East Alabama Health Ceremony Recognizes Start of Donate Life Month

A ceremony marking the start of National Donate Life Month brought community members, medical staff and local leaders together April 1 at East Alabama Medical Center (EAMC). 

Donate Life Month, held annually in April, aims to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation, as well as to celebrate and honor donors, their families, recipients, health care workers, and all those who play a role in saving and enhancing lives through organ, tissue and eye donation. 

"Every April we have the honor of hosting this important service of celebrating organ donation," said Laura Grill, president and CEO of East Alabama Health. "Together we acknowledge our physicians, nurses and entire clinical teams who work every day to care for our patients. These are our family, friends and neighbors who put their trust in us to provide high-quality, compassionate health care. 

"We all have an active role in honoring the decisions of donors and their families to offer life, hope and a second chance to others through donation. "

The ceremony featured remarks from several speakers, an official proclamation presented by the Auburn Mayor Ron Anders and Opelika City Councilman Chuck Beams, information on how to register as an organ donor and a powerful feature presentation from local mother Amanda Carpenter.

Carpenter, whose 10-year-old son, Davis Boswell, received a heart transplant in 2015, spoke about their personal experience with organ donation.

The heart for Boswell’s transplant was donated by John Clarke Perry, a 6-month-old from Louisiana. Following Boswell’s successful transplant procedure, the Perry and Boswell families met at EAMC in April 2016 to share their organ donation story and the personal meaning behind “donate life.” This year marked the 10-year anniversary of that meeting. 

Following the ceremony, a Donate Life flag was raised on the main lawn of East Alabama Medical Center. The flag will remain raised throughout the month of April to help promote awareness of organ donation.

To learn more about becoming an organ donor, visit https://legacyofhope.org/.

About East Alabama Health

East Alabama Health encompasses East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital in Valley, East Alabama Medical Center North in Opelika, the Spencer Cancer Center in Opelika, the Auburn Medical Pavilion and a host of other key medical clinics and practices that help provide a continuum of care to patients throughout an 11-county area. EAMC is a 316-bed regional referral hospital. EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital provides emergency and outpatient services while its campus also features a nursing home and an ambulatory surgery center. East Alabama Health employs about 4,100 people and is the second largest employer in the region, trailing only Auburn University.