Lifeline of Ohio Quilts Honor the Heroes of Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation

Holzer Health System is pleased to honor the heroes of donation by displaying a Lifeline of Ohio Donor Memorial Quilt on April 17-23 in the Gallipolis campus front lobby. Each Lifeline of Ohio Donor Quilt is a visual testament to the human spirit that embodies organ, eye and tissue donation.

The Lifeline of Ohio Donor Memorial Quilts honor those heroes whose gift may have saved eight lives through organ donation and/or healed the lives of more than 50 others through cornea and tissue donation. Donor families create quilt squares which include pictures of their loved ones, quotes and meaningful symbols, making each panel unique.

Since the quilt project was proposed in the summer of 1998, more than 300 families have contributed a quilt square to one of fourteen donor quilts. Some families constructed squares from articles of the donors’ clothing, baby blankets, or toys; while others incorporated photos, poems or original artwork to help tell the story of a toddler, a teen, a parent, or a grandparent. All donors are considered heroes to the thousands of transplant recipients who are alive today because of the generous choice to donate in their death.

Lifeline of Ohio CEO Kent Holloway said casual passers-by cannot help but be captivated by the poignancy of each quilt’s life-enhancing message as it travels for public display throughout Ohio.

“The quilt is a vital part of our community education program,” said Holloway. “It promotes the human aspect of donation that is often overlooked amid the drama and technology of transplantation. We are so honored to recognize these individuals and families who said yes and shared the Gift of Life through organ, eye and tissue donation.”

Photo is of the Lifeline of Ohio Donor Memorial Quilt.