Loyola University Medical Center hosts Flag Raising Ceremony to Commemorate Donors

MAYWOOD, IL – In recognition of Donate Life Month, Loyola University Medical Center will host a ceremony to raise the Gift of Hope flag and light candles in honor of organ and tissue donors and their families. Loyola Medicine staff will gather at 12 p.m. Friday, April 21 with transplant recipients, their families and donor families to remember those who gave the gift of life and encourage others to become organ donors.

“This flag raising ceremony is a wonderful way to honor those who, in the midst of immeasurable grief, have chosen to give the gift of life to others,” said Julie Fitzgerald, MD, Chair of Loyola University Medical Center’s Organ and Tissue Donation Committee. “Organ and tissue donation is truly the ultimate gift and provides the opportunity for something positive to come from tragedy.”

Walter Wiegand and his family will be attending in memory of the donor who gave him a chance at a new life. Mr. Weigandreceived a heart transplant at Loyola on July 5, 2022 after two months on the waiting list. He says he and his family were organ donors themselves long before he needed a heart. “It’s horrible that for me to get this heart, someone died,” he said. “It really it humbles you, but then you have to remember the person is dead, so why not give the heart to someone where it can change their life?”

As of December 2021, more than 100,000 people in the United States are on the waiting list for a life-saving organ, including nearly 4,000 in Illinois. Wiegand will also be participating in the ceremony to express his gratitude for all of the Loyola caregivers who helped him on his journey. “The doctors, the therapists, the nurses, they were all incredible. You cannot believe what it’s like to have people who are energetic, personable and kind when you’re there a long time. When I got the call from one of the heart transplant coordinators, all the nurses just jumped up and down and cheered. I think they were almost happier than I was. So it was incredible.”

The event will also feature ambassadors from Gift of Hope which coordinates the organ and tissue donation process and provides education about the importance of organ and tissue donation to the public and healthcare professionals in Illinois and northwest Indiana.