Area media generously shared many touching stories about organ and tissue donation during April's National Donate Life Month. The Chicago Tribune told the story of cornea transplant recipient Sarah Mittler, who also was featured in our "30 Stories in 30 Days" story series published on the Gift of Hope Blog. And the Chicago Sun-Times gave an update on the Swanson twins, who have received lifesaving liver transplants. WGLT radio, the Tribune's Triblocal and WTMX radio also aired or published donation stories during the month. We invite you to click on the links to read or listen to these inspiring stories about hope and life made possible through donation.

The Donna Frett Organ Donation Foundation has donated $5,000 to us in memory of Dustin Rozmenoski and Alex Baer, two young men who gave the gift of life through organ donation. Donna, an Advocates for Hope volunteer for Gift of Hope, received Dustin's liver in 2005 after his death in a traffic accident at 23. Alex died in a longboarding accident at 16 and gave life to others with his selfless gifts. Donna's foundation honors Dustin's gift and legacy and works to raise public awareness of the importance of being a registered donor. The financial gift will be used support our ongoing efforts to educate the public about donation and encourage people to register as donors.

To observe National Donate Life Month and recognize our many dedicated Advocates for Hope volunteers for their support of our lifesaving mission, we published 30 Stories in 30 Days —one story a day —throughout April on the Gift of Hope Blog. We shared the stories as part of our month-long observation of National Donate Life Month, but the stirring messages they send are meaningful all year long. We invite you to follow the link below to read these inspirational stories of hope and life made possible through donation.

During his recent deployment, Army Staff Sgt. Erik Tofte carried a Donate Life flag to Africa, the Mideast, Europe and Southeast Asia and displayed it to honor college friend Cameron Chana, who saved and enhanced more than 30 people’s lives as an organ and tissue donor. Erik took photos of himself with the Donate Life flag during his travels and recently presented the flag and a photo book to Cameron’s parents, Robert and Lori Chana. The Chicago Tribune and The Doings newspapers have chronicled Erik’s story.

We are now posting donation activity data for donor hospitals so you can monitor your performance on four key metrics and see how you compare with other hospitals. The data show rankings by organ donors, donation conversion rate, authorization rate and timely notification rate. Our latest data posting shows hospital performance for the first quarter of 2013. Additional updates will be posted quarterly throughout the year. We encourage you to review the reports regularly with your Gift of Hope Donation Coordinator.

Our creative video blends words, music and images into a high-impact visual tool designed to generate a social media “buzz” about organ and tissue donation and inspire people to register as donors. Life Song conveys the messages that we’re all born with our own “life song” that changes and evolves throughout our lives and concludes when we reach our “grand finales.” And that organ and tissue donation can let you keep the beat going and help others’ melodies keep playing once yours has faded.