UCI Health recognizes organ donors and transplant patients at flag-raising during National Donate Life Month
More than 103,000 people are on the kidney transplant waiting list in U.S.
A flag-raising at UCI Health — Orange honored the generosity of living donors, the strength and resilience of transplant recipients, and the families who supported them on every step of the journey. Through a collaboration with OneLegacy Inspires, the event helped to increase awareness about the importance of organ, tissue and eye donation.
“Donate Life Month serves as a good reminder about the importance of organ donation,” said Dr. Robert R. Redfield III, chief of the UCI Health Kidney Transplant Program. “Transplantation itself cannot exist without organ donors.”
More than 102,000 people are on the organ transplant waiting list and 13 individuals die each day waiting for one, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration.
The event featured speakers from OneLegacy Inspires, along with ambassadors and living donors. One ambassador told the story of her daughter Jasmine who registered as a donor when she was 17. Jasmine’s heart valves saved the life of a 15 year old and another 80 people were touched by her tissue donations, highlighting the potential impact of registering to become a donor.
It concluded with the raising of a flag to symbolize the love, sacrifice and connectedness between the donors, and those who have benefitted from organ, tissue and eye donation.
Learn more about the UCI Health Kidney Transplant Program.
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About UCI Health
UCI Health is one of California’s largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,461-bed health system that includes UCI Health — Orange, UCI Health — Irvine, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties. As Orange County’s only academic health systems, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education. Follow UCI Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.