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Fourth Quarter 2013

A Newsletter for Gift of Hope’s Partners and Friends

LIFE SAVERS Going Above and Beyond to Make Donation Happen

IN THIS ISSUE A Celebration of Hope Donate Life Rose Parade National Donor Sabbath

President/CEO J. Kevin Cmunt

IN THIS ISSUE

Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs David Bosch 630/758-2726 dbosch@giftofhope.org

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Donate Life Rose Parade

Friends Offer Financial Gifts

A northwest Indiana transplant recipient and a young donor from central Illinois will be honored on the 2014 Donate Life Rose Parade Float.

Four Gift of Hope friends, including Bob and Sherry Wechsler, donated more than $30,000 to help educate the public about donation.

Writer/Editor Tony Sullivan 630/758-2721 tsullivan@giftofhope.org Contributors Josh Muller 630/758-2743 jmuller@giftofhope.org Heidi Schaiberger 630/758-2740 hschaiberger@giftofhope.org Diane Schmitz 630/758-2741 dschmitz@giftofhope.org

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8 Life Savers

Volunteer Gets Fit for Life

Gift of Hope honored 22 people, hospitals and health systems with Lifesaving Partners Awards at a special ceremony on October 18.

Advocates for Hope volunteer Quinetta Taylor dropped 120 pounds to become eligible for the kidney transplant waiting list.

Cover Photo: Gift of Hope honored the “best of the best” in organ and tissue donation at its annual Lifesaving Partners Awards ceremony on October 18. The awards recognize people and organizations that go above and beyond the call of duty to make donation possible through their selfless work to give hope and life to people in need of lifesaving organ and tissue transplants.

A Donate Life Organization Connections provides the Gift of Hope public and professional communities with news and information about Gift of Hope, organ and tissue donation and the importance of being a registered organ and tissue donor. We encourage you to share this newsletter with your friends and associates and learn more about donation by visiting GiftofHope.org.

Copyright © 2013.

All Rights Reserved.

Donors Remembered at

A C E L E B R AT I O N O F H O P E Nearly 100 donor family members and their friends gathered at Gift of Hope on October 26 for A Celebration of Hope, a special day of hope and remembrance to honor loved ones who became organ, eye and tissue donors. Attendees at this year’s event heard inspiring stories that celebrated the selfless individuals who gave the gift of hope through donation so that others may live. Visit the Donor Families and Recipients section of GiftofHope.org to view pictures from this special day.

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Plans Set for 2014

Donate Life Rose Parade Linda Ramos and Teddy Deterding will be honored on the 2014 Donate Life Rose Parade Float on New Year’s Day. Ramos, a pancreas transplant recipient, will be one of 30 recipients riding on the float. A floragraph of Deterding will honor and recognize him for the gifts of life he offered as a donor. His will be one of 81 floragraphs adorning the float.

A transplant recipient and a donor family will represent Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network at the 2014 Donate Life Rose Parade on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, Calif.

Linda Ramos, who received a pancreas transplant in 2003, will be one of 30 riders — all transplant recipients — on the 11th annual Donate Life Float, one of 45 floats featured in the 125th edition of the Rose Parade. Ramos’ transplant ended her battle with diabetes, which had plagued her since she was 16. A long-time Advocates for Hope volunteer for Gift of Hope, she also received sclera to repair diabetes-related damage to her eyes.

A resident of Schererville, Ind., Ramos frequently shares her donation story with students, clinicians and community residents in northwest Indiana.

“Linda’s selection as our rider on the 2014 Donate Life Rose Parade Float couldn’t be more fitting considering the float’s theme, Light Up the World,” said David Bosch, Gift of Hope’s Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs. “Linda lights up a room due, in no small part, to receiving the gift of life from a selfless donor.”

Donor parents Robyn and Mike Deterding of Champaign, Ill., will attend the Donate Life Rose Parade festivities as Gift of Hope’s floragraph family. A floragraph will honor and recognize their son, Teddy, for the gifts of life he offered as a donor in 2000.

Floragraphs — floral images captured in flowers, seeds and spices — represent the millions of people touched by organ and tissue donation, including donor families, living and deceased donors, transplant recipients and people currently waiting for transplants. They are incorporated into the Donate Life float each year and honor deceased donors whose legacies lift the hopes of those in need of transplants.

