24 | JANUARY 25 • 2024

that more heart transplants
are in the Morganroth family’s
future. Erik’s daughter, Emma,
a University of Michigan grad-
uate like her dad, is currently
applying to medical schools
with an eye on becoming a
cardiothoracic surgeon. It’s
been her goal since experi-
encing her father’s second
heart transplant ordeal. At just
6 years old, she recalls pull-
ing her father’s surgeon, Dr.
Pagani, aside and grilling him
about her dad’s post-operative
care.

“Instead of brushing me off,
he took the time to answer
every one of my questions,
each of which probably added
a good 10 minutes to his
workday,
” she says. “It was
then when I realized what it
meant to be a doctor, beyond
what I learned from my $14.99
Fisher-Price medical kit. It
was then when I knew exactly
what I wanted to do; I wanted
to be like him.
”


USING HIS EXPERIENCE
Considering his medical
history, it’s no surprise that
Morganroth has turned into a
leading voice for organ dona-
tion.
He’s been involved with
organizations like Gift of Life,
served on the advisory board
for University of Michigan’s
Frankel Cardiovascular Center,
spoken at events for the
American Heart Association
and more. He was recently
honored at the Michigan Heart
Ball for his activities pro-
moting organ donation. This
year, he has been tapped to
chair the AHA
’s annual Metro
Detroit Heart Walk, sched-
uled for May 5 at Washtenaw
Community College.
He urges people to regis-

ter as organ donors and let
their loved ones know that in
a worst-case scenario, their
wish is to help others survive.
He also encourages people
to support Ann Arbor-based
Gift of Life and the Frankel
Cardiovascular Center at U-M.
Although organ donation
registrations dipped during
COVID as Secretary of State
branches closed, positive
transplant news is on the
upswing. Legislation requiring
education about organ dona-
tion for Michigan students was
introduced in October, and in
November, Michigan Gift of
Life reported a record number
of organ donors for 2023, with
a month still to go.
The nonprofit organization
said there were more than 500
organ donations in the state
last year, up from 463 in 2022
and 429 in 2021.
“Michigan’s latest milestone
is incredibly meaningful. I’m
in awe of those 500 donors
and their families who decid-
ed that helping others was
important to them,
” said
Dorrie Dils, president and
CEO of Gift of Life. “They
have given their recipients the
best gift — new life.
”
For Morganroth, that means
appreciating all the moments
and milestones he’s seen. And
all those yet to come.
Now, with his 54th birthday
just passed Dec. 2, Morganroth
embraces every turn of the
calendar.
“I celebrate every year I’m
on this Earth,
” he says. “I cel-
ebrate getting older because I
have the ability to get older.
”

For more information about Gift of

Life Michigan, visit giftoflifemichigan.

org. For details about U-M’s Frankel

Cardiovascular Center, visit umcvc.

org.

OUR COMMUNITY

continued from page 23

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STORY
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STORY

My

Annie Jacobson attended college with the help of
scholarships, grants, and Hebrew Free Loan’s William
Davidson Jewish College Loan Program. During her freshman
year, Annie’s father exhibited concerning symptoms,
and during her sophomore year, he was diagnosed
with an aggressive and life-limiting form of dementia.
“Because I wasn’t so concerned with finances for
school, I was able to focus on both finishing my degree,
and on being a caregiver for my dad, to give him care
with dignity,” Annie said. “So my twenties weren’t what
I expected, but everything I did was possible because
I wasn’t burdened by disruptive debt. In my spare time,
I took on babysitting jobs to repay HFL.”
Later, Annie went to New York hoping to act, but
the pandemic hit and theaters shuttered.
“I decided to get my Master’s degree in Child Life
Studies, because I was home, work was closed, and
schools were online,” Annie said. “HFL helped with that,
too, and it was critical help, because the program’s
internship was hundreds of hours, completely unpaid.
No room for another job, so no income for fees and life.
You can’t sit for the board exam without the internship,
and you can’t practice without the board certification.
“HFL made all the difference in my life, more than
once,” Annie said. “The unexpected happened, there
were needs, but I also had dreams, and HFL helped
me make them possible. I’m where I want to be. So my
advice is, don’t let money be the reason you don’t
do things. Apply for a loan and take advantage of
the funding the Jewish community offers, or donate
and make a material difference in someone’s life.”