Steven and Gregg Farber Honored at Inaugural Transplant Hero Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jenny Thompson, Communications Coordinator

Phone: 303-757-0959 ; jenny@americantransplantfounation.org

American Transplant Foundation honors Steven and Gregg Farber at Inaugural Transplant Hero Awards.

Farbers along with others to be recognized for their outstanding impact in the transplant community.

DENVER – September 23, 2013 – The American Transplant Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of its inaugural Transplant Hero Awards, an event recognizing heroes who have exceptionally advanced the transplant community by saving lives through living organ donation.

The Foundation is honored to present Steven and Gregg Farber with the Transplant Hero Award for their outstanding impact in the transplant community. Gregg’s decision to become a living kidney donor for his father, Steve, in 2004 began a lifelong journey to save lives for the Farber family. Committed to seeing lives saved through organ donation and transplantation, Steve founded the American Transplant Foundation in 2005. This decision has led to instrumental change in the transplant community as the Foundation now helps the most vulnerable transplant patients through its nationwide programs. As a result, transplant patients, living donors and their families in 31 states have been supported through financial assistance.

“I started the American Transplant Foundation because I believed that the general public knew very little about organ transplantation,” said Steve Farber. “I knew that if we could raise awareness about how many lives needed to be saved, that we could save them. By sharing knowledge, we empower people to be living organ donors and garner more support for organ transplantation. The Foundation has given me the opportunity to encourage others to become organ donors and save many more lives.”

Awards will also be given to altruistic living organ donors, Kaye Basedow, Russ Cupps, Adam Leventhal and Cara Yesawich who each donated a kidney anonymously to save the life of stranger. Medical professionals, Dr. Laurence Chan and Dr. Igal Kam, who have impacted the transplant field through their advocacy for living organ donation, will be awarded the Patient Advocate Award. The Foundation received twenty-six inspiring nominations from twelve states.

The Transplant Hero Awards, presented by MDC Richmond American Homes, will take place on September 26, 2013 at the Pinnacle Club at the Grand Hyatt Denver. The Transplant Hero Awards is a special evening designed to support the American Transplant Foundation’s mission to save lives by reducing the growing list of women, men, and children who are waiting for a transplant by maximizing living donation.

Today 97,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant that can come from a living donor. Last year, 5,986 people died before receiving an organ that could have come from a living person. 5,986 deaths that were utterly preventable. The American Transplant Foundation is helping save these lives by providing valuable educational resources and financial assistance for potential living organ donors both locally and nationally.

For more information about the American Transplant Foundation’s Transplant Hero Awards visit www.americantransplantfoundation.org.

A special thank you to our event sponsors: The Chotin Foundation, Mike Shaw Automotive, Oakwood Homes, Porter Transplant Center, Sage Hospitality, Anna and John J. Sie Foundation and Iris and Michael Smith.