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Connections - 2014 Donate Life Rose Parade

Teddy’s floragraph will be one of 81 colorful displays memorializing deceased donors nationwide. Before traveling to Pasadena, the Deterdings will add the final touches to his floragraph at a decorating ceremony to be held December 10 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In other Donate Life Rose Parade Float activities, Community Hospital in Munster, Ind., held a Rose Dedication Ceremony on November 6 to honor and remember donors from the hospital’s service area. More than 30 donor families attended the event to dedicate roses in honor of their loved ones. The roses were sent to Pasadena to be placed in the Donate Life Rose Parade Float’s Dedication Garden, a featured area of the float. Joining them will be more than a dozen other roses with personal messages written by chief executive officers from hospitals in Gift of Hope’s service area. These hospitals — University of Chicago Medicine, Advocate Christ Medical Center, Advocate Illinois Masonic and Mount Sinai Hospital among them — are showing their support for the Rose Parade by participating in a national initiative to get hospital executives to dedicate roses to be placed in the Dedication Garden.

Light Up the World is the theme of the 2014 Donate Life Rose Parade Float. The float features a festival of beautiful lanterns designed to inspire viewers worldwide to save and heal lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. The lanterns will illuminate 30 riders, all organ and tissue transplant recipients, and will be adorned with the 81 memorial floragraphs of deceased donors whose legacies of life shine brightly. In addition, 12 generous yet ordinary people who donated a kidney so that others could live will walk alongside the Donate Life Float. They will walk the five-mile parade route to underscore the possibility of donating a lifesaving organ while alive while demonstrating the vitality of people who have done so.

Gift of Hope Friends Donate $30,000 to Support Lifesaving Mission Four generous individuals and organizations recently donated more than $30,000 to support Gift of Hope’s efforts to educate the public about organ and tissue donation.

Donor family member and Advocates for Hope volunteer Kevin Helmer presented Gift of Hope with a financial donation of nearly $21,000 to honor the memory and legacy of his late wife, Niki. When coupled with a major donation he made in 2012, Helmer now has donated more than $50,000 to Gift of Hope through proceeds generated from the annual Niki Helmer Memorial Golf Outing. Niki saved the lives of three people through organ donation, and, to date, her gift of tissue donation has resulted in more than 180 bone and tissue transplants.

In recognition of his generosity and strong support for our mission, Helmer was honored as a Lifesaving Partner of Gift of Hope in October.

Meanwhile, Hinsdale Township High School District 86 and the students at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South high schools donated $7,000, part of the proceeds generated at the annual Hinsdale Township High School District 86: 24-Hour Relay Challenge, an annual student-produced event held to raise money for local service organizations and community and school groups within District 86. Students selected Gift of Hope as a beneficiary to honor a student’s father who offered the gift of life as a donor.

The Donna Frett Organ Donation Foundation donated $5,000 to Gift of Hope in memory of Dustin Rozmenoski and Alex Baer, two young men who gave the gift of life through organ donation. Frett, an Advocates for Hope volunteer for Gift of Hope, received Rozmenoski’s liver in 2005 after his death in a traffic

Kevin Helmer (second right) presented Gift of Hope President/CEO Kevin Cmunt with a check for nearly $21,000 on October 18. The gift honors the memory of Helmer’s wife, Niki, whose organ and tissue gifts have touched the lives of more than 180 people. Also pictured are Bob Jeske, who received Niki’s liver, and his wife Carrol. accident at 23. Baer died in a longboarding accident at 16 and gave life to others with his selfless gifts. Frett’s foundation honors Rozmenoski’s gift and legacy and works to raise public awareness of the importance of being a registered donor.

A final monetary gift also honors a loved one’s memory and his selfless act as a donor. Atkinson, Ill., residents Bob and Sherry Wechsler donated $1,500 to honor the memory of their son, Crist, a donor whose gifts have benefitted more than 100 people since his death in 2004. The financial gift was the result of proceeds generated through sales of It’s Magic, a creative cookbook that Bob Wechsler, a trained chef and former restaurant owner, published to share his “customer favorite” and other recipes developed over the years.

about organ and tissue donation; support donor family service activities; fund donation-related programs and activities that address the critical shortage of donor organs and tissue; and honor the people who gave the gift of hope and life to others through donation.

“We feel that using monetary donations for these purposes can help us bring more donor organs and tissue available to those in need and help us carry out our ultimate mission — to save and enhance people’s lives through organ and tissue donation,” said Kevin Cmunt, Gift of Hope’s President/CEO. “Through the generosity of gracious people and organizations like Kevin, Donna, the Wechslers and the Hinsdale high school district and its students, we offer the gift of hope to many people.”

