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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Every eight minutes, another person in the United States is added to the organ transplant waiting list, and thousands get a second chance because of individuals who register to become an organ donor.
The first organ donor memorial walk honoring patient donors from HSHS St. John’s Hospital and coordinated by Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 26 at St. John’s Hospital Pavilion, 301 N. 8th St., Springfield. The public is invited.
Participants will walk a route marked by signs featuring the names and photos of area donors over the years – including the 14 patients from St. John’s who donated tissue, corneas or organs in 2024. A Gift of Hope flag will also be raised in recognition of April as National Organ Donation Month.
The inaugural organ donor memorial walk comes after St. John’s Hospital staff were honored by Gift of Hope for encouraging colleagues and community members to register to become an organ, eye and tissue donor through the DoNation program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Polly Hohenbery, BSN, RN, Director of Adult Critical Care Services at St. John’s Hospital and Gift of Hope liaison, accepted the Platinum status award on behalf of the hospital.
More than 103,000 adults and children are currently on the national transplant waiting list, according to the HRSA.
For more information about HSHS St. John’s Hospital, visit st-johns.org.
