MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center and Iowa Donor Network inspire Iowa to Donate Life
MercyOne is joining with Iowa Donor Network to Inspire Iowa to Donate Life during National Donate Life Month this April.
MercyOne Western Iowa’s eighth annual Donate Life flag raising ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. Friday, April 1 outside the MercyOne Professional Office building on the corner of 5th and Jackson streets in Sioux City. This ceremony honors all individuals whose lives have been touched by organ, eye and tissue donation. At this ceremony, hear from a mother whose son gave the ultimate gift at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center and why she says it’s so important that people donate. Our other guest speaker is a man who was given the gift of sight through donation.
“Having to say that final goodbye to a loved one can be such a heart-breaking moment,” said ICU and Respiratory Clinical Nurse Manager Abbie Fahrendholz, BSN, RN. “But I have also seen families find hope in the midst of their grief as they have offered this gift of life.”
Throughout Donate Life Month, we celebrate transplant recipients who have been given a new life. We also shine a light on the many more who are still waiting, and we honor donors and their families. Every year since 2002, April has been filled with stories to spread the lifesaving message of donation to inspire people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. In 2021, a record number of Iowans transformed lives through organ and tissue donation. Still, the number of people in need of transplants continues to outpace the number of donor organs. There are more than 106,000 Americans currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. 600 of them live right here in Iowa.
“Organ, tissue or eye donation can bring incredible hope in the midst of tragedy,” said Iowa Donor Network Donation Services Coordinator John Jorgensen. “Through the gift of life, the legacy of a loved one continues through this selfless act of donation.”
It’s our hope that all are inspired to donate. Registering your decision to become a donor is the most effective way to ensure you can save lives through donation and serves as a sign of hope for those who continue to wait. You can register to save lives at IowaDonorNetwork.org.
Donate Life Month celebrations are being held at hospitals, EMS agencies and driver’s license stations across Iowa throughout April. Buildings across the state will also Light Up For Life in green. National Blue/Green day, in honor of donation, is on Friday, April 22.