Author’s Note: This story includes child loss.
Hope takes center stage at the Chris Klug Foundation’s (CKF) annual Wine & Dine gala. Presented by the Hoffberger family, the gala will take place on Aug. 28 at the Snowmass Club. Highlighting the evening is a powerful awards ceremony that honors three individuals from the transplant community.
“It’s a really lovely gala because it’s personal,” CKF Executive Director Jessi Rochel said. “There’s a really attentive audience for our honorees’ journeys.”
Guests will enjoy a champagne toast, open bar, three-course dinner, exclusive wines and live music by the Aspen-based Derrick Brown Band. The gala is a key fundraiser for the nonprofit and will include lively auctions, a wine pull and barrel drop. All funds gathered will help CKF’s mission to educate and raise awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation.
This year, CKF received 56 nominations for its three annual recognitions: the Hero Award, the Bounce Back, Give Back Award and the Community Champion Award. Rolling out the red carpet for honorees, CKF provides complimentary airfare and lodging at Viceroy Snowmass. During the ceremony, honorees share their lived experiences.
“Some of the stories are funny, heartwarming or devastating, but they are all uplifting and inspiring,” Rochel said. “They make you want to make the world a better place.”
Accepting the Hero Award is Kristen Cowan, a teacher and donor mom from Katy, Texas, making a profound impact in the transplant community. Cowan is the founder of Smilin’ Rylen Foundation, a nonprofit that helps families in crisis and raises awareness about organ donation. In 2017, Cowan lost her 13.5-month-old son, Rylen. She and her family decided to donate Rylen’s organs, ultimately saving five lives and inspiring the nonprofit.
“We wanted to make sure that no one went through what we went through, or at least were comforted by the organizations that comforted our family,” Cowan said.
The foundation has grown to include an annual run, a parking pass program for families receiving care at Houston Medical Center and scholarships for Katy students.
“Through organ donation and everything we are doing through the foundation, it brings joy to our heart,” she said. “It helps us through our grief.”
Receiving the Bounce Back, Give Back Award is Alison Conklin of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, for continuing to inspire others as she leads a healthy and fulfilling life post transplant. Conklin is a professional photographer and founder of Bonus Days Magazine, a stunning publication filled with stories of resiliency and inspiration among the transplant community. At age 13, Conklin was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition her mother tragically died from. Her life dramatically shifted from sports to countless medications, an implanted cardiac defibrillator and open heart surgery. In October 2022, the doctors estimated she had six months to live. Miraculously, the mother of two received a heart within days.
“I was so grateful, but there were so many ups and downs during that first year [of recovery] … It was really isolating,” Conklin said. “The physical healing is one thing, and that’s something our doctors and hospitals are so good at, but it’s the emotional healing that’s the quiet part.”
After surpassing the one-year recovery mark, Conklin wanted to use her own bonus days to help others feel less alone through transplantation. Since 2024, Bonus Days has released seven issues and secured multiple recurring contracts.
“I want to educate people who pick it up and to show anyone that life can be beautiful, regardless of your diagnosis or treatment plan,” Conklin said.
CKF’s Community Champion honoree is Dr. Osama Gaber, acknowledging his commitment to leadership and service within the transplant community. Dr. Gaber and his wife, Dr. Lillian Gaber, of Houston, Texas, are the founders of Nora’s Home, a life-center that offers transplant patients and their families support, lodging and education. In 1998, the couple lost their 7-year-old daughter, Nora, following an automobile accident. Through organ donation, she saved several lives. Nora’s Home is a homage to her life, characterized by compassion and care for others.
“Lillian and I had dedicated our life to transplantation,” Dr. Gaber said via email. “The loss of our Nora made us focus our thinking on the people [who] receive the transplant as humans [who] are in need — not just for organs, but for support, shelter and warmth.”
For over 40 years, Dr. Gaber has been a transplant surgeon and currently serves as the department chair of surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital. He is also a professor of surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, and the author of numerous books and publications.
“The miracle of transplantation is real,” Dr. Gaber said. “It makes people see this second chance at life far beyond a medical miracle — a true act of loving and giving.”
Following the gala, honorees become honorary CKF ambassadors who help build a strong network of support and education. Katrina Edwards, the 2023 Hero Award winner and author of “Permission to Grieve,” is a New York donor mom who shared how CKF has changed her life.
“When I left Colorado I started diving into my purpose,” Edwards said. “I wrote my book … and I realized it gave me permission to grieve my son, which is something I never did … It was CKF that planted that seed.”