Lifeway Honors Chicago Developer Jay Michael With Sponsorship of Probiotic Kefir Treats at Northwestern Medicine®
January 14 2016 - 4:45PM
Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY), the leading U.S. supplier of
kefir cultured dairy products, announced today their donation to
Northwestern Medicine® to fulfill the wishes of former oncology
patient Jay Michael by providing nutritious, all-natural frozen
kefir to inpatients at Prentice Women’s Hospital. The kefir will
provide patients with a nutritious treat that is cooling,
refreshing and may help rebalance gut flora while they undergo
treatment.
Over the next ten years, Lifeway will donate 100
percent of the kefir product and cups to Prentice, which will serve
over 100 patients daily. The soft-serve machine that will dispense
the kefir was purchased through a monetary donation made by Mr.
Michael, a Lifeway fan and advocate for healthy living. Jay
Michael, 34, passed away on January 8, 2016 after a yearlong battle
with Stage IV Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. He chronicled his fight in the
Chicago Sun-Times.
“Having known Jay for much of my life, I’m
personally heartbroken with the news of his passing. Our family has
known the Michael family for over 25 years and we extend our
deepest sympathies to his loved ones. He was one of the hardest
working young entrepreneurs in the city – you couldn’t keep his
spirit down. In between his doctor appointments and treatments, he
was working to make sure all patients could enjoy kefir like he
did. He blew me away,” said Lifeway CEO Julie Smolyansky. “He was
generous and thoughtful; he loved life and found joy in the
mundane. He always found ways to reinvent himself and in the
process, he inspired everyone around him to be better. This
partnership is a gift from Jay to anyone fighting a battle with
cancer. We’re proud to help implement his vision and only wish he
could be here to see others receiving the benefits of probiotics.
This is just one small way his legacy will live on."
“Northwestern Medicine is very grateful to Jay
Michael and his family for making this generous donation possible,”
said Stephen Falk, president of the Northwestern Memorial
Foundation. “This thoughtful gift will benefit our cancer patients
at Prentice during a time when an additional comfort, like frozen
kefir, can make a real difference in their day.”
The machine will be up and running within the
next three weeks and feature signage identifying Lifeway Foods as
the provider of the kefir and Jay Michael as the provider of the
machine. A grand opening ceremony will take place to mark the
beginning of service.
About Lifeway Foods, Inc.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. (LWAY), recently named one
of Forbes’ Best Small Companies, is America’s leading supplier of
the probiotic fermented beverage known as kefir. In addition to its
line of drinkable kefir, the company also produces frozen kefir,
specialty cheeses and a ProBugs line for kids. Lifeway’s tart and
tangy cultured dairy products are now sold across the United
States, Canada, Latin America and the United Kingdom. Learn how
Lifeway is good for more than just you at Lifewaykefir.com.
Connect with Lifeway Foods on Facebook:
Facebook.com/lifewaykefir Follow Lifeway Foods on Twitter:
Twitter.com/lifeway_kefir Watch clips on YouTube:
Youtube.com/user/lifewaykefir
About Northwestern Medicine
To learn more about Northwestern Medicine,
please visit:
http://news.nm.org/about-northwestern-medicine.html
Company Contact:
Derek Miller
877-281-3874
derekm@Lifeway.net
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