Hospital spreads hope and awareness with organ donation ceremony

Every eight minutes, another person is added to the organ transplant waiting list.

April is National Donate Life Month.

A Monroe County organ donation hospital is using this final day to spread hope and awareness with a candle lighting ceremony.

“This candle represents the shared light of hope given through the selfless and heroic act of organ and tissue donation.”

Hope is shining brightly for Alison Conklin.

“We are counting the extra days as bonus days. Today is 560 bonus days.”

Today, the story of her Gift of Life was honored as St. Luke's Monroe Campus staff gathered in light and prayer to remember those who made it possible.

“May their souls be bound together in the bonds of life and be a living blessing in our mist.”

A year and a half ago, doctors told Conklin he had six months to live without a heart transplant.

“I had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is a genetic disease. My mother passed away when I was 42, and I was 42 when I was told I needed a heart to survive,” Conklin said. .

Within three days of being placed on the national transplant waiting list, she had a donor.

“I lost my mother at a young age, so being there for my children was really important to me, and this gift allowed me to do that,” Conklin said. I'll tell you.

But that's not the case for everyone, and 17 people die every day waiting for their perfect match. That's why Burtonsville hospitals have been shining a light on organ donation all month.

Laurie Smikle, St. Luke's Monroe Campus ICU Patient Care Manager, said, “What you really want families to talk about is what they want at the end of life, what their wishes are, and what they want to be able to do alone.'' “Understanding how many lives you have.” Just one organ donor can save up to eight lives. ”

Our staff is always available to answer your questions. More information can be found at donors1.org. There you can also easily register to save lives. The Donate Life Candle continues to shine bright inside the hospital chapel for the people of Monroe County who light the path for others.