Badger football coach Brett Bielema recently offered his support to the Restoring Hope Transplant House in Middleton, shooting a public service announcement at Camp Randall back in June. "When I was in college, my sister was involved in an accident that took her life," he says in the PSA. "With my sister's consent and my parent's support, she was an organ donor."
Bielema went on and urged support for the transplant house, a facility that provides a comfortable and supportive accommodations and environment for patients visiting Madison for an organ or bone marrow transplant. More than 600 of these are performed per year by the UW Health Transplant Program, he notes, creating incredible needs for many patients (and their families) in need of physical and financial respite.
This is the purpose of the Restoring Hope Transplant House. Situated in the historic Pierstorff House in downtown Middleton, this Victorian building was purchased in the early summer of 2006 for conversion into a rest stop for patients and their caregivers. The non-profit organization responsible for bringing Madison's first transplant home into existence is currently in the midst of a capital campaign for renovation and operation costs, along with assistance for families whose finances have been devastated by the costs of medical care. For this reason they have enlisted the support of one of the city's most recognizable figures, one with a personal story about the importance of transplants.
This 30-second PSA follows below.
