If you visit UVA Health in Charlottesville this month, you’ll notice more than spring flowers. A garden of pinwheels is also in full bloom. In honor of Donate Life Month, this pinwheel garden honors donors of organ, eye, and tissues who have saved lives.
"We hope you find our garden as a place to remember and honor those who have given the gift of life," says Amy Schmidt-Morris, member of the transplant team. She and team members from the Charles O. Strickler Transplant Center and LifeNet Health installed this 2nd annual memorial.
Recognizing the Many Who Make Transplant Possible
The pinwheels are also a way to honor all of those who make transplants possible.
Schmidt-Morris adds, "We also hope you will find gratitude in our garden for the countless number of nurses, social workers, physicians, financial coordinators, access associates, surgeons, pharmacists, and nutrition, speech, occupational, and physical therapists, who make transplant possible."
Pinwheels Represent the Power of Transplant
Kenneth Brayman, MD, directs UVA Health's kidney, pancreas, and islet transplant programs. He was among many moved by the pinwheel garden.
"With the pinwheels constantly spinning by the grace of the wind that drives them, we recognize the nature of the power of organ transplant to give life," Brayman shares. For him, transplants "address human suffering and end-stage organ damage. Transplant embodies respect for life, equity and justice for all, inclusion, and diversity."
Help Save a Life
Register to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor.
The pinwheel garden honors donors, yes. But, Brayman adds, "It stands for so much more."
The garden will be on display through April 30.
