”

Richard “Jake” Jacobson’s motto is “at least one.”  “My hope is that by sharing my story, I might help at least one person who is struggling,” said Jake. “Not just someone on the waiting list…

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Stories of Hope | May 17, 2013

Bobby

On April 13, 2009, my mother’s fiance of 7 years was taken off life support. Because they all knew how he was such a giving man they decided he would want to donate his organs…

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Stories of Hope | May 17, 2013

Bob Sharon

My husband Bob was only 37 when I noticed that he was tired all the time, it was all he could do to go to work. He went in heart failure very fast. When we…

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Stories of Hope | May 17, 2013

Ryan Clark

Ryan was the most upbeat, fun loving, active, intelligent, young man I ever knew. He knew exactly what he wanted out of life and was determined to make all of his dreams come true. At…

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Stories of Hope | May 17, 2013

Alexis Johnson

On April 8, 2009 at 7:45 am my daughter Alexis was at school there were some kids playing with balls and a 15 year old threw a basketball at her it hit her in the…

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Stories of Hope | May 17, 2013

Braedon Bishop

BRAEDON’S STORY (by Eric Bishop) Born 2 weeks after his due date, Braedon was the biggest of our three children. Weighing in at a healthy 9 lbs, 9 oz, he was actually so well-developed that…

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Stories of Hope | May 17, 2013

Mark Otto

As an adult, Mark’s life was saved because someone gave a hero’s gift, the gift of life. Today, Mark honors his liver donor by keeping fit with a daily run. In 1998 Mark went into…

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Stories of Hope | May 17, 2013

Gina G.

A heroic gift from a stranger allowed Gina, a 17 year old cornea recipient, to stay in the game. Playing basketball has always been a dream of Gina’s, but dreams can quickly turn. During a…

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Stories of Hope | May 17, 2013

Doug Clark

Just four months back from their honey moon, Jacquelin Clark couldn’t believe what she heard: Doug, her 29-year old husband, had been tragically killed in a snowmobile accident. “He was taken to Newberry Hospital, which…

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Stories of Hope | May 17, 2013

Chef O. Oliver Hale

There is always something sensational cooking in Chef O.’s kitchen. He fulfills his mother’s wisdom to always do his best and honors his donor by living a full and productive life. It’s been more than…

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Stories of Hope | May 7, 2013

Andrea S.

Andrea has become captivated in the world of photography, recording the special moments in the lives of others. Her passion was inspired by the gifts of a kidney donation from her mother and a pancreas,…

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Stories of Hope | May 7, 2013

Ben Hayes

Ben Hayes was 28 and dying of a rare lung disease. Just when he didn’t think he’d wake to see tomorrow, an Ohio accident victim saved his life. Click here to sign up. A double-lung…

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Stories of Hope | May 7, 2013

Lynn Parker

Lynn Parker found that donating her son’s organs helped her family cope with intense grief. Click here to sign up. At 18, with a new diploma from Troy Athens High School, Tim Parker had his…

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Stories of Hope | May 7, 2013

Sherry Johnson

Sherry Johnson needed a new heart to live. More than three years after her transplant, she’s doing just that, thanks to her hero. Click here to sign up. Sherry Johnson was a 36-year-old Farmington Hills…

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Stories of Hope | May 7, 2013

Sam Allen

Dr. Sam Allen, who lost his good friend to kidney disease, is committed to helping others get the transplants they desperately need. Click here to sign up. As a student in medical school, Sam Allen…

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| February 22, 2013

Students inspire 2,287 Michigan residents to donate life

Wayne State and Siena Heights universities won the 10 annual Gift of Life Campus Challenge. Wayne State won for signing up the most new donors with 854. Siena Heights won for registering the most people…

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| February 11, 2013

Record number of residents joined the Michigan Organ Donor Registry in 2012

More than a half million Michigan residents made the decision to be a hero to someone in need by joining the state’s organ donor registry in 2012. Those sign ups – a record – pushed…

