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.
Cielo's Story
December 2002: Maria Sarmiento was faced with the most devastating situation in her life – the death of her 8-month-old daughter, Cielo Rivera. Cielo was with the babysitter when she fell down more than 15 stairs in a walker causing fatal injuries.
As any parent can imagine, Maria was overcome with devastation and sadness. During this unimaginable grief, she looked beyond her pain and made the decision to donate Cielo’s organs so that other lives could be saved: a 4-month-old girl received her heart; a woman from Illinois received her kidneys; and one-year-old, Jaydon Mook, received her liver.
Defining a Hero You don’t have to wear a cape to be a hero–signing up to be an organ/tissue donor helps save lives. To hear how college campuses across Illinois are asking students to become heroes, click here.
Five Years and Counting Waukegan man, Ron Howard, has been waiting five years for a kidney transplant to save him from painful dialysis and give him time with his new grandson. To read more about his story and what you can do to help, click here.
Gift of Hope has moved! For the address and directions to our new facility, click here.
Loyola Students Advocate for Donation Loyola students inspired by “the big picture” are working to make a difference by helping to register other students as organ/tissue donors. To read why Loyola students are making a very personal decision to donate, click here.
Donor Father Urges You to Register Donor family member Tim Joos recounts the tragic loss of his young daughter, Samantha, who helped enhance the lives of others through tissue donation.
To hear Samantha’s story and learn how you can register to be an organ/tissue donor, click here.
“When I Needed an Angel”
Inspires Listeners to Register The music group, All-4-One, is debuting their new hit single, When I Needed an Angel, as a way to help bring awareness to organ and tissue donation. Proceeds will be used to help educate about the importance of organ and tissue donation and the need to register as donors. You can help by downloading the song from www.itunes.com and registering to become a donor. To read more about this inspiring project, click here.
Chicago White Sox Want You to Register Donate Life Illinois and the Chicago White Sox team up to spread the word about organ and tissue donation. Former White Sox pitcher, Ed Farmer, received a kidney transplant in 1991, and is now urging people to help save lives by registering to be donors. To hear Ed’s radio commercial, click play below.
December 2002: Maria Sarmiento was faced with the most devastating situation in her life – the death of her 8-month-old daughter, Cielo Rivera. Cielo was with the babysitter when she fell down more than 15 stairs in a walker causing fatal injuries.
