HEALTH SUPPLEMENT


irthdays and weddings-most people have these important anniversary dates circled on their calendars. But the kindred group of people who have received lifesaving organ or tissue transplants have a third important anniversary date highlighted on their calendars- the day they received the gift of life through organ and tissue donation. For


Angelique Marseille of Homewood, that day is February 7.


Her second chance at life came on that day back in 1992. Just 22 years old at the time and lying in a hospi- tal bed dying of liver failure, she didn’t think she would live to see her 23rd birthday. But, thanks to someone’s selfless decision to be an organ and tissue donor, she did. And on February 7 of this year, she cele- brated a major milestone anniver- sary as a liver transplant recipient. “It was 20 years,” she said. “I'm just


www.chicagodefender.com


Gift of Hope, transplant recipients celebrate anniversary milestones B


Angelique Marseille


so happy. I’m looking for 20 more years.” Today, Marseille, 42, is married, a mother of two children, a volunteer for Itasca, Ill.-based Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network and a chapter leader for its African- American Task Force (AATF). “This is my way of giving back because I never had a chance to per- sonally thank my donor family,” Marseille said. “It helps me deal with it. Every time I do a presenta- tion, I do it from the perspective that they are there in the audience.” Like Marseille, Gift of Hope is celebrating a milestone anniversary of its own in 2012-25 years of serv- ice in coordinating organ and tissue donation and providing public edu- cation on donation to 12 million people in its Illinois and northwest Indiana service area. Since 1987, Gift of Hope has saved the lives of more than 19,000 organ transplant recipients and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue transplant recipients through its work.


Gift of Hope’s AATF has been a 2 CHICAGO DEFENDER / APRIL 11-17, 2012


major contributor to its lifesaving successes by providing community- based grassroots programs aimed at educating African-Americans about donation and encouraging them to increase minority donation rates by registering as donors. “Our grass- roots efforts help to increase dona- tion rates in the African-American community,” said LouEster Petty, President of the AATF. “The sad reality of donation is that more peo- ple receive the gift of life than give it. And it’s a reality even more pro- nounced within the


African-


American population because the diseases and conditions that can lead to the need for transplants are more prevalent in minority popula- tions. Our African-American Task Force seeks to ease this disparity.” With more than 150 volunteer members, the AATF educates the African-American community about donation through a network of eight chapters strategically located throughout Illinois and northwest Indiana. “Our members include transplant recipients, donor family members, healthcare professionals


and others with an interest in pro- moting organ and tissue donation,” Petty said. “We work as a team under the guidance of chapter direc- tors and partner with Gift of Hope's Community Affairs staff to plan and conduct ongoing volunteer training, meetings and programs to encour- age African-Americans to register as organ and tissue donors.” Petty and Marseille urge minority community residents to support Gift of Hope’s mission by spreading the good word about organ and tissue donation and by registering as donors themselves. “I encourage everyone to please become an organ and tissue donor,” Marseille said. “It’s an ordinary action that can pro- duce extraordinary results and help many other people do what I have been able to do-celebrate an anniversary of life.” To learn more about organ and tis- sue donation and Gift of Hope’s AATF, or to register your lifesaving decision to be an organ and tissue donor, visit GiftofHope.org.


Photo/Peter J. Schulz


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