A tree-planting ceremony to honor organ donors and recipients will be
held April 22 in Grand Island 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 Grand Island event is open to the public and will begin at 1 p.m.
at the new softball complex at Fonner Park. Mayor Ken Gnadt, several city
council and Chamber of Commerce officials and representatives of St. Francis
Medical Center are expected to attend. Several organ and tissue donor family
members and organ recipients from around the area also have been invited
to attend.
In conjunction with the tree planting, an educational presentation
about organ and tissue donation will be made that same day. Arrangements
are still being made concerning this portion of the event. The presentation
will be made by Jackie Preheim, coordinator of organ recovery services
for NHS, and Liz Buscher, manager of the cardiothoracic surgery section
for UNMC/NHS.
The Earl May Nursery and Garden Center in Grand Island will donate
and plant the tree. 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
Hastings
Holdrege Kearney
Lincoln
McCook Neb. City
Norfolk
North Platte
Omaha
O’Neill Petersburg
Scottsbluff Sidney
S. Sioux City Valentine
York
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 campaign coordinator.
“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.