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“There’s so much humanity in what we do.”

For the first time since his father’s death, Stephen Leite visited the gravesite. He was sitting near his father’s gravestone when he received a phone call. The call was from Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, offering him a job as manager of quality and process improvement.

“It was a sign that the universe was giving me a hug,” he tells his colleague Lynden Gault, in a conversation about how they both came to Gift of Hope.

Lynden shares that her own father received a kidney transplant from her aunt more than 25 years ago. Years later, taking the position at Gift of Hope “completed the circle,” she says. “My dad’s life was saved by what people do here.”

Lynden is a supervisor for Gift of Hope’s 24/7 histocompatibility laboratory conducting the tests and cross-matches vital to organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Sharing appreciation for each other’s work, Lynden tells Stephen about how she educates her team on critical regulations and quality improvement processes. “I love being part of the quality assurance program at Gift of Hope,” says Lynden. “We make sure the lab is the utmost it can be.”

She tells Stephen: “At the end of the day, we can see who we’re helping. You’re making sure [the process of donation] continues to happen.”

Stephen talks about his role and his team’s work with performance improvement programs, and support for all departments in maintaining high operating standards. “Focusing on what I can improve and how I can have an impact—I appreciate being able to make a difference on a daily basis,” he says.

Stephen reflects on how the Gift of Hope lab summarizes his outlook on life: “There are all these tubes of blood lined up and you can’t tell people apart. We don’t focus on the differences, because on the inside we’re all the same–we want to be happy and have joy.”

“There’s so much humanity in what we do…so much is involved with human conditions and human stories.”