Gift of Hope uses the generous financial gifts it receives to educate the public

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Gift of Hope Awards Scholarships to Hispanic Students Gift of Hope recently awarded scholarships ranging from $200 to $500 to Hispanic elementary school students in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood who took part in A Story for Hope, a Spanish creative writing and art contest designed to help students learn about organ and tissue donation and display their knowledge in words and pictures.

The contest, held at Clemente Orozco Academy in Chicago, was part of a series of events to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The program highlighted Spanish language and literature while helping to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation among the young students. The scholarships were awarded through Gift of Hope’s Scholarships for Hope initiative.

“The students demonstrated a great understanding about the significance of organ and tissue donation,” said Raiza Mendoza, Manager of Hispanic Affairs. “Their work was truly poignant and impressive, which indicates that we accomplished our mission to start a conversation between young students and their families about this topic that is so important to the Hispanic community.”

Galadriel Guerra’s drawing depicting a donor as a life-giving angel took first place in the A Story for Hope drawing contest held at Chicago’s Clemente Orozco Academy. The contest served as a creative platform for students in grades 1 – 8 to develop their native or second language Spanish writing skills, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and learn about organ and tissue donation.

AATF Hosts Telethon to Raise Donation Awareness Gift of Hope’s African-American Task Force brought the donation message to Chicago-area television viewers in late October through the You Can Make a Difference Telethon, which aired on WJYS-TV, Channel 62. Micah Materre of WGN-TV, Art Norman of NBC5-TV and Sonya Blakey of V103 radio served as hosts for the event. Much of the taped event was filmed at Gift of Hope.

The telethon featured donation advocate and Chicago Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman, who gave an update on his daughter, Tiana, who received a lifesaving heart transplant as a baby. It also featured an interview with Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, several interviews with donor families and transplant recipients and “man-on-the-street” interviews that captured everyday citizens’ views on organ and tissue donation. The You Can Make a Difference Telethon is available for viewing on GiftofHope.org.

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Connections - Donation News

Art Norman of NBC5-TV and Sonya Blakey of V103 radio served as emcees for the You Can Make a Difference Telethon, which educated Chicago viewers about organ and tissue donation and encouraged them to offer life to others as registered organ and tissue donors.

Faith Communities Observe National Donor Sabbath Gift of Hope joined clergy members, healthcare professionals and Advocates for Hope volunteers in Illinois and northwest Indiana in observing National Donor Sabbath over the November 15 – 17 weekend. National Donor Sabbath is an interfaith celebration of the gifts of hope provided through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Speaking together in a collective voice, Gift of Hope and other donation advocates in our service area urged people to make faith-based decisions to become organ and tissue donors and to register those decisions in the Illinois and Indiana donor registries.

Nearly all religions — including Catholicism, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism — support organ and tissue donation and view it as one of the highest expressions of compassion and generosity.

Yet, a common reason families give when they choose not to donate a loved one’s organs and tissues is “donation is against my religion.” Although beliefs differ from denomination to denomination, nearly all religions espouse the same basic principle: Organ and tissue donation represents one of the highest forms of compassion and giving.

“While a primary focus of National Donor Sabbath is to encourage people to make faith-based decisions to be donors, it also is a time to remember families who have lost a loved one yet gave the greatest gift of all — the gift of life,” said Kevin Cmunt, President/ CEO of Gift of Hope. “National Donor Sabbath also encourages people to focus thoughts and prayers on the thousands of men, women and children waiting for organs and tissue to save or enhance their lives. It urges everyone to let others know about this tremendous need and to participate in a united educational

National Donor Sabbath celebrates the gifts of hope provided through organ and tissue donation and encourages people to make faith-based decisions to become registered donors. celebration of life and hope, not just in November, each and every day throughout the year.”

Visit the Clergy Members section of GiftofHope.org to learn more about National Donor Sabbath and what you can do to share the donation message within your faith-based community.

Construction Begins on New Springfield Facility Gift of Hope has broken ground on its new, freestanding facility in Springfield, located just east of the organization’s existing office on Denver Drive.

When completed in spring 2014, the new building will enhance Gift of Hope’s ability to serve referring hospitals, coroners and other key customers in central Illinois.

“The new facility will help us strengthen the services we provide to people and organizations in central Illinois, and it will give our staff members and volunteers a state-of-the-art facility they will be proud of,” said Roy Mayfield, Gift of Hope’s Springfield-based Supervisor of Tissue Recovery Services and Funeral/Forensic Services.

