Featured | April 17, 2024
Mallaki receives the gift of life and a new family
Ben and Karen Hayes knew no one could care for the foster boy like they could A 7-year-old boy in the foster care system was recovering from a life-saving liver transplant when two strangers walked…
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Blog, Gift of LifeLines | April 29, 2021
Ascension Borgess memorial tree offers permanent tribute to organ donors
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…
| April 22, 2021
Pediatric Transplant Week focuses on need for organ, tissue donors
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…
| April 15, 2021
Blue & Green Day highlights need for registered organ, tissue donors
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…
Fifty for 50, Stories of Hope | April 14, 2021
Southgate woman celebrates new adventures, life milestones
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,…
| April 9, 2021
High school nonprofit group helps Gift of Life Michigan raise awareness and save lives
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…
Fifty for 50, Stories of Hope | April 7, 2021
Husband saves wife with donated kidney
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…
| April 2, 2021
Virtual activities highlight National Donate Life Month
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…
Fifty for 50, Stories of Hope | April 1, 2021
‘I just tell people: think of your loved ones.’
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…
| April 1, 2021
Campus Challenge adds 164 to Michigan Organ Donor Registry
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…
| April 1, 2021
Daley resolution recognizes Donate Life Month in Michigan
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…
Fifty for 50, Stories of Hope | March 25, 2021
‘He was a giver all his life’
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…
Fifty for 50, Let's Talk, Stories of Hope | March 17, 2021
‘I see life in a different way now’
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…
| March 11, 2021
Gift of Life Michigan urges legislature to approve HOPE Act
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)…
Fifty for 50, Stories of Hope | March 5, 2021
‘It changes the way you look at everything’
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…
Fifty for 50, Stories of Hope | February 26, 2021
Teen leaves legacy of kindness, faith and healing
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…
Fifty for 50, Stories of Hope | February 19, 2021
Donated heart grants Lansing woman 24 years of added life, and counting
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…
Fifty for 50, Stories of Hope | February 12, 2021
Decision to donate is a ‘silver lining’ for Michigan family
‘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…
Blog | February 11, 2021
Patients who recover from Covid-19 can still donate organs, tissue
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…
Fifty for 50, Let's Talk, Stories of Hope | February 5, 2021
Faith, family and friends help Canton mom triumph over hardship
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…
Fifty for 50, Stories of Hope | January 29, 2021
‘My son. My Bobby. My hero.’
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…
| January 28, 2021
Teen saves five lives through donation
‘We’re so, so grateful she made this choice,’ family says Montcalm, MI – Destini Cunliffe excelled at many things, but she is perhaps best known for her ability to make friends. The 18-year-old Montcalm woman’s…
Fifty for 50, Let's Talk, Stories of Hope | January 24, 2021
Kidney transplant allows teen to graduate high school
Last year, Acacia Walter-Rooks accomplished something she wasn’t sure she’d be able to do: graduate high school. Now a freshman at Calvin University, Walter-Rooks had both of her kidneys removed when she was a child…
Fifty for 50, Stories of Hope | January 16, 2021
Kidney recipient finds purpose in post-transplant advocacy
‘There’s a reason for it, and I think my reason is to help others.’ When a severe headache sent Sonya Cook to the doctor, she hardly expected a life-changing diagnosis. “I never had headaches before,…
Blog, Fifty for 50, Stories of Hope | January 15, 2021
Gift of Life Michigan launches #50for50 campaign to honor anniversary
Gift of Life Michigan is celebrating a milestone this year: the 50th anniversary of our founding. Founded in 1971 by four surgeons who wanted to develop a more efficient way to get life-saving organs to…
| January 15, 2021
Gift of Life Michigan celebrates 50 years of saving lives
2020 was third consecutive year with record number of organ donors For the third consecutive year, Gift of Life Michigan has honored the generosity of a record number of organ donors, saving thousands of lives…
Blog | December 29, 2020
Year-long partnership brings in $75K to Gift of Life Foundation
A group of metro Detroit students have made quite a difference for the Gift of Life Foundation in 2020. Key2Finesse, a student-led nonprofit organization, generated $75,000 for the Gift of Life Foundation through a year-long…
| December 21, 2020
Student group raises $75K for Gift of Life Foundation
‘Speak the Difference’ fundraiser caps year-long partnership with Key2Finesse Ann Arbor, MI – Key2Finesse, a student-led nonprofit organization, has generated $75,000 for the Gift o f Life Foundation through a year-long partnership. The Gift of…
| December 10, 2020
Legacy of hope: Gift of Life Michigan honors surgeon for sharing organ, tissue donation education with young doctors
Organ and tissue donors can leave a legacy of hope and healing and Dr. Harry Anderson wants to share that legacy throughout the community and across the county. Dr. Anderson, the medical director of the…
| December 9, 2020
Hurley Medical Center honored as Donor Hospital of the Year
Organ and tissue donation and transplantation is truly a team effort that requires collaboration between medical staff and transplant centers, along with the compassion and generosity of donors and donor families. The Hurley Medical Center…
| December 8, 2020
Gift of Life Michigan honors Henry Ford nurse with Champion Award
Ann Arbor, MI – Elise Pavlick believes education and communication are the keys to providing hope and healing for patients and their families. A nurse practitioner in the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit at Henry Ford…
Blog | December 4, 2020
Thank you to all our HOSA heroes!
