In 2023, our Dragonfly volunteers were able to provide the following programs:
- Gift Card Program: Dragonfly Transplant Fund provides all transplant patients two gift cards to the four Bread Garden coffee shops at UIHC to feel a moment of normalcy between appointments and show themselves self-care in the form of a sweet treat or cup of coffee.
- Patient Care Bags: After a successful transplant, UIHC patients are presented a cloth gift bag – included in the bag is a blood pressure monitor, a thermometer, and other helpful items to take home with them.
- Scales to Pediatric Patients: At UI Stead Family Children's Hospital, Dragonfly gives transplant patients a scale to monitor their weight for post-transplant monitoring.
- Valentine’s Day Appreciation Brunch: On Valentine’s Day, office staff in the Organ Transplant Center are provided with box brunches This is to show our thanks and appreciation for all of the important pieces of the transplant process they are involved in outside of the operating room.
- Scholarship Program: Through the Deb Brown Dragonfly Endowed Scholarship Fund, a nurse or staff person in the Organ Transplant Center is selected each year to receive a scholarship to be used for further education related to transplant care.
- Living Donor Recognition: It is known that the number of living organ donors continues to grow. Dragonfly is showing our support to these donors by providing them with t-shirts as part of the UIHC thank you to these heroes for their incredible gift of life.
- Online Resource Center: With the power of the internet, Dragonfly continues to host hundreds of active website visitors and Facebook followers. On the Dragonfly website, links to the UIHC transplant website are provided with information and education about the transplant process. Available support options through other organizations, such as Iowa Donor Network, are also available on the Dragonfly website.
Our Dragonfly Transplant Fund volunteers thank and congratulate all of the supporters that make this long list of programming happen!
No, we haven’t given up on the overall goal of having an onsite transplant resource center or lounge located inside UIHC. Yes, Dragonfly is providing the type of support Deb and I had envisioned for transplant patients, their families, and caregivers. We will continue to work hard to create a place for them to go - either online or in-person - to feel supported with transplant research, communications, and celebrations throughout the transplant process. Thank you for your support.
Best personal regards,
Ed Brown
Co-Founder, Dragonfly Transplant Fund