The 10,000-square-foot, all-brick facility will feature a large community room with state-of-

the-art telecommunications equipment that will give Gift of Hope a place to hold donation-related seminars, public education programs and other training sessions for professionals and volunteers.

“It also will give coroners, funeral directors, hospital staff, the community, members of the Secretary of State’s staff and our Advocates for Hope volunteers a convenient and comfortable place to learn about organ and tissue donation,” Mayfield said.

“The sophisticated telecommunications arrangement we’re building into the new structure will let people participate in training sessions from remote locations, which will add convenience and help to reduce travel-related costs.”

Workers began laying the foundation for Gift of Hope’s new Springfield facility in early November. Construction is expected to be completed by spring 2014.

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LIFE SAVERS Individuals and Hospitals Honored for Going “Above and Beyond” to Support Donation

The boy was just 10. His death was imminent. His mother knew the situation. And accepted it. As much as a mother can accept a child’s impending death. Her wish expressed to Gift of Hope and hospital staff at Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria: Make him a donor. Through his death, give others life.

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systems recognized for their outstanding achievement in addressing the critical need for organ and tissue donation at a special ceremony on October 18.

The patient care team — these partners in donation — knew that honoring that wish would be difficult. But they found a way. They honored the mother’s wish. And, by doing so, they gave a small sense of meaning to a young boy’s death. And they saved lives. Working as a team. Working as partners.

Working as lifesaving partners.

“Our Lifesaving Partners Awards honor the ‘best of the best’ in organ and tissue donation — those people and organizations that have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help make donation happen,” said Kevin Cmunt, Gift of Hope’s President/CEO. “These are dedicated people and organizations that set the standard — and so often surpass it — in making donation possible. Through their selfless work, we give hope and life to those in need of lifesaving organ and tissue transplants.”

In recognition of its extraordinary work, Children’s Hospital of Illinois received a 2013 Lifesaving Partners Award from Gift of Hope. It was among 22 people, hospitals and health

Award recipients were nominated by Gift of Hope staff members and selected by a nomination review committee consisting of Gift of Hope management team members.

Connections - Life Savers

2013 Lifesaving Partners Award Honorees Administration Team, Advocate BroMenn Medical Center Recognized for working as a cohesive unit to continually make donation happen at the medical center, make compliance with referral requirements a top priority there and increase donation awareness both inside the hospital and in the surrounding community.

Michelle Black, Nurse Educator, St. John’s Hospital Recognized for being an integral part of St. John’s successes on the donation front. Black has revived St. John’s Donation Committee and was the driving force behind the hospital’s successful Hospitals for Hope campaign, which generated more than 800 donor registrations.

Children’s Hospital of Illinois, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center Lauded for its “out-of-the-box” thinking and teamwork on a case involving a 10-year-old donor. Their actions produced a successful donation outcome and serve as a testament to the medical center’s support for donation.

Dorene Gysin, Perioperative Education Coordinator, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center Honored for her work in implementing new donation-related hospital policies that have dramatically improved donation outcomes at the hospital. Gysin played a crucial role in organizing an organ recovery simulation at OSF Saint Francis to enhance staff’s ability to maximize the gifts of donation.

Linda Kraiko, Senior Director of Patient Services, Franciscan St. Margaret Health Recognized for her work in removing barriers to donation at Franciscan Health’s two hospitals in northwest Indiana. Kraiko was instrumental in implementing policy changes within the Franciscan Health system to help make the donation process run smoothly at the hospitals.

Dawn LeRoy, Director of Critical Care, Saint Francis Hospital Recognized for making donation part of the fabric throughout Saint Francis Hospital and the entire Resurrection Health System. Since LeRoy assumed responsibility for managing Saint Francis Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, the hospital’s donation conversion rate has improved dramatically.

Kevin Massey, Vice President of Mission & Spiritual Care, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Lauded for his work to represent Gift of Hope and its mission throughout Advocate Health Care and for consistently helping

Christy Howard-Steele, Staff Chaplain at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., was recognized for her tireless support of donation and her valuable collaboration on donation cases. to integrate donation into best practices used by chaplains and staff throughout the system. Massey consistently champions excellence on donation cases and continually seeks opportunities to bring the option of donation to families.

Organ and Tissue Donation Committee, Franciscan St. Anthony Health Honored for its commitment to promoting donation and donor registration through its consistent support of National Donate Life Month each April. Franciscan St. Anthony’s Donation Committee works steadfastly to make each National Donate Life Month observance at the hospital better than the last.