Like everything else this year, the Gift of Life HOSA Challenge was a little different than it has been in the past. The third annual challenge, which pits future health professionals – from different Health…
| December 4, 2020
Future health professionals add hundreds to Michigan Organ Donor Registry
Annual HOSA challenge pits students in friendly competition to register new donors Ann Arbor, MI – There are nearly 400 new organ and tissue donors registered in Michigan, thanks to the efforts of students across…
| November 26, 2020
Thanksgiving marks special anniversary for local family
Two years later, family celebrates heart transplant that saved Grand Ledge mom The Thanksgiving holiday will always hold a special place for Rachel Kuntzsch and her family. It was two years ago that a heart…
| November 23, 2020
Muskegon County ME honored for going above and beyond
Team effort, collaboration earn Dr. Joyce deJong 2020 Donation Champion Award Dr. Joyce deJong, the medical examiner for Muskegon, Ingham, Allegan and Kalamazoo counties, was honored by Gift of Life Michigan for her support of…
| November 19, 2020
Dr. Teresa Jacobs honored by Gift of Life Michigan
Few physicians have done more over the years to help fulfill the wishes of donors and their grieving families than Dr. Teresa Jacobs at Michigan Medicine. Dr. Jacobs, the director of the Neurological Intensive Care…
Blog | November 18, 2020
Gift of Life Michigan salutes Donation Champions
What makes a champion? In the organ and tissue donation realm, there are so many to choose from. At Gift of Life Michigan, we consider everyone who signs up on the Organ Donor Registry, anyone…
| November 18, 2020
Labor of love: Grand Rapids man honored for sharing heartfelt journey about organ donation
As a truck driver, Chad Milton has been on more journeys than he can probably count. Milton, a Grand Rapids resident, is being honored by Gift of Life Michigan for another type of journey, however,…
| November 17, 2020
Changing hearts, changing minds: Donation Champion Award marks improved collaboration with funeral home professionals
Funeral Home professionals and Organ Procurement Organizations can sometimes have a contentious relationship. Caring for and embalming organ and tissue donors can create extra work for funeral professionals or new challenges for funeral directors. That’s…
| November 16, 2020
West Branch couple honored for volunteer efforts
Gift of Life Michigan recognizes Donor Champions for outreach, advocacy Gift of Life Michigan relies on more than 350 volunteers across the state and few are as active or productive as Ward and Lydia Kimball…
| November 15, 2020
Innovative approach nets MFDA chief Champion Award From Gift of Life Michigan
‘It’s really part of our mission, too,’ says executive director Seven years ago, funeral directors across the state got together with representatives from Gift of Life Michigan to discuss challenges and improve their working relationship….
Blog | November 13, 2020
National Donor Sabbath brings faith traditions, donor families and recipients together
This weekend, faith leaders across the country are getting together to host discussions about organ and tissue donation. The annual National Donor Sabbath takes place from Nov. 13-15 this year. It is traditionally observed on…
| November 12, 2020
Gift of Life HOSA Challenge brings students together to register organ and tissue donors
Tristan Johnson said he constantly felt fatigued during his freshman year in high school. He no longer had the energy to get together with his friends or play his favorite sport, lacrosse. He didn’t learn…
| November 11, 2020
DeFoe honored as Multicultural Difference Maker
‘It’s about educating the community,’ senior advisor to Mayor Mike Duggan says Detroit, MI – Terra DeFoe, a senior advisor for Det roit Mayor Mike Duggan, was honored by Gift of Life Michigan for her…
| November 5, 2020
Lansing’s WLNS wins Donation Storyteller Award
Lansing, MI – Storytelling can be powerful way to share benefits of organ and tissue donation by helping audiences understand the good that can come from great tragedy, and they often inspire people to register…
| November 5, 2020
‘A second chance at life is exactly what she got’
Flat Rock teen marks 16th anniversary of liver transplant Today, Shannon and Frank Hamet are celebrating their “little miracle.” Nov. 5 is not Marisa, their 17-year-old daughter’s, birthday but it marks the 16th anniversary of…
| November 4, 2020
Advocacy, passion make Sinai Grace nurse a Donation Champion
Gift of Life Michigan honors ICU nurse manager for organ, tissue donation education Wendy Lavin is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of her patients and spreading the legacy of hope. Lavin, manager…
| November 3, 2020
From tragedy to hope: chaplain brings light to families in dark times
Gift of Life Michigan honors Holland resident as Donation Champion As a hospital chaplain, Cindi Veldheer DeYoung is frequently with families at their darkest hour. Working in the Intensive Care Unit at Spectrum Health Butterworth…
| November 2, 2020
‘The best part of my day’
Beaumont nurse honored by Gift of Life Michigan as Donation Champion When Jennifer Fogarty first volunteered to take on the role of transplant nurse outreach coordinator at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, it was a four-hour…
Blog | October 30, 2020
Proposed organ transplant system reforms miss the mark
The United States has the best organ donation and transplantation system in the world. Organ donation has increased nationwide for seven straight years and, even in the midst of a pandemic, our system is on…
Blog | October 30, 2020
Despite state changes, Gift of Life Michigan will maintain Covid-19 protocols
There have been changes to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive orders regarding the Coronavirus, and others have been recently overturned by the courts. At Gift of Life Michigan, we are maintaining the status quo and will…