APRIL 12, 2007

Secretary of State, Henry Ford Hospital recognize
Gibraltar resident for his organ donation advocacy

Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and Henry Ford Hospital today honored Gibraltar resident Bill Gillespie with a Shining Star award for his exemplary work in promoting organ and tissue donation.

Land created the Shining Star award in 2005 to recognize those whose exceptional efforts encourage greater awareness about the critical need for organ and tissue donors. She presented the award to Gillespie, who is a liver transplant recipient, during a special event at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

"Bill Gillespie's story is incredibly compelling," Land said. "He is a tireless advocate for organ donation who is able to speak from his heart. His volunteer work with Gift of Life Michigan and Henry Ford Hospital demonstrates how dedicated he is to organ donation which, as he knows from personal experience, has the power to change lives. I am honored to recognize him with a Shining Star award."

Gillespie has volunteered more than 200 hours to organ donation over the last three years. His efforts have included educating hospital personnel, working at information tables at fairs and special events as well as sharing his story in schools, clubs, churches and hospitals. He established the Henry Ford Hospital Liver Transplant Program annual golf outing, which is now in its 11th year and has raised more than $90,000. He is also active on the Recipient Advisory Committee for Gift of Life Michigan and works with the External Relations Committee to help further legislation in support of organ and tissue donation.

Dr. Marwan Abouljoud, director of Henry Ford Transplant Institute and the surgeon who performed Gillespie's transplant, praised Gillespie for his work and reiterated the critical need for people to sign up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry to ensure more lives are saved.

"Bill has been a true ambassador for our transplant program and patients, and this honor simply underscores his commitment," Abouljoud said. "If we had more people with Bill's dedication, we all would be organ donors and more people would have a second chance at life."

Gillespie's first brush with organ donation was in 1987 when his 15-year-old son, Jim, was stricken by a virus that damaged his heart so badly he was put on the transplant waiting list. He received a heart transplant about 18 months later and lived a normal life for almost three years until a fatal heart attack struck while he was undergoing some routine tests in the hospital.

In spite of the sorrow and shock of Jim's premature death, Gillespie and his family were grateful for the time they had with their youngest son. Then in 1994, Gillespie began feeling poorly. Tests revealed that his liver wasn't functioning well. By October 1995, he was admitted to Henry Ford Hospital for a liver transplant. The operation was a success and he has never looked back.

Gillespie was nominated for the Shining Star by Gift of Life Michigan.

The Shining Star award is one of several organ donor initiatives undertaken by the Department of State. The "Show Us Your Heart" campaign is the department's latest effort to increase awareness. Residents add their names to the Michigan Organ Donor Registry online at www.Michigan.gov/sos or at a branch office. They are given a heart sticker for the front of their driver's license or state identification card. The heart sticker is legally binding and eliminates the need to complete the donor information on the back of the card.

The department also supports Buddy Day, an event held each April in which Gift of Life Michigan and Michigan Eye-Bank volunteers meet with the public at Secretary of State branch offices to discuss organ and tissue donation. In addition, Land encourages awareness through her Organ and Tissue Donor Advisory Committee and by fostering active partnerships with advocates statewide.

More than 3,100 Michigan residents are in need of a transplant and many die due to the unavailability of organs.

Henry Ford's Transplant Institute is nationally recognized for heart, lung, kidney, kidney-pancreas, liver and bone marrow transplants, and has its own organ donor program called "LifeShare." The institute is one of only two comprehensive transplant programs in Michigan, with survivor rates meeting or exceeding the national average. For more information, visit www.henryford.com.

For more information about the Shining Star award and other Department of State organ donor programs, visit www.Michigan.gov/sos.