In honor of National Healthcare Hospitality Week and the House’s 13^th Birthday, the House seeks to acknowledge a very familiar face and guiding force of the mission, Jan L. Weinstock, Esq.

Jan is a Philadelphia-area native and received an undergraduate business degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. She went on to receive her law degree from Villanova University and began working with a large Philadelphia law firm in the Healthcare Law department.

Around the second year of practice at her firm, she was introduced to Gift of Life Donor Program, then called the Delaware Valley Transplant Program, as an external client. Jan worked closely with House founder and former President of Gift of Life, Howard M. Nathan, and recognized his “incredibly high standards” and “his commitment to the families and to doing the right thing”.

She continues, “For years Howard said, “It would just be easier if you would come and work directly with me”, and about 23 years ago I did make that decision to transition from being a partner in this large firm to being general counsel for Gift of Life… and I have never once regretted that decision.”

Her career with Gift of Life spans more than 30 years, with monumental accomplishments that continue to impact thousands of lives. She mentions that extending the Gift of Life’s services to be able to open the doors of the House is one of the personal highlights of her career.

“When I joined Gift of Life part of my responsibilities at the time were to locate and oversee the construction of our new headquarters, as well as a “Family House”, now of course Gift of Life Howie’s House. The House represents our completion of the circle of care because we have always provided excellent care to the donor families, but this was our first opportunity to provide this type of support to the people going through the transplant journey. It was amazing the day we opened it up.”

Jan also emphasized how impactful her first Donor Family Remembrance Ceremony was, which provides the opportunity to recognize the families that supported organ donation in the prior year.

“It is momentous to me because it is a celebration of humanity, no transplant would happen without a decision to give the gift of life after the passing of a family member or loved one… These ceremonies show the families that we’re not in it just for a single moment, we are with them for the journey.”

When it comes to how she spends her time outside of work, she explains, “As long as I am outside, I am happy.” Jan loves running, hiking, traveling, and has even competed in various triathlons. She says her next goal would be to complete the swim from Alcatraz to the San Francisco Bay.

Jan’s years of dedication to the organ donation and transplant community have been integral to the success of Gift of Life Donor Program and Gift of Life Howie’s House. In her eyes, the House represents the past, present and future of Gift of Life as a whole.

She explains, “The House to me represents the past, the 50 years of service of Gift of Life that supported the opening of  House’s doors, it represents Howard’s vision, and the time and energy of our team and  volunteers, and the generosity of contributors to actually support the building and day to day operations of the House … and now, 13 years later, to never have turned anybody away due to inability to pay, that’s an extraordinary accomplishment. It also represents the future for those who are awaiting a life-saving transplant – and we will be here to support them in their journey.”