Flag-Raising Ceremony Honors ‘Gift of Life’ Organ Donors at MyMichigan Medical Center Midland
Representatives of MyMichigan Health and Gift of Life Michigan honored organ and tissue donors at an inaugural flag-raising ceremony held June 1 at MyMichigan Medical Center Midland. The Medical Center will continue to raise the Donate Life flag on future occasions when a donor is present in the facility.
The Donate Life flag flies at MyMichigan Medical Center Midland. The flag will be raised for 24 hours whenever a gift of life donor is present in the facility, honoring organ, tissue and eye donors and the lives they touch.
Attendees look on as the Donate Life flag flies above MyMichigan Medical Center Midland during a June 1 ceremony recognizing the generosity of organ and tissue donors and their families.
A flag-raising ceremony honoring the generosity of gift of life donors – those who provide life-saving intervention to others by donating their organs, tissue or eyes – took place on June 1 at MyMichigan Medical Center Midland. During the ceremony, representatives of MyMichigan Health and Gift of Life Michigan shared reflections on the program’s impact.
“A gift of life is one of the most profound acts of love that a person can give,” said Madison McPhee, R.N., a registered nurse in the Medical Center’s Neuro Trauma unit who organized the inaugural flag-raising ceremony. “In one of the hardest moments a family can experience, these families said yes to a stranger, yes to continuing life. This flag is a reminder of their gift and a promise of hope to every family who is still waiting to receive that gift.”
“The Donate Life flag is a beautiful symbol that recognizes all those who gave the gift of life,” said Kristi Lewis of Gift of Life Michigan. “Those who made that heroic decision themselves, families who honored that decision and those who were able to see beyond their own grief and say yes to saving lives through donation. It honors those donors, acknowledges their families and inspires others to consider organ and tissue donation.”
Maddy Duda, G.N., a graduate nurse resident in MyMichigan’s Neuro Trama unit spoke from the unique perspective of one who has been on both sides of the donation process.
“This ceremony hits close to home for me both personally and professionally,” she shared. “In April of 2021, my aunt died unexpectedly in an unimaginable accident. At that time, I wasn't yet working in healthcare. I experienced everything purely as a family member: the shock, the heartbreak, and the moment we learned she would become an organ donor. There was a sense of meaning in knowing her life would continue through others. It remains deeply comforting that she was able to make such a heroic act in her last moments and continue her impact in ways we will never fully see. To all the families that have chosen donation, thank you. Your decision creates life in the midst of loss. And to every team member who has had a part in this process, thank you for the professionalism, respect, and dedication you bring to every donor's legacy.”
The Medical Center will continue to raise the Donate Life flag in the future when a donor is present in the facility, either on the day of their donation or transfer.
“We will fly the flag for 24 hours on each occasion, notifying the community that there is a hero among us giving the most selfless and priceless gift a human could ever give to another being,” said McPhee.
In addition to raising the flag, the Medical Center typically honors gift of life donors with an honor walk, in which members of the donor’s care team, family and community line the hallways in silent tribute while the donor proceeds to the operating room or transfer location.
Gift of Life originated in 1971 as a network for Michigan transplant surgeons to get kidneys to those who needed them most. Today, Gift of Life recovers more than 1,000 organs every year for transplantation from more than 500 donors, saving many hundreds of lives. They also recover bone, skin and other tissues to heal thousands of recipients and work with Eversight to manage cornea and eye donation.
Gift of Life also provides education and support to donors and their families before, during and after donation and maintains the Michigan Organ Donor Registry in partnership with the Michigan Secretary of State and Donate Life America. The Donor Registry is a confidential database of people who have documented their decision to help others by becoming an organ, eye and tissue donor upon their death, if medically suitable.
“There is an urgent need for organ donation in Michigan,” said Lewis. “While 9000 Michigan residents have received organ donations in the last 10 years, 2500 are still waiting for that gift of life, and the list grows daily. It is because of you and others like you that there is hope for a brighter tomorrow.”
Those who would like to learn more about Gift of Life or how to become a donor may visit Gift of Life Michigan.
