Flag raising honors Tennessee organ donors
JACKSON, Tenn. — An event was held at a local hospital to honor those who helped save lives.
Staff at the Jackson-Madison County General Hospital hosted the event to honor Tennessee donors who have given the gift of life and healing through organ, eye and tissue donations.
Donor families, transplant recipients, hospital staff, health care professionals, and donor advocates gathered for a Donate Life flag raising.
April is National Donate Life Month, a celebration of the life-saving and changing impacts of organ, eye and tissue donation.
“This is a time for us where we celebrate those who have donated, celebrate recipients, and also encourage folks to consider becoming a donor and registering,” said Byron Elam, the External Affairs Coordinator with Tennessee Donor Services.
You can register to be a donor at donatelifetn.org. Elam said they are incredibly grateful to anyone that registers.
“About 3,000 Tennesseans are on the waiting list, right now, for an organ, and the only way they will be able to have that second chance at life is through the gift of donation. The only way that can happen is folks registering,” Elam said.
Jackson-Madison County General Hospital partners with Tennessee Donor Services.
According to Elam, Tennessee Donor Services makes tissue and organ donations happen throughout most of the state.
Currently, more than 100,000 American men, women and children are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
Find more local news here.
