The blue and green flag reads, “Donation Saves Lives,” and serves as a visual reminder of the precious gift of life provided by organ and tissue donors and their families.
At 3 p.m. on Friday, April 27, UC Health and LifeCenter Organ Donor Network will celebrate organ and tissue donor families – those who have given, as well as those who have received – at the 10th Annual Flag-Raising event.
“We see the life-saving power of organ donation every day, and we are proud to honor the individuals and families who have given the ultimate gift – as well as celebrate the individuals and families who have been entrusted with this precious gift,” said Corey King, Executive Administrative Director of Transplant at UC Health.
The ceremony will include a brief program in the UC Medical Center courtyard, followed by the raising of a new Donate Life flag at the hospital’s main entrance. April is National Donate Life Month.
Speakers at the event include Idris Gray, who received a life-saving kidney transplant at UC Medical Center three years ago after suffering acute kidney failure at the age of 27; and Doni and Glen Owen, whose daughter, Erika, became an organ donor after tragically drowning while trying to save her dog when it fell into a frozen pond.
UC Health is celebrating 50 years of providing excellence in transplantation, breakthrough treatments and research, and compassionate patient-centered care. Dec. 11 marked the 50th anniversary of the first kidney transplant performed at UC Medical Center, which launched Cincinnati’s most comprehensive transplant program. Today, the experts at UC Health perform heart, kidney, liver, pancreas, bone marrow and multi-organ transplants.