Kit Soper, Nurse Manager for Adult Critical Care, Rockford Memorial Hospital Honored for being an integral part of Rockford Health System’s successes on the donation front. Soper has built a strong and supportive donation culture throughout Rockford Health System and has been instrumental in obtaining vital policy and process changes to enhance donation outcomes.

Christy Howard-Steele, Staff Chaplain, Advocate Christ Medical Center Recognized for her tireless support of donation and for her valuable collaboration on donation cases. Due in large part to Howard-Steele’s work, Advocate Christ had 34 organ donors in 2012 — a record high for the hospital — and 26 of them came from the unit where Howard-Steele serves as staff chaplain.

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Dr. Denton has helped to reduce the number of organ donation refusals involving central Illinois coroners and has formed important alliances with his peers in the region to ensure that autopsies don’t impede the donation process.

Scott Denton, MD, was honored for his dedicated work to educate coroners about their role in the donation process.

Lynn Ullestad, Director of Cardiology and Diagnostics, Carle Heart & Vascular Institute, Carle Foundation Hospital Lauded for her passion for donation, which has enhanced Gift of Hope’s ability to successfully place donor hearts recovered at Carle Hospital for transplantation. Ullestad was the catalyst for policy changes that eliminated delays in performing and interpreting heart tests to enhance Gift of Hope’s recovery and placement efforts.

George Cardenas, 12th Ward Alderman, City of Chicago Recognized for his tireless support of Gift of Hope’s lifesaving mission in Latino communities of Chicago. Through his donation advocacy efforts, Alderman Cardenas has helped Gift of Hope educate and register hundreds of Latinos and establish a strong presence in Chicago’s Latino communities.

Rob and Lori Chana, Donor Parents Honored for their ongoing commitment to raise awareness of donation on college campuses and encourage students to register as donors. They do this by sharing the story of their late son, Cameron, a former Eastern Illinois University student who saved the lives of five people as an organ donor and whose tissue gifts have benefitted more than 50 people.

The Chanas have bonded with the national Sigma Pi Fraternity, which Cameron belonged to, and this influential student group has embraced donation as a national cause to help deepen the pool of registered donors.

Merri Dee, AARP Illinois State President Recognized for her more than two decades of work to help further Gift of Hope’s mission. A longstanding champion for donation, Dee has been working for 22 years to connect Gift of Hope with people who can help the organization get its important message about donation heard in the community.

Scott Denton, MD, Forensic Pathologist Honored for his work to help educate coroners about the benefits of donation and their role in the donation process.

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Connections - Life Savers

Robyn Deterding and Rob Murphy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Lauded for raising awareness of donation on the University of Illinois campus. Deterding and Murphy have helped to add nearly 4,500 people to the Illinois Organ/Tissue Donor Registry during the last two years through two highly successful donor registration drives held on the UIUC campus. Through their advocacy efforts, Deterding, a donor mother, and Murphy, a donor father, honor the legacies of their children, who offered the gift of life as donors.

Kevin Helmer, Donor Husband Recognized for his dedication to honoring the legacy of his late wife by helping to raise funds that support Gift of Hope’s donation education efforts. During the last two years, Helmer has donated more than $50,000 to Gift of Hope through donations offered at the annual Niki Helmer Memorial Golf Outing. Helmer’s wife, Niki, saved the lives of three people through organ donation, and her gift of tissue donation has resulted in more than 180 bone and tissue transplants.

Kappa Delta Sorority, Eastern Illinois University Honored for its efforts to actively promote organ and tissue donation and donor registration on the Eastern Illinois University campus while honoring Cameron Chana, an EIU student who became a donor. Under the leadership of Annie Rediehs, an EIU Kappa Delta member, the sorority has embraced the donation cause and encouraged more than 1,000 students to registers as donors since 2011.

Charles Kittles, African-American Task Force Member Recognized for his decade of volunteer work to promote donation in metropolitan Chicago’s African-American communities. Kittles, an Advocates for Hope volunteer for Gift of Hope, a 10-year member of Gift of Hope’s African-American Task Force and a living donor kidney transplant recipient, has become one of the organization’s most popular public speakers on donation, eagerly seeking out opportunities to talk to African-American audiences about the importance of being a registered donor.

Kay Rogers, Donor Father Recognized for the leadership role he has played in galvanizing Gift of Hope’s Advocates for Hope volunteer corps in Peoria.

