Versiti - Magnolia Robel | Impact Stories
 

Magnolia Robel

“She’s doing great thanks to the selfless contributions of strangers.”

Magnolia Robel

Magnolia Robel was born with four different congenital heart defects, two of which needed immediate surgical intervention. As part of her treatment, she received a cadaveric tissue graft and both red cell and platelet transfusions. Magnolia’s father Pete, a Versiti apheresis coordinator, remembers seeing the Versiti bags on her IV pole and was reminded of the important work Versiti does every day.

“While visiting her in the hospital, I often thought about the journey those little cells made,” he says. “Did they come from a retiree or a nurse after a long shift, or a teenager at a high school mobile drive donating for the first time? All the familiar faces I see every day at work, just doing their jobs, don’t know that they could have helped save my daughter’s life.”

After two months at Children’s Wisconsin, Magnolia was able to come home. “Today, she’s doing great thanks to the selfless contributions of strangers,” Pete says. “Every time I see her scars and the shadow of her pacemaker, I’m reminded how many people needed to contribute to keep her new little life going. It took an enormous team of doctors and nurses, family and friends, understanding coworkers, our organization, and, of course, the same donors we all serve on a daily basis. I can’t thank any of them enough.”


Every 10 minutes, someone is added to the organ transplant waiting list.

Approximately 113,000 men, women, and children are waiting for life-saving organ transplants. One organ donor has the power to save up to eight lives and change the outcomes of someone’s world forever by giving them a second chance. Additionally, tissue donation can save and improve the lives of up to 75 people with their gifts. You can make a huge impact by registering as an organ and tissue donor.

Learn more about organ and tissue donation, or register as a donor at https://donatelifewisconsin.org.

Impact Stories | Organ & Tissue Donation

 
Nykia Julian
In 2018, Nykia Julian’s heart was beginning to fail.  Eventually, doctors told her she would not have much longer to live without a new heart.
 
Jovan Wilder
Jovan Wilder was one day short of his 19th birthday when he was hit by a stray bullet and subsequently pronounced brain dead. A registered organ donor, Jovan donated his liver, kidneys and heart to give others a second chance at life. 
 
Maurice Allen
After being diagnosed with congenital heart failure, doctors told Maurice Allen that he needed a heart and kidney transplant to survive. In February 2016, he got the call he’d been waiting for: a heart and kidney were waiting for him.
 
Become an Organ and Tissue Donor
Learn more about how to sign up as an organ, tissue and eye donor and how organ donation saves and enhances lives in our communities.
 
Share Your Story
Versiti invites you to share your story and photo to help encourage more people to give back. You may even be featured throughout the year on our social media.
 
Impact Stories
Your blood, organ and tissue, and other donations directly impact lives in your community. Read a few of the examples of some of the lives that have been changed for the better.
 
Ways to Give
You can support Versiti’s mission in several ways, including donating blood, hosting a blood drive, joining the organ and tissue donor registry, and more.