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| January 9, 2013

Record number join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry in 2012

Michigan shattered a record as 524,418 people joined the Michigan Organ Donor Registry in 2012. That was 31 percent higher than the nearly 400,000 who did so in 2011, and it brings the state’s total…

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| September 27, 2012

New campaign in Wayne County aims to increase donors and save lives

Gift of Life is trying to help Detroit and Wayne County close the gap between its great need for transplants and its low percentage of donors. A new PSA, Waiting to Live – Wayne County,…

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| June 20, 2012

Governor signs Peace of Mind Registry

Gift of Life Michigan is applauding passage of the new Peace of Mind Registry, which will give citizens the opportunity to file their advance directives in a secure database that can be accessed by healthcare…

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| March 22, 2012

Michigan Gets Donate Life License Plate

Gift of Life Michigan and its partners are celebrating a new specialty license plate and fund that promote organ, eye and tissue donation. Lt .Gov. Brian Calley signed the bill today giving the new plate…

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| March 22, 2012

Michigan Gets Donate Life License Plate

Gift of Life Michigan and its partners are celebrating a new specialty license plate and fund that promote organ, eye and tissue donation. Lt .Gov. Brian Calley signed the bill today giving the new plate…

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| February 28, 2012

Wayne State University and Calvin College Win Campus Challenge

Colleges and universities across Michigan motivated more than 3,400 residents to join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry during the 2012 Campus Challenge. Wayne State registered the most with 1,133; Calvin College signed up the highest…

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| January 26, 2012

Donor Registry has record year

A record number of people joined the Michigan Organ Donor Registry in 2011, Gift of Life Michigan has announced. A total of 398,000 registered last year to someday donate their organs, eyes and tissue. That’s…

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| October 28, 2011

Secretary of State Change Adds Thousands to Registry

Six months after Secretary of State Ruth Johnson launched her new campaign to sign up more organ donors, including a new policy directing branch office employees to ask customers if they would like to join…

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| September 30, 2011

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson Receives Community Service Award

Please join us 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sept. 29 for the first Donate Life Capitol Celebration on the steps of the Capitol in Lansing to promote organ, tissue and eye donation. Hundreds of recipients,…

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| May 18, 2011

Donate Life Capitol Celebration

Please join us 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sept. 29 for the first Donate Life Capitol Celebration on the steps of the Capitol in Lansing to promote organ, tissue and eye donation. Hundreds of recipients,…

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| April 19, 2011

SOS Clerks Will Ask the Question

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson has announced a new policy that directs clerks, when time permits, to ask customers if they would like to join the Donor Registry. Michigan ranks 45th in the nation in…

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| February 25, 2011

MSU and Adrian Win Campus Challenge

Michigan State University and Adrian College have captured the Gift of Life Campus Challenge trophies. The annual organ donor drive involved 20 Michigan colleges and universities. MSU added the most names to the Michigan Organ…

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| March 18, 2010

Gov. Jennifer Granholm signs law requiring organ donation be taught in driver’s education

Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill into law Thursday mandating organ and tissue donor education in driver’s education classes. The law takes effect immediately and will ensure that all driver’s ed instructors in Michigan teach…

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| February 18, 2010

Gift of Life Campus Challenge nets more than 2,000 sign ups statewide

Congratulations to Eastern Michigan University with 405 donor registrations, and Siena Heights University, which registered 10.5 percent of its student population, for winning the 2010 Gift of Life Campus Challenge.

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| February 1, 2010

Statewide registration drive nets 319,000 new organ donors in 2010

Gift of Life Michigan and its partners added a record 319,000 new names to the Michigan Organ Donor Registry in 2010. That’s 33 percent more sign-ups than in 2009, and it means more lives will…

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| December 14, 2009

DONOR Logo Becomes Permanent

Secretary of State customers who are signed up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry will have the red donor/heart logo printed on their standard driver’s license or State ID.

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