Description
Kidney transplants between recipients and living donors have thankfully become more commonplace, thanks in part to the miraculous paired donation chain events, altruistic donors, social media and growing awareness among the public about our great need for kidneys. Gift sets are a wonderful way to show appreciation for our donors and honor their sacrifice while also acting as conversation pieces to bring about donation awareness for the Gift of Life.
In late 2016, there were 121,678 people waiting for lifesaving organ transplants in the US, 100,791 were waiting for kidneys. Statistics from 2014 show there were 17,107 kidney transplant surgeries in the US. 11,570 came from deceased donors and 5537 from living donors.
Some interesting statistics below show the growth of organ transplants, especially for kidneys. Thank you to the Washington Post’s Linda Searing for this information and to Transplant Village who shared some of it on Facebook. It’s great to know living donation is increasing, with hopes for so many more who need kidneys.
There are several ideas for gift sets on this page, but feel free to create your own. I can package them together or separately, just let me know your preference. Since introducing the “Butterfly” sets of 2 pendants in 2016, they have flown out from my studio reaching across the globe. I hope that all the pieces on this website will be meaningful gifts of gratitude and hope.
In 2021, there were 786,000 patients1 living with kidney failure, yet less than 25,0002received a transplant that year. In 2022, the U.S. finally reached 25,000 kidney transplants3 in one year, but there are still an estimated twelve people dying each day without the opportunity to receive a life-saving transplant.
Tami Tonges (verified owner) –
Hi Myra,
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for our beautiful pendants. I received them today and after a really stressful day I opened them up and immediately started to cry. They are even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Just talking about them in my email now I have tears in my eyesas the thought of them is stirring emotions I didn’t even know were there. You are so very talented and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making something that says so much. I can’t wait to surprise my hero hubby with them when we wake up from our op. Thank you again.
Lots of love from sunny Australia
Tam
Myra Schwartz –
Hi Tam!Thank you for taking this extra time to include your beautiful message on my website. It is truly appreciated and really made my day today! I’m sending warmest wishes for a happy transplant to you and your wonderful Hero Husband. I’d love a photo of you two wearing the pendants. I’m collecting smiling customer photos with their new kidneys, real and jeweled :>) I hope to add some to either a website page or a blog post, with permission of course. Take care of yourselves, and please know that I”m sending warm thoughts from icy Chicago to you both. Thanks again for your business and your lovely feedback here.
XOXO,
Myra
Maricarmen Glez –
Hi Myra,
Thank you for this beautiful pendants and for all your help in the shipping process. This arrived in perfect conditions to Mexico and I’m sure they’ll be used by very happy customers. In all honesty the pendants are so lovely and worth it.
Best regards,
Maricarmen
coker2585 (verified owner) –
If I could give 10 stars, I definitely would! I was thrilled to find this pendant set for my daughter and her donor. There’s simply no way to adequately say “thank you” to someone who is willing to give up a part of themselves to sustain life for your child. It’s very humbling, and I wanted to find something that would be a lasting reminder of the selfless act of a friend and the overwhelming gratitude of one receiving such a life-giving gift.
I just received the pendants today, and they are absolutely beautiful… just perfect! They are in nice gift boxes with much attention to detail to make a lovely presentation. I plan to have them engraved and hopefully give them in the hospital the day before the transplant. Myra was great to work with. She even called to clarify the order, and we had a wonderful conversation. Her personal transplant story, her skill as an artist, and her love for others come through in her beautiful jewelry. Thank you so much, Myra. I couldn’t be more pleased!
Glenn Girardi (verified owner) –
Hi Myra,
My wife was so surprised with pendant gift set. The design was perfect for celebrating our first anniversary of her being a recipient and I being a donor. Very happy with the quality and your great service. You were great to work with and very accommodating.
We will cherish the pendant set for years to come.
Thank you!
Myra Schwartz –
Hi Glenn,
Thank you so much for sending in this wonderful review. It makes me happy to know that the gift set went over so well with both you and your wife! I hope you will both enjoy them and even use them to converse with others about the importance of organ donation in saving lives. You are the perfect person to speak about this with others. I know it may not feel comfortable at first, but it’s all about advocacy now that you became a donor. Many thanks for taking your time to write in to the website. I appreciate it very much! I apologize for taking so long to reply but I only just saw the comment. It’s been a very wild month juggling life, work, holidays, the pandemic and the family, like most everyone!Take care, stay well. It was my great pleasure to work with you as well. Thanks so much for your business and your kind words about my work. Here’s wishing your and yours a happy, healthy 2022!