Allegheny Health Network Pays Tribute to Organ Donor Families with Ceremonial Honor Walk

Link to video of honor walk: https://f.io/dW2v-7xw

PITTSBURGH – Clinicians and caregivers at AHN’s Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) will welcome more than a dozen organ donor families today at 11:00 a.m. for a ceremonial honor walk. The event will pay tribute to those who gave the ultimate lifesaving gift of organ donation.

Following brief remarks from network, hospital and Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) leaders, a heart and kidney transplant recipient will share how he was given a second chance at life thanks to the selfless decision made by his organ donors and their families.

Those in attendance will then make their way from the Magovern Auditorium to the hospital’s main lobby in front of the donor recognition memorial. AGH staff members will line the hallway in support of those who are walking in honor of their loved ones.

Held as part of ‘National Donate Life Month,’ honor walks provide caregivers a chance to honor the heroism of patients, while giving families of deceased donors a powerful opportunity to recognize the legacies that their loved ones leave behind.  

WHO:

·        Patty Noah, Manager, Stroke Program, AGH

·        Allan Philp, MD, Chief Medical Officer, AGH

·        Christie Ryan, Director of Professional Services, CORE

·        Melvin Protzman, heart and kidney recipient

·        Families and friends of organ donors

WHEN: TODAY, Tuesday, April 30 at 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:

Allegheny General Hospital

320 East North Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15212

WHY: According to the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), more than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for a transplant to save their lives. In Pennsylvania alone, more than 7,000 people are on the waiting list. National Donate Life Month, celebrated every April, encourages more Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and recognizes those who have saved lives through donation.

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