Blog

As VP of communications and external relations, Patrick also oversees legislative advocacy for Gift of Life Michigan. This is his update about the organization’s important legislative work in Michigan.  More than 14,000 Michiganders were added…

Signing up to become an organ and tissue donor is a personal decision, shaped by individual, family and sometimes faith-based considerations. All major religions in the United States support organ and tissue donation. Many religious leaders view it as the ultimate act of human kindness and charity or believe that it is a decision to be left up to the individual or family.

Deb Gustafson’s life changed at church one morning when a friend named Bonnie sidled up to her and whispered, “I want to be tested.”  Disease had destroyed Deb’s kidneys, and she’d been living without hers…

Josie Springer is a donation coordinator who has traveled to hospitals across Michigan to care for donors and their heartbroken families for 29 years.

CBS was given unprecedented access to follow the process from start to finish—capturing the expertise, emotion and teamwork involved in honoring the decision of donors and saving the lives of patients in need.

Dior Chambers is no stranger to kidney disease. It has touched every corner of her life—from losing her father, Elijah Coley, to renal failure in 2001, to watching her husband, Dominique survive 14 years of…

Today, the Michigan Senate adopted Sen. Kevin Daley’s (R-Lum) resolution to recognize April 2025 as Donate Life Month. Celebrated each April, the national observance is a time to raise awareness about organ, eye and tissue…

Brett Bowman, from Woodhaven, Mich., was born with cystic fibrosis. Growing up he was in and out of C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. He lost his younger brother Blake to the disease in…

Erik’s selfless decision to donate inspired his daughter Erika to honor his memory through advocacy

Through the pain of losing her husband Greg, Shalonda found purpose in raising awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation.

When Saginaw-area resident Londel Cook was diagnosed with end stage renal failure at a young age, he didn’t understand the severity of his illness.   “I didn’t take any of it seriously because I was 23,”…

Gift of Life Michigan Community Outreach Coordinator Shalonda Griffin’s late husband Greg was the ‘greatest person she has ever met.’  “He put the color in my world,” she shared. “I always think about the “Wizard…

Debra Wyant, the mother of Michigan’s first and only hand donor, has exemplified what it means to honor life through donation since 21-year-old Shayna Sturtevant became a donor nine years ago in Muskegon.   Debra will…

GRAND BLANC – On Thursday, April 24, Gift of Life Michigan will host the inaugural Genessee County Interfaith Breakfast. The free event will take place at the Captain’s Club Golf and Event Center in Grand…

In October 2013, Grosse Pointe Shores resident Dave Galbenski was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the liver’s bile ducts, causing inflammation and, ultimately, liver failure. “In that moment,…

For more than 15 years, Larry Gates, from Ann Arbor, lived with progressively worsening kidney function. His creatinine levels had always been on the high side, but slowly they began to increase. In 2019, he…

Sixteen-year-old Cooper Boike loves to play basketball. Standing tall at 6’3, he plays both point guard and center positions for Genessee Christian High School in Burton, located just outside of Flint.   In 2024 he had…

Through art, community, and the spirit of giving, Palee Haney from Kalamazoo has found a way to honor her sister, Chadapron Haney—affectionately known as “Guy.” “Guy was a force,” Palee said. “She was incredibly generous,…

FLINT, Mich. – Gift of Life Michigan has named Hurley Medical Center in Flint as its Hospital of the Year for 2025 for its outstanding commitment to organ and tissue donation. The hospital is the…

One act of kindness, impacted Steven, Larry  and Jamie’s friends, family and the communities they live in.

Tracy and Holly’s experience as transplant recipients inspired them to give back to their community for years to come.

Through art, community, and the spirit of giving, Palee Haney from Kalamazoo found a way to honor her sister, Chadapron Haney—affectionately known as “Guy.

When Cewanda Todd was 19-weeks pregnant, she was told her unborn daughter had a heart condition.   “Our doctors told us that she wouldn’t make it,” Cewanda said. “We chose to continue the pregnancy anyway….

Event focuses on reflective voices, riveting results and revolutionary future in transplantation The Detroit MOTTEP (Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program) Foundation and Gift of Life Michigan are proud to host the 15th annual Kountz…

Dr. Alfred Bolden’s involvement with organ, eye and tissue donation started over thirty years ago when he worked at Henry Ford Hospital in the cardiothoracic ICU. As a nurse he saw firsthand the issues African…

Tax forms provide opportunity to join Michigan Organ Donor Registry  Six million Michiganders file tax returns each year. Giving them the ability to join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry by simply checking a box on…

Deacon Lawrence J. Bailey was a kidney transplant recipient, husband, father and a fervent advocate for organ and tissue donation. Thanks to his selfless decision to join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry, he helped save…

We are proud to announce one new member of the Governing Board and five new members of the organization’s Advisory Board.  The Governing Board oversees the strategic vision and mission for Gift of Life, while the Advisory Board provides recommendations on policies and procedures that make up the donation and transplantation processes. 

