MCH celebrate donors in honor of National Donate Life Month
(David Gomez, News Anchor-DRB Media Communications Digital News)
Odessa, Texas/April 9, 2026-This is DRB Media Communications Digital News. Medical Center Health System Hosted Donor Memorial Service at the Donor Memorial Gardens next to the Wheatley Stuart Medical Pavillion. Danny Barrera has the story.
In recognition of National Donate Life Month, the Life Champion Committee at Medical Center Health System hosted its annual Donor Memorial Service. The ceremony honors both local community members and hospital employees who made the selfless decision to give the gift of life through organ and tissue donation.
(Gracie Smith, Chest Pain Coordinator/Member of Life Champion Committee at Medical Center Health System)
“We work really closely with Southwest Transplant Alliance, and they’re able to get us in touch with the family members of our donors. And having them here means everything. It was through their generous gift of saying yes to organ donation and allowing their loved one’s wishes to be fulfilled. Who had already signed up to be an organ donor. Um, to be so impactful and save so many lives.”
Local and employee donors shared powerful personal stories about how organ donations have impacted their lives and the lives of their families.
(Gracie Smith, Chest Pain Coordinator/Member of Life Champion Committee at Medical Center Health System)
“Here in the unit in the ICU, we only get to see one side of it. We don’t get to see the full circle. We don’t get to see, um, you know, the recipients or learn more about how those family members meet the recipients, um, or get to create that bond with them. Um, you know, they’re, they get to share a special bond with, with a receiver of an organ from their own loved one and that, that loved one continues to live on. And that’s beautiful.”
In 2025, there were 15 organ donors at Medical Center Hospital, resulting in 55 organs transplanted, and 20 tissue donors in 2025.
(Kelli James, Representative-Southwest Transplant Alliance)
“So as a transplant recipient, some people wait months; some people wait years for the transplant community. There’s a huge need out there, and they’re unfortunately about seventeen people who die every single day while they’re waiting for an organ transplant because there’s just not enough organ donors to go around. So really, just even by registering your decision, you’re giving hope. We hope that nothing happens anytime soon. But when that time comes and all lifesaving efforts have been exhausted, why not give that gift to somebody else?”
The service ended with a powder cannon release in honor of those 2025 donors
(Gracie Smith, Chest Pain Coordinator/Member of Life Champion Committee at Medical Center Health System)
“Every year for the last four years, we set off a powder cannon for each organ donor that we have. Um, April is our windy month here in West Texas, so we all get painted a very beautiful blue and green. Blue and green are the colors for organ donation. So that’s why we use those two colors. Um, but we invited our family members to join in with our committee members this year to set off those powder cannons. And we were so grateful to Odessa Fire Rescue for being here as well.”
For DRB Media Communications Digital News, Danny Barrera.
(David Gomez, News Anchor-DRB Media Communications Digital News)
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