Global Organ Donor Commemorative Project

Organ donors and their families were remembered at a a unique global commemorative event held on November 30th.  The project was initiated by Strange Boat Donor Foundation, in association with Organ Donation & Transplant Ireland, and helped promote the cause of organ donation globally.

The purpose of the project was to give expression on a world stage to society's appreciation and gratitude for the life-giving gift made possible through organ donors and their families.

The project involved the unveiling of a commemorative sculpture, gifted by an Irish city to a representative city in other continents. The sculpted pieces are 5' 5" tall stone candles, symbolising the light of humanity shone through donation, and are replicas of the stone candle in the Circle of Life National Organ Donor Commemorative Garden in Salthill, Galway. The designate cities, all of which are associated with world class centres of transplant excellence, are Cape Town, Barcelona, Melbourne and Boston.

The date chosen was designed to avail of the publicity potential in coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the world's first heart transplant at the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town in December 1967. The event involved the choreographed unveiling of the sculptures in each of the cities for global amplification of the message of goodwill and gratitude to organ donors and the broader organ donation community.

More details & links to media coverage on:

http://www.organdonation.ie/2017-event.html