In the News

placement of organs for transplant,
and facilitate the recovery
of both organs and tissues.
After the ceremony, they
gathered in the hospital cafeteria
where Lifechoice and Beth
Bradley, a donor heart recipient,
were on hand to share their experiences
and give out information
about the importance of signing
up to be a donor.
“I would not be here if it weren’t
for my donor. I am so grateful for
the opportunity to receive a second
chance at life,” said Bradley.
The new flag will fly with the Connecticut
State Flag, and be raised
and lowered in a special ceremony
each time an organ or tissue
donation is made at the family’s
request.
“Every day in April, people across
the U.S. make a special effort to
celebrate the tremendous generosity
of those who have saved
lives by becoming organ, tissue,
marrow, and blood donors and to
encourage more Americans to follow
their fine example,” said Chas
MacKenzie, Lifechoice Donor Services
Director of Education and
Hospital Services.
Checking off the donor box on the
DMV license form will not specify a
donor’s wishes. To document specific
wishes, a person must register
through an organ donation service
such as LifeChoice, which can
be done online.
For more information about the
organ donation process or to register,
visit www.lifechoiceOPO.org
Organ procurement organizations,
transplant centers, national
donation organizations and other
organizations sponsor special
awareness events and donor recognition
ceremonies to promote
donation awareness and registration.
National Donate Life Month
was established in 2003.
LifeChoice is the federally
designated, non-profit organ procurement
organization (OPO) for
six counties in Connecticut and
three counties in western Massachusetts,
with a combined
population of 2.3 million people.
The OPO serves 23 acute care
hospitals for organ, tissue donation
and two organ transplant
hospitals, Hartford Hospital
in Hartford, Connecticut, and
Baystate Medical Center in
Springfield, Massachusetts.
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital is
a 109-bed, general acute care
hospital located in Torrington. It
serves as a regional health care
resource for 100,000 residents of
Litchfield County and northwest
Connecticut.
CHH offers personalized attention
from an expert team of caregivers
and physicians who utilize
advanced technology and clinical
partnerships in a convenient, safe
and comfortable patient environment.
One Thousand Caregivers,
One Job, Your Health.
Visit www.charlottehungertford.
org for more information.
In The News 65