highest level,” Kim said. “Because they are true heroes for others.” The needs of families are also met there. If they want special music, a letter from family or friends, poem or prayer read in the operating room, Cindy and other coordinators make sure it’s played or read. “This man’s family requested rock and roll,’’ she says. “I’ve heard a lot of ‘Amazing Grace’ through the years, rap music and REO Speedwagon’s ‘Time for Me to Fly’ is also a popular one. Cindy said being around death every day can be difficult. “But I get to take care of someone who is giving organs and life to others. So, I know I’m also helping others live.” The man she washed and talked to that day became a donor the following evening. His gifts: Both kidneys for two patients waiting for a transplant.
Teams pause to recognize an organ donor in the OR.
Donor Care Center facts Gift of Life Michigan has a dedicated space at the Ann Arbor headquarters where most tissue donors and as many as 165 organ donors each year are transferred to give their final gifts. A few facts: • More than 1,000 organ donors have been cared for there since the facility opened in 2016. • It includes a three-bed ICU where donation coordinators care for donors’ needs and their organ health before donation occurs. • The care center has operating rooms for both organ and tissue donation. • Families wanting to travel to Ann Arbor have a dedicated space and receive a special care kit. • Gift of Life teams and transplant surgeons pause in the OR for every donor to speak their name, thank them for their gifts and read poems, lyrics or letters sent along by their families. • Special music for donors is played in the operating room as requested by families.
This prayer was read in the OR at the request of a donor’s family.
LifeLINES | 2023
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