A tree-planting ceremony to honor organ donors and recipients will be
held April 13 in O’Neill as part of “The Tree of Life” campaign being sponsored
by the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Health
System. Twenty-three Nebraska communities are participating in the tree-planting
campaign, which is designed to raise the awareness level for organ and
tissue donation. Twelve communities held events in 1998 with the remaining
communities holding events this spring.
The O’Neill event is open to the public and will begin at 2 p.m. at
the north side of Ford Park. O’Neill Mayor Bill Price will be among the
participants. Several organ and tissue donor family members and organ recipients
from Elgin, Ewing, O’Neill, Orchard and Verdigre have been invited to attend.
In conjunction with the tree planting, an educational presentation about
organ and tissue donation will be made to the O’Neill Rotary Club at noon
on April 13. This presentation will be made by Doug Bremers, coordinator
of organ recovery services for NHS.
Shamrock Nursery in O’Neill will donate and plant the tree, which will
be a blue spruce. A permanent plaque will be planted at the base of the
tree commemorating the event.
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 for UNMC and one of the two coordinators of the campaign.
Other communities holding ceremonies for “The Tree of Life” campaign
include: Ainsworth, Beatrice, Broken Bow, Chadron, Columbus, Fremont, Grand
Island, Hastings, Holdrege, Kearney, Lincoln, McCook, Neb. City, Norfolk,
North Platte, Omaha, Petersburg, Scottsbluff, Sidney, S. Sioux City,
Valentine andYork
People may participate in the ceremony by giving a personal testimonial,
reading an original poem or singing a song. These activities will highlight
the importance of organ and tissue donation.
“The decision for organ donation comes at a time when a family begins
to realize their lives will continue without someone they love,” said Kolleen
Thompson, manager of organ recovery services for NHS and the other coordinator
of the campaign. “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 opened earlier this year on the UNMC/NHS campus. The 14-level
building features 44 patient care suites as well as considerable space
devoted to transplant research. Patients staying at the center take part
in 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 $34 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 first hospital in Nebraska,
and University Hospital, the primary teaching facility for UNMC. NHS operates
23 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 hospital is an 835-bed facility and serves approximately
25 percent of the Omaha-area market share.