A Full Circle of Generosity

A Full Circle of Generosity

For many families, a place to sleep, enjoy a meal and feel safe is not always a guarantee. Each night, the Roanoke House run by Ronald McDonald House (RMH) provides affordable, temporary housing for up to 44 families caring for ill or injured children. One of those children is 15-year-old Martisha. Diagnosed with kidney failure …

A Lifetime of Honor and Service

U.S. Army veteran Michael Russell – affectionately known as Mickey – believed his purpose in life was to help others. His mission was to serve, in life and death. Mickey had just completed the hiring process with the Scottsdale Police Department. He passed away unexpectedly due to a blood clot in the summer of 2017. …

Attendees painted rocks in honor of a loved one who has been through breast cancer and in recognition of BRA Day.

Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day

Tracey Warren-Hein is a wife and a mother. She is also a breast cancer survivor and tissue recipient. In summer of 2017, Tracey was busy living life with her husband and two boys, 6 and 8. She was having sweats accompanied by tender breasts, but dismissed it as pre-menopause symptoms. “I have no family history …

Build a Better Future for Pediatric Donation

It is because of a compassionate decision and a series of miracles that Zamya Noriega is alive today. The 16-year-old shared the incredible story of her liver transplant to a room full of pediatric donation partners at the Pediatric Symposium on Aug. 24, 2018. Her story is one of many, and with the cooperation of …

Transplant Games of America

The bright blue sky makes it hard to distinguish the path of a small, white golf ball, but liver recipient Steve Whitehead watches attentively until he sees the ball bounce onto the green in the distance. Steve and his teammate, Jim Manning, hop into their golf cart and speed off to complete the hole. Jim …

August is MVD Saves Lives Month!

[Photo: (l to r) Alexa Citro, public relations supervisor at DNA; Tim Brown, president and CEO at DNA; Claudia Flaherty, MVD specialist at DNA; Eric Jorgensen, MVD director; Jennifer Richards, stakeholder relations manager; Sara Pace Jones, vice president of Development and Communications at DNA; Maddie Carbajal, driver license specialist; Irma Molina, executive assistant; Mike Cryderman, …

ECHO the Message of Donation

Mariachi band players welcomed guests with vibrant tunes. Families snapped photos with blow-up microphones and miniature guitars. This musical theme tied together individuals from all communities as they gathered to share stories of hope and shed tears of remembrance. This was all to celebrate ECHO (Every Community Has Opportunity), Donate Life America’s annual campaign. This …

(front r): Heart recipient Dave Wipprecht (l to r): Austin, Joy, Ashlyn, Travis and Derek Wipprecht

A Father and a Fighter: Lifesaver gets a new chance at life

As a Phoenix firefighter, Dave Wipprecht firmly believes in miracles. In 2014, that faith was tested when Wipprecht began having difficulty breathing. Although doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia, his breathing problems persisted so he checked into Banner Thunderbird Medical Center. An echocardiogram revealed that his heart was four times its normal size. Wipprecht was given …

A New Family Through Organ Donation

Bagpipes broke the silence of an early April morning at HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center. Hospital staff gathered around the flagpole to witness strangers become family, bound by a person important to each of them but in very different ways. On Friday, April 27, 2018, Mike and Sydney Duke addressed the crowd who gathered …

Not All Heroes Wear Capes: A transplant recipient makes sure her donor is never forgotten

Jessica Drey was in elementary school when doctors diagnosed her with Type 1 diabetes. From there, she suffered through complications her diabetes caused, such as heart disease, nerve damage and organ failure. She was also beginning to go blind, and her kidneys were failing. Doctors told Jessica that she needed dialysis, since her body could …

Donor Network of Arizona

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