Rogers has been a driving force in making the Advocates for Hope Peoria Chapter one of the most active groups that volunteer their time to support Gift of Hope’s mission. Through his work, Rogers honors the legacy of his 11-year-old son, Nick, who gave life to four people through organ donation.

Advocates for Hope Volunteer Gets Fit for Life Not many people grow up with the goal of being an organ donor. Nurse, teacher, corporate executive, attorney, yes. But organ donor? Not so much.

Not many people are Quinetta Taylor, though. For her, even as a little girl, she knew that organ donation was, not only important, but something very personal that would mean a lot to someone. For Taylor, that someone was her father.

Taylor’s father was diagnosed with kidney failure a year before she was born in 1983. She grew up watching him go to dialysis three times a week, and she sometimes accompanied him to the dialysis center. When Taylor was 16, she saw the toll that long-term dialysis had taken on her father and decided to give him one of her kidneys as a living donor.

He was on the kidney transplant waiting list when she made the decision. But, before she could offer him her gift of life, someone else did — a deceased donor. For the next five years, life for Taylor took on a sense of normalcy. No more trips to the dialysis clinic.

Fast-forward to 2010. Taylor makes a return trip to the kidney dialysis center.

This time, though, she’s not there to support her father. She’s the patient.

Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 2003, like her father, she made it seven years before her kidneys could no longer do their job.

Starting dialysis was one vital step Taylor had to take to stay alive, and took it. The other was getting on the kidney transplant waiting list. But something stood in the way — her weight. She needed to lose 120 pounds to be eligible for the list. “It was time for me to make a huge sacrifice,” Taylor said. “I had to

abandon my entire lifestyle and adopt a new one, not for vanity, but to live.”

In March 2011, Taylor got a membership at Fitness Formula Club in Chicago. She had never worked out before, let alone been inside of a fitness center. “I felt like a fish out of water,” she said. “But I knew this was the start of something wonderful in my life.”

She was right. After becoming an FFC member and winning FFC’s 2013 Year Of Wellness contest (see sidebar), she lost the 120 pounds. Most importantly, on April 15, 2013, she was added to the kidney transplant waiting list.

Because of her father, Taylor has always been involved in advocating for organ donation, encouraging others to register to become donors. And she continues her advocacy today, even more energetically given her situation and the fact that her father needs another kidney transplant. “Watching my father, I witnessed firsthand what a precious gift an organ can be,” Taylor said. “Now, organ donation has become even more personal for me. I don’t just advocate for myself and my father, but for every person out there waiting to get a second chance at life. All it takes is one decision to say ‘yes.’”

Enter FFC’s 2014 Year of Wellness Contest Fitness Formula Club began its second annual Year of Wellness contest on November 25.

The contest winner gets access to all nine FFC Chicago-area fitness and spa centers along with personal training, Pilates and massage sessions for the year — a total prize package valued at more than $13,000. Gift of Hope is FFC’s charity partner for the year-long Year of Wellness campaign.

FFC hopes 2014’s winner will get as much out of the experience as did Chicago resident Quinetta Taylor, last year’s winner and FFC’s 2014 contest spokesperson. After winning the inaugural Year of Wellness contest last year, Taylor, a Gift of Hope Advocates for Hope volunteer who has chronic kidney disease, lost the 120 pounds she needed to lose to be listed on the national kidney transplant waiting list.

To be eligible for the prize, contestants must submit a 300-word essay by December 15 stating why they deserve to win the Year of Wellness prize package.

Visit FFC.com/Year-of-Wellness for full contest details. And visit GiftofHope.org to learn about how you can help people like Taylor by registering as an organ and tissue donor.

Connections - Volunteer Gets Fit for Life

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HOSPITAL PERFORMANCE METRICS* Gift of Hope works in partnership with 180 hospitals and nine transplant centers to meet the ever-growing demand for donor organs and fulfill the organization’s vision — a day when every person chooses to donate life, making organs and tissue available for all people in need. Here’s a look at key donation performance metrics for Illinois and northwest Indiana hospitals and the contributions these hospitals are making to give hope and life to others.

