Hawthorn Gm Bob Strozewski Donates Kidney To 15 Year Old Stranger

KALAMAZOO (Tuesday, July 19, 2005) - Bob Strozewski, general manager of the Hawthorn Suites LTD. in Kalamazoo and a resident Buchanan, Mich., has donated a kidney to Joshua Plaisance, a 15 year-old New Orleans, La. resident and total stranger who he found on MatchingDonors.com. The surgery, which took place last December at Tulane University Hospital in New Orleans, is the second successful transplant done between patients and donors found via MatchingDonors.com.

MatchingDonors.com is a one year-old Internet service based in Canton, Mass. Patients on transplant lists put their profiles on the website at www.MatchingDonors.com, and potential donors browse the site for a life they want to help save.

When Joshua’s mother, Georgia Plaisance, asked for a kidney for her son on MatchingDonors.com, she wrote, “My son received one of my kidneys in 1991 at the age of 2 after being on peritoneal dialysis. He is in rejection and no one else in our family is a match. He is a great kid who needs a miracle. Thanks to all of you who consider donating your organs. We would be forever grateful for your gift of life.”

When Strozewski, a 38 year-old father of five, who has been GM at the Hawthorn Suites LTD. Kalamazoo for six years, read the entry, he was compelled to help. “I do not wish to be a hero," he wrote. “I took a good look at my life and all the things I’ve accomplished, then I took a good look at what he [your son] has gone through only to see that he has his whole life ahead of him… maybe together we can make a difference.” He says he chose MatchingDonors.com over more traditional donor networks because he wanted to know who was getting his kidney and make sure that person would not abuse it, and with another chance at life, might then do for others.

“Bob has reached out to save a life and we really appreciate what he has done,” said Ken Patel, owner of the Hawthorn Suites LTD. Kalamazoo. “We are proud that he is a member of our team.”

Today, six months after the transplant, Josh is doing extremely well. “I still get joy out of hearing of Josh’s accomplishments – that he went to the prom, he went to the movies with his friends, or to summer camp,” says Strozewski. “I have also gained much respect for those who reach out for help, whether it’s a homeless person seeking shelter or a family down on their luck in need of a friend. I gave a part of my body to help save his life, but Josh has given me a lot in return – compassion, faith and strength.”

Strozewski has a twin brother who also donated a kidney. He is married to Amy, and they have one daughter and four sons, aged 7 to 16.

MatchingDonors.com MatchingDonors.com is a nonprofit venue where patients and potential donors can communicate and hopefully expedite a live donor agreeing to give a much-needed organ. It is not an organ donor waiting list and is not associated with any organ donor organization. MatchingDonors.com gives patients and potential donors the important communication tools needed to correspond with each other, but once the contact between the parties has been made, the road to transplant surgery is their own.

During its first 12 months of operation, most patient members who have been on the site for at least 30 days have been offered an organ by a potential donor and more than 20 patient members have upcoming surgery dates with donors found on via the site. The site has over 100 patients with active profiles and over 2,100 potential donors. MatchingDonors.com is recommended and used by many doctors across the U.S., including some of the most prestigious transplant surgeons and centers. For information, call 781-821-2204 or visit http://www.MatchingDonors.com.

Hawthorn Suites LTD. Kalamazoo The Hawthorn Suites Ltd. Kalamazoo is located at 2575 S. 11th St. in western Michigan. It has 64 studio suites equipped with wet-bar kitchens, work desks with ergonomic chairs, personal voice mail, and extended cable TV with movie channel or VCP. Guests also enjoy daily complimentary hot breakfast buffet and social hours, exercise and meeting facilities, 24-hour front desk service, guest laundry and valet service, and a swimming pool. They can earn points or miles in the Hyatt Gold Passport® frequency program with each eligible stay. There are currently 105 Hawthorn hotels open or under construction worldwide. For information, visit http://www.hawthorn.com, or call 1-800-527-1133 or the hotel directly at 1-269-353-2547.

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