Healthcare workers at Cedars-Sinai and transplant recipients honor Donate Life Month
The team at Cedars-Sinai had a record year, completing more than 650 transplant procedures in 2023.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Cedars-Sinai healthcare professionals, donor advocates, transplant recipients and their family members held a flag raising ceremony to commemorate national Donate Life Month.
"Organs are life and every organ that's donated saves a life," said Nick Nissen, director of liver transplant at Cedars-Sinai. "A single donor can save seven lives, so it's an absolutely incredible day and a celebration, really, of life."
Mona Castro, an ambassador for OneLegacy, the nation's largest organ procurement organization, helped raise the flag in honor of those who gave the gift of life. She says her nephew Lucas became an organ donor before he passed away. Her daughter who was in kidney failure was a perfect match. Castro says now her daughter has her baby cousins kidney.
"There's so much meaning behind it," says Castro. "So many emotions and just to know that he gave that special gift of life, so that others can live, even though we lost our little guy, it's so meaningful."
The team at Cedars-Sinai had a record year, completing more than 650 transplant procedures in 2023. But, they say they still need donors.
"Every single one of those 654 transplants would not have happened without organ donors choosing to give the gift of life, often times to a complete stranger," said Megan Bell, associate director of abdominal transplant at Cedars-Sinai. "We couldn't do our job without our organ donors."
19-year-old Jen Flores received her kidney transplant in 2022. Now, she's studying to become a nurse.
Being a donor is not just about getting your organs taken away from you or stuff like that," Flores said. "It's about saving other people. Saving lives and becoming a hero."
In 2023 Cedars-Sinai completed more organ transplant procedures at the hospital than any previous year. They're hoping to spread awareness and get more people signed up to donate life.
