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PUBLICATIONS
Inside
Illinois
Vol.
25, No. 7, Oct. 6, 2005
Friends,
coworkers help staff member known for helping others
By
Sharita Forrest, Assistant Editor
217-244-1072; slforres@uiuc.edu
A UI staff member who has helped many people in the Champaign-Urbana
area improve their lives is now facing the toughest challenge of her
life with a little help from her community.
Gladys D. Hunt, coordinator of program development and outreach at the
Psychological Services Center and winner of several awards, including
the 2004 Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement, learned in
February that her kidneys are failing as a result of complications associated
with diabetes.
In July, a group of Hunt’s fellow parishioners at New Covenant
Fellowship, including some UI staff members and a student, decided to
join together to provide Hunt with emotional support and assistance.
The group, which meets every two weeks, has helped Hunt with the tasks
of daily living, such as preparing meals or doing household chores,
transporting her to and from dialysis and other medical appointments
when she could not drive and keeping track of the exhaustive list of
medical procedures she had to undergo in order to get on the kidney
transplant list at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis.
The group’s help “has meant the world,” Hunt said.
“People have surrounded me, supported me and nurtured me. They
have been there for me, helping me think through decisions and process
all of the emotional ups and downs. It’s just been a wonderful
experience.”
Beverly Stewart, a chief clerk in the College of Law who has known Hunt
for several years, said that she volunteered because she has “really
been blessed” with Hunt’s friendship.
The eldest of Hunt’s four children, a friend and several church
members volunteered to donate kidneys but were rejected because of health
concerns. Hunt and her sister in Alabama are awaiting the results of
blood tests that will determine if the sister is a potential match.
“If someone wants to be a donor, their expenses are covered,”
Hunt said. “They don’t have to pay a dime.”
Without a direct, live donor, Hunt could be on the transplant candidate
list and on dialysis for five to eight years.
The support group’s coordinator is Lee Ann Kelly, 359-4130. Hunt’s
transplant coordinator at Barnes-Jewish Hospital is Linda Jones, 800-633-9906.
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