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More than 300 comfort blankets created during third annual event Dozens of volunteers, organ transplant recipients and members of donor families got together recently to create some warmth for newly grieving families. The Donate Life…

May 31 will be recognized as Amaia Alysse Edmond Day after unanimous council vote   The legacy of a young girl from the Lansing community who donated her organs will live on, after the Lansing…

Commerce Township woman finds passion in organ, tissue donation advocacy A desire to help others has turned into a life passion for Cathy Warren. Warren, 57, of Commerce Township, started working for the Donate Life…

Battle Creek woman beats cancer, achieves dreams with donated tissue Kristen Main faced an impossible choice before she even turned 13 years old. She mentioned a strange lump on her arm to her doctor during…

A lot of people called Jim Pixley ‘the Miracle Man,’ because of all the things he went through and everything he accomplished. Pixley, of Highland Township, passed away on April 28, 2020 at the age…

Donated tissue allows breast cancer survivor to quickly resume life, activity   With a history of breast cancer in her family, Sue Pilon was not about to take chances when she was diagnosed with the…

When news broke recently that a Denver transplant center disqualified a candidate for transplantation because she was not vaccinated for Covid-19, some Michigan residents asked how this might affect patients in our state. From the…

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…

Bill enabling organ transplants from HIV-positive donors to HIV-positive patients referred out of committee, headed for vote

When Michael Love started to experience shortness of breath, the Southfield resident said he thought it’d be easy to treat. He was 50 years old at the time and noticed he had been slowing down…

Grand Rapids facility, staff recognized for innovation, support of organ and tissue donation Spectrum Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids was honored as the 2021 Donor Hospital of the Year by Gift of Life Michigan for…

For the third consecutive month, Gift of Life Michigan honored the wishes of a record number of organ donors, bringing hope for healing to the thousands of people still waiting for a life-saving organ. In…

Sometimes, life throws you a curveball. Mohamed El-Souri knows this better than most people. The 18-year-old Dearborn resident was a healthy, active teen who fell very ill while he was in high school. Doctors initially diagnosed him with pneumonia, but it turned out there was nothing wrong with his lungs – his heart was failing and he needed a new one.

Beats x Beers founder recognized for organ, tissue donation support and outreach Brandon Corder, a Flint native and founder of the Beats x Beers, is one of 13 individuals and three organizations honored recently by…

Champion Awards recognize organ, tissue donation supporters and innovators Dr. Carl Schmidt, chief medical examiner for Wayne County, is one of 13 individuals and three organizations honored recently by Gift of Life Michigan with a…

Flint McLaren nurse, kidney donor, honored as Donation Champion by Gift of Life Michigan Tonia Cole is so supportive of organ and tissue donation, she has the scar to prove it. A nurse in the…

Key2Finesse raises $75,000 for youth education, signs up 114 new organ, tissue donors Key2Finesse, a non-profit organization founded by Metro Detroit high school students, was one of three organizations and 13 individuals honored by Gift…

Valerie Canary, a Pediatric Trauma Program Manager at the Hurley Medical Center in Flint, is one of 13 individuals and three organizations honored recently by Gift of Life Michigan with a 2021 Donation Champion Award….

Dr. Jeffrey Wilt honored as Donation Champion for support of organ, tissue donation Dr. Jeffrey Wilt, medical director of critical care at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, was one of 13 individuals and three organizations…

One minute Oliver Hale was on top of the world, the next he was flat on his back. Hale, a Kentwood resident, had just won his first United States Tennis Association tournament in 1983 and…

Spectrum Critical Care Unit P.A. honored for support of organ, tissue donation Blair Cotton, a Physician Assistant in the Neurological Critical Care Unit at Spectrum Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, is one of 13 individuals…

Gifted storyteller recognized for sharing message of organ, tissue donation Ingrid Kelly, a reporter with FOX News Detroit, was one of 13 individuals and three organizations honored recently by Gift of Life Michigan with a…

Dominick Anastasi is back to playing catch and coaching his sons in basketball, baseball and football. He’s grateful for the experience, considering a year ago, he was too weak to even throw a baseball. Initially…

First responders recognized for role in support of organ and tissue donation Huron Valley Ambulance was honored recently by Gift of Life Michigan for its dedication to honoring the generosity of organ and tissue donors…

Jean Washington is now in a group that has far too many members: she’s waiting for a life-saving organ. Washington, 48, of Southfield, had been concerned about a general sense of fatigue last year and…

July 22, 2010, John Edmond got the call every parent dreads.

