May 2009

GMMI joins South Florida’s Transplant Foundation’s Miracle Walk

The Miracle Walk helped gather family members, friends and community at CB Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, Florida (May 3, 2009).

Over 100,000 individuals await a life-saving transplant in the USA; avid walkers supporting the cause, survivors, and community gathered on May 3rd in an outreach effort to educate the community about the importance of organ donation with Transplant Foundation’s 6th annual 5K Miracle Walk. The walk raised over $26,000 and had 200+ participants.

“Miracle Walk this year fulfilled our mission to the transplant community in what has been our biggest turnout yet,” added Melissa Chediak-Wetzel, Special Events Manager for the Transplant Foundation. “Funds raised from this event benefit the local transplant community by providing education, research and assisting patients in financial need,” Since its inception in 1987 the Transplant Foundation has brightened the lives of more than 5,000 transplant patients and families by granting special requests that help ease many of the burdens associated with the transplantation process.

GMMI sponsored staff’s event enrollment in support of this worthy cause. “Participation helped us promote staff wellness, raise funds for a cause that we believe in, not to mention having the opportunity to meet actual transplant recipients and bring even more awareness to the work that we do at GMMI - that is facilitating and coordinating transplant services for our clients’ patients” says Soraia Arroyo Lynch, Director of Marketing at GMMI.

According to the OPTN – Organ Procurement & Transplant Network – the statistics as of June 16, 2009 are:

Waiting List Candidates: 101,924 as of June 16, 2009

Transplants January – March 2009: 6,998

Donors January – March 2009: 3,566