A tree-planting ceremony to honor organ donors and recipients will be held Sept. 16 in Nebraska City as part of “The Tree of Life” campaign being sponsored by the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Nebraska Health System. A total of 24 Nebraska cities will hold tree-planting events over the next 12 months as part of the campaign, which is designed to raise the awareness level for organ donation.
The Nebraska City event is open to the public and will begin at 2 p.m. in the new addition to Arbor Lodge State Park in the northeast corner of the park. Among those participating in the program are Tim Hall, Nebraska City mayor; Randall Fox, Arbor Lodge State Park superintendent; Don Foster of Union, who underwent a pancreas transplant in 1996; and Charles and Sharon McElfresh of Nebraska City, whose daughter Colleen’s organs were donated following her death in 1991. People attending the event will need a permit on their cars to park inside the park grounds.
Earl May Nursery and Garden Center will donate and plant the tree. A permanent plaque will be planted at the base of the tree commemorating the event. Earlier in the day, members of the Nebraska City Rotary Club will receive a presentation about organ donation given by UNMC/NHS representatives.
The “Tree of Life” symbolizes the new life organ donation has brought to those who were dying from end-stage organ failure and those who have given the “gift of life,” said Kevin Warneke, associate director of public affairs and one of the coordinators of the event.
Other communities holding ceremonies for “The Tree of Life” campaign include: Ainsworth, Beatrice, Broken Bow, Chadron, Columbus, Fremont, Grand Island, Hastings, Holdrege, Kearney, Kimball, Lincoln, McCook, Norfolk, North Platte, Omaha, O’Neill, Petersburg, Scottsbluff, Sidney, S. Sioux City,Valentine and York.
In each community, organ donors and recipients and their families have been invited to attend. They may participate in the ceremony by giving a personal testimonial, reading an original poem or singing a song. These ceremonies will highlight the importance of organ donation. City officials also have been asked to participate.
“The decision for organ and tissue donation comes at a time when a family begins to realize their lives will continue without someone they love,” Warneke said. “It takes true courage and compassion to donate your loved one’s organs. The new life that results for the organ recipient is something that will never be forgotten.”
The campaign will help UNMC and NHS create awareness of The Lied Transplant Center, which is scheduled to open at the end of this year on the UNMC/NHS campus. The 14-level building will feature 44 patient care suites as well as considerable space devoted to transplant research. Patients staying at the center will be part of an innovative cooperative care delivery system in which family or friends serve as care partners for the basic care needs of patients receiving solid organ or bone marrow transplants.
Despite UNMC/NHS’s stature as a leading transplant center, Nebraska only ranks No. 24 among all states in producing donors based on population, said Byers W. Shaw, Jr., M.D., professor and chairman of the UNMC Department of Surgery and an organ transplant surgeon.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state. Through its commitment to research, education and patient care, UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for cancer research and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than $27 million in research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually. In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.
NHS is the partnership of Clarkson Hospital, the oldest hospital in Nebraska, and University Hospital, the primary teaching facility for UNMC. NHS operates 29 clinics and health care centers serving Omaha, Plattsmouth, Gretna and Auburn in Nebraska; Council Bluffs and Shenandoah in Iowa. In addition, NHS operates more than 350 outpatient clinics in 50 communities in four states. The combined NHS system serves approximately 25 percent of the Omaha-area market share.