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For Immediate
Release
Families
Remember
Organ
and
Tissue
Donors
at June
23 Memorial
MORENO
VALLEY,
California,
June
21,
2006
– Twelve
years
ago,
Riverside
County
Regional
Medical
Center
(RCRMC)
unveiled
a unique
memorial:
a wood
and
bronze
“Arbor
Vitae”
– Tree
of Life
– to
honor
organ
and
tissue
donors.
On Friday,
June
23,
at 4:00
p.m.,
the
Tree
sprouted
33 new
bronze
leaves
to recognize
organ
and
tissue
donors
from
RCRMC
in the
past
five
years
whose
gifts
have
saved
dozens
of lives.
Nearly
150
donor
family
members
joined
together
for
the
dedication,
which
took
place
in RCRMC’s
Medical
Mall.
The
event
was
co-hosted
by OneLegacy,
the
organ
recovery
agency
for
the
seven
counties
in Southern
California,
including
Riverside
County.
Participants
in the
afternoon
program
included
Douglas
Hegstad,
M.D.;
Loyal
Ward,
chaplain;
and
Luis
Orozco,
assistant
hospital
administrator,
RCRMC.
“Riverside
County
Regional
Medical
Center
is proud
to partner
with
OneLegacy
in honoring
donor
families
for
their
giving
and
saving
of lives
of patients
on the
organ
transplant
waiting
list
who
otherwise
might
not
have
a chance
to live,”
said
Douglas
Bagley,
RCRMC
chief
executive
officer.
“This
is a
privilege
for
RCRMC
because
the
true
heroes
in this
partnership
are
our
donor
families
who,
in the
wake
of personal
tragedy,
have
made
a choice
to share
a ray
of happiness
and
hope
of life
with
others.”
One
such
donor
who
was
honored
on June
23 is
Tyson
Clark,
who
was
13 years
old
when
he donated
four
organs
in 2002.
His
mother,
Debbie
Dormack
of Moreno
Valley,
noted
that
“Tyson
would
have
graduated
from
high
school
this
year.
His
death
was
the
hardest
thing
I’ve
had
to go
through.
It’s
nice
to know
that
there
is something
with
his
name
where
he will
be honored
and
that
will
still
be remembered.”
Another
remembrance
went
to Antonio
Serrano,
who
was
only
three
years
old
when
his
mother
made
the
decision
to donate
his
tissue.
Donated
tissue
can
be used
to increase
burn
survival,
to replace
or strengthen
damaged
joint
tissue,
or prevent
amputation.
“I
always
believed
in donation
for
myself,
but
never
thought
I would
have
to make
the
decision
for
my child,”
said
Kenia
Serrano
of Hemet.
“I am
honored
that
people
will
remember
my son,
and
I’m
happy
that
he was
able
to do
something
extraordinary:
help
others.”
That
desire
to help
in a
way
no one
else
can
is inherent
in the
donation
decision.
“OneLegacy
will
always
be grateful
to these
donors
and
their
families
for
their
courageous
and
generous
decision
to donate,”
said
Jeff
Fleming,
OneLegacy
director
of family
services.
“It
is our
privilege
to support
donor
families
and
continue
to find
ways
like
RCRMC’s
Arbor
Vitae
to honor
donors
and
their
families
for
their
extraordinary
gifts,
and
to support
hospitals
for
their
compassionate
care.”
When
the
June
23 dedication
concluded,
RCRMC's
unique
Arbor
Vitae
boasted
a total
of 80
leaves.
The
monument
will
serve
as an
inspiration
to those
in a
position
to help
the
92,000
people
nationwide
currently
awaiting
a life-saving
organ
transplant
and
the
hundreds
of thousands
that
need
donated
tissue
each
year.
Since
1977,
OneLegacy
has
served
as the
bridge
between
donors
and
patients
awaiting
life-saving
transplants.
OneLegacy
serves
19 million
residents
in the
seven-county
greater
Los
Angeles
area
and
is the
primary
source
of information
regarding
organ
and
tissue
donation
and
transplantation
in Southern
California.
Those
wishing
to make
the
commitment
to donate
may
register
online
at www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or its
Spanish-language
counterpart,
www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org.
For
more
information,
call
OneLegacy
at (800)
786-4077
or visit
www.onelegacy.org
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