GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Deb Wyant wore a smile on her face and a purple Batman-themed shirt with her daughter's name on it as she walked through the two-story grey building at the corner of Leonard Street and Burke Avenue NE. As Tracy Gary talked her through what each individual room will one day be used for, Deb imagined the families that will be staying here.
This was Deb's first tour of the Transplant House of West Michigan.
The Transplant House is an idea we first told you about in February 2022. Tracy and his wife Holly are both transplant recipients, and they came up with the Transplant House. It'll be an inexpensive place where people from all over can stay when their loved ones are receiving life-saving transplants on the Medical Mile downtown. They closed on the location in Fall of 2022 and ever since then, they've been working to get it open.
"They're doing a great thing. What a great thing to be doing for the families that are in such turmoil. They're giving them a place to stay and a place to be a family while they're going through that," Deb said.
When Deb first heard about the Transplant House, she knew it would be a great cause to give to, in order to continue the legacy of someone very special.
"My daughter was Shayna Nichole [Sturtevant], and she was a new mother, and her baby was a year old when she passed. She was my light, my love, my headaches. We fought every day and we loved each other even more," Deb said with a laugh.
Shayna was 21 years old in late 2016 when an ear infection turned into a brain abscess.
"They went in. They did surgery. She had a stroke, and after that, she was brain-dead," Deb said.
Deb remembers how cool Shayna thought the idea of saving someone's life was when she went in to get her driver's license. She made the choice to be an organ donor. And because of that choice, Shayna saved three lives and touched many others after she passed away. One of her donations was even a first in the history of Michigan.
"Gift of Life contacted us, and they had amazing thing that they could use her hands for - an elderly lady that had lost them in a tornado. I have not met her. I've spoken to her. She sent me pictures of her hands. She wrote me a letter with Shayna's hands," Deb said.
"It makes me feel really good. It doesn't take the hurt away by any means, but it helps to know that there are so many people out there that are not feeling the grief that we feel every day. [Shayna] did that for them."
On April 20, Deb will hold a "Laugh, Paint, and Donate" fundraiser in Shayna's honor. It will be at the Muskegon Eagles #688 on 621 W. Western Avenue. Participants will paint the Tree of Life. The event runs from 6 to 11 p.m. and costs $25. The Eagles Auxiliary will also be hosting a steak dinner that same night from 5 to 8 p.m. that will cost $10. The proceeds from the event will go to the Transplant House.
"It gives you that extra boost to keep on doing what you're doing," Tracy said of the gesture.
"Shayna gave the best gift ever. It's something you can't describe. She saved three lives and helped 75 others with her skin and bones, so it's a wonderful thing."
Just this week the Transplant House passed a mechanical inspection and got the go-ahead to begin some drywall work that needs to be done. They also have some flooring to do, and after that, they should be able to open. In return for the donation from Deb, a room at the Transplant House will be named after Shayna.
There are other ways you can help the Transplant House as well. They have a Pay It Forward campaign, and every $60 it raises will pay for someone to stay a night at the Transplant House. Tracy says they're also looking for volunteers to help maintain the grounds and cook meals for families who will visit.
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