The third annual Living Donor Awareness Night will be held during a baseball game at Jimmy John’s Field in Utica, Michigan on Friday, June 28 at 7:05 p.m. Sponsored by Henry Ford Health and the Living Liver Foundation, the event will honor living donors, educate the public about living donation and inspire more donation. The game will be followed by fireworks. Over 30 living kidney donors and living liver donors will sit together behind home plate. Here a few of the special moments we have planned:
- The national anthem will be sung by the niece of a living donor recipient.
- For the first pitch, we’ll welcome a living donor transplant recipient and his pre-transplant nurse/coordinator.
- After the first inning, an altruistic living donor and recipient will meet for the first time on the field. Last year, living donor Lindsey Dryden and recipient Cynthia Williams met for the first time. They are pictured above with Henry Ford Transplant Institute leader Dr. Marwan Abouljoud.
- Throughout the game, Henry Ford Health and the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan will staff information tables where the public can learn more about living donation. Public service announcements on the scoreboard will also share advancements in living liver transplant and living kidney transplant.
- Between two innings, living donors and recipients will be invited onto the field, the names of the living donors will be read and they will be honored as the game’s hometown heroes.
- During the game, living donors will participate in a prize drawing. The grand prize is a Cabana suite rental for a future game as well as a gift basket.
About 104,000 Americans are on the transplant list awaiting an organ. Of those, most are waiting for a kidney or liver but there aren’t enough donations from deceased donors to meet the need. Living donation helps fill the gap. In 2023, there were 2,637 living kidney donations and 658 living liver donations. Many people know you can donate one of your kidneys but many don’t know you can donate a portion of your liver. After donation, the donor’s liver and recipient’s new liver will grow back to full size in about two months.
Please join us to help raise awareness of living donation! Tickets are still available and range from $6 to $20. To purchase tickets, click here or call the box office at 248-759-5278. Parking is free. Hope to see you there!