Excited about registering for a running event but not sure if you are up for the challenge? Many people are interested in trying to run in a charitable event but worry they cannot complete the distance. With proper preparation, you…
A 56-year-old Jacksonville woman says her life was forever changed by a kidney transplant at Springfield Memorial Hospital. The March 23 procedure, which involved a kidney from a deceased donor, freed Denise Hickox from exhausting dialysis sessions to stay alive…
Cheryl Blackburn felt blessed when she received a kidney from her son, Josh, on Sept. 10, 2019. She was blessed again at discharge thanks to our generous donors. The entire cost of the immunosuppressant medications and insulin that she needed…
At just 20 years old, Christina Geisler needed a kidney transplant. It started in late 2010 when the Gillespie native noticed her urine was discolored. In January 2011, she was rushed to the hospital and immediately went on dialysis. She…
When Tammy Smith, a 48-year-old Dalton City resident, was diagnosed with diabetes at age 14, doctors weren’t certain what might have caused her illness. “I remember the doctors were a little vague,” Tammy said. “I was told my diabetes could…
When Billy Ruyle could not sign his name at work or even grasp the pen, he realized he had a problem that was bigger than just a cold. Billy grew up in a small town, just south of Springfield. After…
Bolstered by a record-setting 501 people registered, the annual 5K run/walk to benefit the Alan G. Birtch, MD, Center for Transplant Services at Memorial raised nearly $9,000 last Saturday. The eighth annual event was held in Springfield’s Washington Park on…
For nearly 40 years, the kidney and pancreas transplant program at Memorial Medical Center has made a difference in the lives of hundreds of patients and their loved ones, and on Dec. 26, the team celebrated a significant milestone when…
The numbers are staggering – more than 111,000 people waiting for an organ transplant nationwide, 5,000 of them in Illinois. Every 10 minutes, a new person is added to the national waiting list and an average of 18 people die…