Friends, coworkers help staff member known for helping others
By Sharita Forrest, Assistant Editor 217-244-1072; slforres@illinois.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.
