Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is proud to serve as the federally
designated not-for-profit agency that coordinates organ and tissue donation
and supports families of donors in the northern three-quarters of Illinois and
northwest Indiana.

A mother expresses her appreciation for organ donation
From donor families to recipients and their families, lives are forever changed by someone making the decision to be an organ and tissue donor. Wendy Montgomery is a mother of a young heart transplant recipient, an employee of the State Farm Company, and an advocate for donation. Wendy told her story to over 30,000 State Farm employees in a company newsletter in hopes of creating awareness about the life-changing impacts of donation and to express her appreciation for the gift of life that her family received.

Read Wendy and her daughter’s story.

Tree of Life tribute wall
On April 1, the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago (UIC) kicked-off National Donate Life Month by unveiling its Tree of Life tribute wall. To read more about UIC’s remarkable tribute to donors, donor families and recipients, click here.

Young Girl Gives the Ultimate Gift
10-year-old Viridiana Lopez spent much of her short life caring for others. So when Viridiana died in a car accident, her family knew she would have wanted to save lives by being an organ/tissue donor. To read more about Viridiana and her family’s story of donation, click here.

Messengers of Hope
On Sunday, April 26, Gift of Hope’s African-American Task Force and Salem Baptist Church’s organ donor ministry co-hosted a telethon event, Messengers of Hope, at the House of Hope in Chicago. The telethon was held in honor of National Donate Life Month to encourage thousands to register as organ and tissue donors. We hope you had the chance to see the event, which was televised on WJYS-Channel 62, but if you missed it, please click on the names below to read about two of the highlighted participants: Paul Hutchins, former offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers; and Mariah Madison, a patient awaiting a heart transplant.

Three Heart Recipients Have a New Lease on Life
Today there are three fewer people waiting for lifesaving heart transplants – Scott Dowell, Merla Vonderheide and Rick Wells all received heart transplants within weeks of each other and have since banned together as friends and as a support group for one another. Take a look at the video interview with these extraordinary individuals and hear their heart-warming stories of life after a transplant.

Check Our New Transplant Community Network Site
Gift of Hope and Donate Life Illinois have recently launched a new Illinois transplant community networking site. This site is open to transplant patients, recipients, donor family members as well as any general supporters and Illinois’ advocates of organ and tissue donation. Come check it out! It’s a great way to meet members of the community and to share photos, videos, ask questions and come up with great new ideas to help spread the word about the importance of organ and tissue donation!

The need for organ and tissue donors
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White reiterates why it’s crucial to sign up or
re-register to become an organ and tissue donor.