OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital held an event to honor organ, eye, and tissue donors during National Donate Life Month. The ceremony included a flag raising and was attended by hospital staff and representatives from Lifeline of Ohio. The gathering aimed to celebrate the gift of life and recognize those who have saved others through donation. Several speakers addressed the importance of organ donation and encouraged registration as organ donors.
"This flag flies in honor of the thousands of donor heroes and their families who said yes to donation," said Faith Hilterbrand, director of external partner relations at Lifeline of Ohio. "It flies in celebration of more than a million recipients who have received organ, eye, and tissue transplants, and it flies to give hope to the nearly 3,000 people across the state of Ohio and more than 100,000 people across the country who are still waiting for their life saving gifts."
Hilterbrand noted that in 2024, 169 people in central and southeastern Ohio contributed to organ donation, saving 608 lives. She mentioned that nine of these donors were from Mansfield Hospital, impacting 26 lives.
Tim Cooper, the father of an organ donor, also spoke, sharing his daughter's story. Shelby, who died at 16 after a car crash in 2004, managed to save three lives through organ donation. Cooper had the chance to meet the recipient of Shelby’s kidney and pancreas, who celebrated her marriage on the anniversary of her transplant.
The event coincided with National Living Donor Day. Mansfield Hospital has promoted the gift of healing through placenta donation. Since the launch of its Placenta Donation Program in September 2023 with Lifeline of Ohio, 116 placentas have been donated, resulting in 2,900 healing and tissue grafts for those in need.