From Carla to Suzanne, Gloria, Dain, and Mike, their stories are woven together through the gift of life—demonstrating how a single act of generosity can ripple through communities, creating lasting connections and inspiring others.

Steven Dye seemed perfectly healthy with no symptoms before he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.   “I had gone to visit my doctor for my annual physical,” said the Ann Arbor native. “Not sure how…

Jen Bennett, a mother of three from Ravenna, Mich., was working hard to get healthier for her family in 2022. Ten months before the accident, Jen had gastric sleeve surgery.   “I don’t think I…

Gift of Life Michigan is proud to announce new promotions and additions within its clinical leadership team. Jeff Patierno has been promoted to vice president, clinical operations and will oversee the clinical operations departments responsible…

More than 206,000 joined Michigan Organ Donor Registry 2024 was a year of growth, innovation and finding new ways to help patients in need for Gift of Life Michigan. The state’s organ and tissue donation…

Congratulations to the 18 people and organizations we will recognize at Gift of Life Michigan’s seventh Champions Gala on May 2. They were selected from dozens of nominations for their extraordinary efforts to promote or…

Name: Tom Brock Age: 65  Home: Hartland Transplant: Heart Why did you need a transplant and when did it happen?  In the summer of 1987, I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease affecting my heart…

Readers share their messages  The back bumpers of thousands of vehicles across the state sport the Donate Life logo specialty license plate which encourages residents to give the gifts of life, sight and mobility.  The…

Donors give life, sight and mobility to thousands. Learn the answers to frequently asked questions about tissue donation, and read three beautiful letters from tissue graft recipients to their donor families.

The organ donation process is carefully regulated for patient safety and conducted with the utmost respect for donors and their families. Organ procurement organizations (OPO) such as Gift of Life Michigan must adhere to medical, ethical and legal standards.  Brain death is death. Physicians at hospitals across the nation make the determination, or declaration, that a patient has died before that individual can become an organ donor. It’s important to understand what brain death is and how it’s determined in this context. 

Gifts pay for efforts to grow the Donor Registry  Gift of Life’s annual fundraising appeal is underway with an email campaign and a brochure mailer for friends and advocates of Gift of Life, donation and…

When Michael Love woke up groggy from his lung transplant surgery in 2015, he instinctively felt his nose for the cannula that had delivered life-sustaining oxygen for the previous six months.  It wasn’t there.  “I…

Dr. Tim Frankel is in the midst of groundbreaking research into pancreatic cancer, and the key to his findings is the generosity of organ donors from Gift of Life Michigan, just a few miles across town.  Since 2021, this state’s organ donors have provided more than 100 pancreases to Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor for pivotal research into one of the world’s deadliest cancers. Organs that can’t otherwise be placed for transplantation go to Dr. Frankel and his team, allowing them — for the first time anywhere — to compare normal pancreas samples with cancerous ones. 

Kathy Vogelsang said goodbye to her daughter, Rebecca, as the bright and funny high schooler left for play practice on a frosty March morning in 2008. A phone call not long after changed the trajectory of her entire family’s life.  That call also meant five patients waiting for organ transplants would receive the ultimate gifts — their chance to survive their otherwise-fatal diagnoses. 

“We made referrals to Gift of Life from the ER back when that wasn’t really happening at many hospitals,” Sheila Alston said. “I always thought, ‘I’m going to work there someday.’ I needed to know that something I did made a difference. And I wanted to be there for someone who was losing a loved one.” 

After being burned over 60% of his body, to the bone in some places, only skin grafts — lots of them over months — saved Roy’s life. He lived with gratitude for 26 years after his accident.  “Because of that precious gift of skin, Dad was here to see my two brothers, my sister and I graduate from college, marry, and welcome eight grandchildren."

Making the decision to become an organ donor upon your death is the first step in the organ donation process. But before a patient can become an organ donor, several things must happen.   After every…

Choosing to sign up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry gives you the opportunity to create a lasting impact on others’ lives. Making that decision known to your family is just as important.   In Michigan,…

Signing up to be an organ donor is just the first step in making your decision known. The next step? Sharing that decision with those closest to you. In Michigan, your decision to someday help…

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…

Most Americans are in favor of organ donation, but not everyone who joins the donor list is able to donate. In fact, only 3 in 1,000 people die in a way that allows for organ…

Four Michigan pickleball players are hoping to set a new world record and raise both awareness and money all in one swing.  West Michigan residents Brad Haverkamp, Julie Ondersma, Sydney Sonday and Caleb Dang will…