Third annual recognition ceremony celebrates donation supporters and innovators Gift of Life Michigan has chosen 13 individuals, three organizations and one hospital to receive 2021 Donation Champion Awards to recognize their extraordinary efforts to help…

Event promotes need for organ, tissue donors with ‘One voice, one vision to save and heal lives’ More than half the men, women and children waiting for a life-saving organ transplant are people of color,…

When Ja’Leisa White-Newhouse learned in 2018 that she could help others by donating her newborn baby girl’s placenta, she knew it was something she had to do.

August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month (NMDAM), when we call attention to the gap between the number of organ donors and the number of African Americans, Latinx, and Asian Americans who need life-saving organs and tissues….

Earl James has some advice for men who are inclined to ignore the typical aches and pains that come with age: ignore them at your peril.

Alex-Michael Springer fought through some adversity in his life and had a bright future ahead of him. When a tragedy cut his life short at the age of 24, a decision he made when he was younger saved the lives of five people.

William Wayne McGee IV was known by several nicknames, including ‘Ugg,’ and ‘Fat Daddy.’ His mother, and at least one of the people he saved when his life was tragically cut short at the age of 33, have another nickname for him, too: ‘God’s Gift.’

Farmington Hills, MI – Dale Milford has always been a man of strong faith, but he said his transplant journey – or, more accurately, journeys – elevated his calling. After three liver transplants, he said…

Michigan’s organ and tissue procurement program is taking precautions to protect staff, patients and the community Dorrie Dils, CEO of Gift of Life Michigan, recently announced the organization would require COVID-19 vaccination for all staff, beginning Sept….

The Michigan House of Representatives recently brought hope to patients living with HIV with a unanimous approval of the HOPE Act. Now, the bill goes to the Michigan Senate. State Rep. Felicia Brabec (D-Pittsfield Township)…

Fathers and daughters often share a unique bond, but for Ralph and Kristen Mutrynowski, that connection is even stronger. Ralph, now 70 and a Rochester Hills resident, donated a kidney to his daughter in 2014….

Annual event celebrates organ and tissue recipients, donors and donor families Livonia, MI – The Donate Life Transplant Games of America will be virtual again this year, but the fellowship participants feel continues to make…

Jud Lynch knew he would need two things: a haircut and a kidney transplant. The 68-year-old Grand Rapids man just didn’t expect to get them both from the same person. He was diagnosed with IGA…

Two decades ago, Mark Otto would’ve been happy to gain just one more year of life. Then 34, his liver was failing and he was plagued by chronically itchy skin. He was jaundiced and extremely…

Candice Desjarlais remembers the exact moment she decided to donate a kidney to her sister-in-law, Thelma. Thelma had just finished a five-and-a-half hour dialysis treatment, with Candice sitting with her to keep her company. Candice…

Nancy Banks was just finishing up a dialysis treatment when her phone started to ring. She didn’t recognize the number and was going to ignore it because the clinic had a strict no-calls policy. A…

Sarah Ann Scantamburlo has learned to live life to the fullest and make the most of whatever circumstances fate throws her way. “I feel like so many people wait for tomorrow, what they deem as…

Shane Sena was dedicated to his family and friends and enjoyed working on cars. “He was a big brother and a little brother. He was loved by his siblings. He doted on them,” said his…

Phil Laske remembers his brother, Joe, as a nice guy and jack of all trades. “He was very mechanically inclined,” said Phil, who works in the mailroom at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. “He fixed…

Heart recipient offers hope to young patients 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…

Photo contest seeks creative expressions of support Ann Arbor, MI – Showing support for organ and tissue donation can be as easy as selecting which colors to wear or deciding how to dress up your…

Rebecca Anderson has been able to watch her daughter get married, graduate from Michigan State University and earn a master’s degree. She has traveled to the Mediterranean and celebrated her 30th anniversary with her husband,…

Grant funds will enhance education on organ and tissue donation Gift of Life Michigan will use $75,000 in donations from a student-led nonprofit organization to help bring awareness of organ and tissue donation to young…

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…