Ceremony held to mark beginning of National Donate Life Month

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – A ceremony was held Monday morning at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin highlighting the beginning of National Donate Life Month.

A Donate Life flag was raised around 10:08 a.m. to signify the nearly 114,000 patients waiting for a transplant.

In Wisconsin, there are more than 2,000 people on the waiting list.

West Bend resident Dick Gerard got a lifesaving lung transplant in 2017. While speaking at the event, Gerard talked about the importance of organ donation and thanked his doctors and donor.

“Unfortunately, somebody has to lose their life,” he said. “One of the things I clearly remember when I get out to speak is don’t take your organs to heaven. God doesn’t need them, we need them here on Earth.”

Gerard said he hopes to meet his donor’s family in the coming months.

More information on National Donate Life Month can be found here.

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