Hospital

Organ Donors

Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital Adventist GlenOaks Hospital Adventist Hinsdale Hospital Adventist LaGrange Memorial Hospital Advocate BroMenn Medical Center Advocate Christ Medical Center Advocate Condell Medical Center Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Advocate Sherman Hospital Advocate South Suburban Hospital Advocate Trinity Hospital Alexian Brothers Medical Center Blessing Hospital Carle Foundation Hospital Centegra Hospital: McHenry Centegra Hospital: Woodstock Central DuPage Hospital Community Hospital of Munster Copley Memorial Hospital Decatur Memorial Hospital Delnor Community Hospital Edward Hospital and Health Services Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Evanston Hospital Franciscan St. Anthony Health Franciscan St. James: Chicago Heights Franciscan St. James: Olympia Fields Franciscan St. Margaret Health: Dyer Franciscan St. Margaret Health: Hammond Freeport Memorial Hospital Galesburg Cottage Hospital Genesis Medical Center: Illini Campus Glenbrook Hospital Gottlieb Memorial Hospital Highland Park Hospital Hines VA Hospital Holy Cross Hospital

2 1 1 1 2 12 8 4 1 6 10 1 1 0 1 4 12 1 0 3 3 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Donation Conversion Rate 50 100 67 100 100 58 86 78 100 88 93 100 100 0 50 64 75 100 0 63 50 100 50 100 67 50 67 100 NA 100 100 40 0 NA 0 0 33 0 NA 100

Donation Authorization Rate 60 100 100 100 100 59 90 88 100 86 91 100 100 0 50 50 77 100 NA 63 67 100 50 100 67 50 50 100 NA 100 100 40 0 NA NA 0 50 NA NA 100

*Through 10/31/13. Note: Data subject to change due to Gift of Hope’s quality assurance process.

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Connections - Hospital Performance Metrics

Timely Notification Rate 100 100 67 100 100 95 100 80 100 91 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 0 100 100 100 100 100 NA 100 100 100 100 NA 50 100 60 0 NA 0

Hospital

Organ Donors

Ingalls Hospital Kindred Hospital: Chicago Central Kindred Hospital: Chicago North Kindred Hospital: Peoria Kindred Hospital: Springfield Kindred Hospital: Sycamore Kirby Medical Center Kishwaukee Community Hospital Little Company of Mary Hospital Loretto Hospital Loyola University Medical Center Lurie Children’s Hospital MacNeal Memorial Hospital Memorial Medical Center Mercy Hospital and Medical Center Methodist Hospital: Northlake Methodist Hospital: Southlake Metro South Medical Center Midwest Medical Center: Galena Morris Hospital Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center Northwest Community Hospital Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Northwestern Memorial Hospital Norwegian American Hospital OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center OSF Saint Francis Medical Center OSF St. Joseph Medical Center OSF St. Mary Medical Center Palos Community Hospital Passavant Memorial Area Hospital Pekin Memorial Hospital Presence Covenant Medical Center Presence Holy Family Medical Center Presence Mercy Medical Center Presence Our Lady of the Resurrection Presence Resurrection Medical Center Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Presence St. Francis Hospital Presence St. Joseph Hospital: Chicago Presence St. Joseph Hospital: Elgin Presence St. Joseph Medical Center Presence St. Mary’s Hospital: Kankakee Presence United Samaritans Medical Center Proctor Hospital Richland Memorial Hospital Riverside Medical Center

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 10 4 2 4 0 2 4 2 0 0 7 5 0 6 0 6 0 22 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 1 1 0 3 6 2 0 0 0 3

Donation Conversion Rate 38 NA NA NA NA NA NA 100 100 100 86 80 67 57 50 100 56 50 NA 0 60 89 NA 78 100 88 NA 87 100 0 50 NA NA NA NA 0 75 43 33 100 50 100 75 100 NA NA NA 63

Donation Authorization Rate

Timely Notification Rate

60 NA NA NA NA NA NA 100 100 100 73 100 67 80 50 100 56 67 NA 0 64 89 NA 75 100 88 NA 88 100 0 50 NA NA NA NA 0 75 43 33 100 100 100 75 100 NA NA NA 83

63 NA NA NA NA NA NA 100 100 100 93 100 100 88 100 100 100 60 NA 100 87 91 NA 100 100 100 NA 93 100 100 67 NA NA NA NA 100 100 86 100 100 50 100 78 100 NA NA NA 100

Connections - Hospital Performance Metrics

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HOSPITAL PERFORMANCE METRICS

