Meet Melissa Williams
I’m Melissa Williams, the new Tissue Navigator at Lurie Children’s Hospital. More than fifteen years ago I began a journey with donation. I worked for Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network as a liaison with funeral directors and forensic professionals. At that time there were obstacles that were standing in the way of…
Gift from a child….for a child
In December, Swifty convened a Family Forum in Philadelphia of families who had donated their child’s post mortem brain tissue. Not exactly your typical holiday gathering, but so much good has come out of our time together. In the coming months you will be hearing a lot about the initiative that was launched at the…
A Dream You Dream Together
I never knew the truth of this quote by John Lennon until now: A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality. Our California Dream became reality when through your generous support we were able to fund Michelle Monje’s tissue navigator at Stanford and also fund the next…
Whoop! Whoop!!
Whoop! Whoop!!! The check is in the mail! Our first installment for the Tissue Navigator at Stanford has been mailed and Dr. Monje is planning to have that position filled in January. Thank you for helping us reach our Annual Appeal goal and making Swifty’s California Dream a reality! Alas, do not worry if you…
Swifty Family Forum a Rousing Success
I think you can imagine the trepidation I felt going to a two-day meeting of families all of whom had lost a child to brain cancer. My stomach hurt at the thought of facing that much pain in one room. Guess what? We laughed, we cried, we shared 3 things everyone should know about our…
Sing Along
I laughed so hard watching this video as we re-wrote the lyrics to California Dreamin’ for this email. For the full, groovy 60’s experience listen to the Mamas and the Papas as you sing along to our new verse. All the gifts aren’t in (all the gifts aren’t in)But I’m here to say (but I’m…
Gifts that Benefit You and Swifty
Swifty invites you to explore year-end gift giving options that are good for you and good for pediatric brain cancer research! Donating Your IRA Distributions Some of our more “seasoned” donors have found that giving a gift directly from their IRA is an easy and efficient way to support Swifty. Individuals who are 70 ½…
Collaborative Centers of Excellence
Establishing a Swifty funded tissue navigator in Dr. Monje’s lab at Stanford completes a coast-to-coast network that began in 2016 when Swifty helped start the post mortem tissue donation program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Last week I told you how the tissue navigator will allow Dr. Monje to focus more of her…
California Dream
Today is Michael’s birthday and the kickoff of Swifty’s Annual Appeal, and so I’d like to tell you about our California Dream. It’s a dream that takes us to Michelle Monje’s lab at Stanford … I’m going to get all STEM on you now, so get ready! You may remember from past years, that Michael’s…
Memories From Cross Country
In seventh grade cross country, our coaches assigned everyone with the task of running at least 30 minutes a day over the weekend. On a Saturday morning, I was running along, and I see a dad and his son slowly jogging towards me. I get closer and realize it’s my classmate, Michael Gustafson. I didn’t…
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