Hospital

Donation Conversion Rate

Organ Donors

Rockford Memorial Hospital 8 Rush Oak Park Hospital 1 Rush University Medical Center 17 Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center 0 Silver Cross Hospital 5 Skokie Hospital 0 South Shore Hospital 1 St. Alexius Medical Center 2 St. Anthony Hospital 0 St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital 0 St. Bernard Hospital and Healthcare Center 2 St. Catherine Hospital 0 St. John’s Hospital 11 St. Mary Medical Center 1 St. Mary’s Hospital 0 Stroger Hospital of Cook County 6 Swedish Covenant Hospital 1 Taylorville Memorial Hospital 0 Thorek Hospital and Medical Center 0 Unity Point Health: Methodist Medical Center 0 Unity Point Health: Trinity 1 University of Chicago Medicine 11 University of Illinois Hospital 6 Vista Medical Center: East 7 Weiss Memorial Hospital 0 West Suburban Medical Center 2 Westlake Community Hospital 0

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80 100 73 NA 83 100 100 75 0 NA 100 100 100 50 50 62 100 NA NA 100 50 52 56 89 67 67 100 70%

Donation Authorization Rate 90 100 80 NA 75 100 100 67 0 NA 100 100 100 50 0 75 100 NA NA 100 50 60 53 89 50 67 NA 73%

Timely Notification Rate 100 100 100 NA 100 50 100 100 100 NA 100 100 85 100 100 87 100 NA NA 67 100 92 100 100 100 50 50 92%

Glossary of Terms Organ Donors Donors from whom one or more organs were recovered for the purpose of transplantation. This includes both donation after brain death, or DBD, donors and donation after circulatory death, or DCD, donors.

Donation Authorization Rate The rate at which authorization for donation is obtained, expressed as a percentage.

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Connections - Hospital Performance Metrics

Donation Conversion Rate The rate at which potential donors are converted to actual donors, expressed as a percentage.

Timely Notification Rate The rate at which hospitals contact Gift of Hope after a death or within one hour after an individual meets the criteria for imminent death and before the withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies, expressed as a percentage.

STATE OF DONATION

2013 *

2012 *

Organ Donors

268

225

Organs Transplanted

794

662

Organs Per Donor

2.90

2.94

Tissue Donors

1,219

938

Bone Donors **

785

718

Heart Valves Recovered **

176

114

Skin Donors **

923

638

5,350* in Illinois

120,521* in U.S.

1,473* in Indiana

*Through October 31 **Subset of Tissue Donors

The number of patients waiting for heart, liver, kidney, lung, pancreas or small bowel transplants as of October 31, 2013.

Illinois Organ & Tissue Donor Registry

5,412,418

* Based on data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network

As of October 31, 2013

55% 300 18 Of adults (18 or older) in Illinois are registered as organ and tissue donors.

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Every 10 minutes, a new person is added to the national transplant waiting list.

In 2013, more than 300 people registered for transplants in Illinois died while waiting.

25

One donor can save or enhance the lives of more than 25 people.

An average of 18 people die each day while waiting for a transplant.

Make a Difference!

REGISTER TO BE AN ORGAN AND TISSUE DONOR

GiftofHope.org

Connections - State of Donation

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Indicia here 425 Spring Lake Drive Itasca, IL 60143

Register to Be an Organ and Tissue Donor at GiftofHope.org

A Donate Life Organization

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Many Illinois and northwest Indiana hospitals are honoring donors from their service areas by dedicating roses to be placed in the Donate Life Rose Parade Float’s Dedication Garden, a featured area of the float. Many roses will include personal messages from hospital chief executive officers honoring donors for gifts of life they offered to others. The 11th annual Donate Life Float, one of 45 floats that will be featured in the 125th edition of the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day, seeks to inspire people worldwide to save and heal lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. Visit DonateLifeFloat.org to learn more about the Donate Life Rose Parade Float.

Calendar of Events December 11 Advocates for Hope Organ Donation Process Workshop and Webinar Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network Itasca, Ill. GiftofHope.org December 11 Operation Smile Toy Drive El Balcón Restaurante Chicago GiftofHope.org December 22 Operation Smile Toy Drive Angel Quinceañera Dance Company Addison, Ill. GiftofHope.org

January 1 2014 Rose Parade Donate Life Rose Parade Float Pasadena, Calif.

See Local TV Listings January 11 Advocates for Hope Orientation Normal, Ill. GiftofHope.org January 18 Advocates for Hope Orientation Itasca, Ill. GiftofHope.org

February 8 Advocates for Hope Orientation Rockford, Ill. GiftofHope.org February 12 Advocates for Hope Messaging Webinar GiftofHope.org March 1 Advocates for Hope Orientation Chicago GiftofHope.org March 12 Advocates for Hope Our Stories and How We Share Them Webinar GiftofHope.org