Tissue families gather around Giving Tree
Mary Kay Thomas kisses a picture of her beloved daughter Melissa before gently placing it in an ornately decorated clear Giving Tree ornament.
“I love you so much,” she says, holding the ornament close to her heart.
Melissa was a tissue donor. She passed away in 2019 but helped more than 65 lives by donating her liver and tissue posthumously.
Mary Kay was one of more than 80 people who attended Thursday’s 2024 Giving Tree, an annual event where tissue donor families involved in South Texas Blood & Tissue’s Grief Support and Life Legacies honor their loved ones.
Sharing in a safe space
Since 2015, Susan Smith, Manager of Grief Support and Life Legacies, has given tissue donor families the chance to be heard – to share their grief in a safe space while having fun and connecting with others with shared experiences.
It is a chance for many to grieve, celebrate, and remember in a safe, loving environment. Donor families created ornaments of their loved ones, which were placed on a beautifully lit Christmas tree in Donor Pavilion, called the Giving Tree.
The Giving Tree stands in honor of a gift that can’t be purchased: life through tissue, organ and eye donation. Every lovingly crafted ornament represents a reflection of a donor’s legacy. The lights are meant to inspire hope for thousands of people waiting for a lifesaving transplant.
One person can save up to eight lives with organ donation. Tissue donation can enhance life for more than 75 people. Cornea donation can restore sight for two others.
“We want to speak our loved ones’ names. Tell their stories, live their legacies, and that’s what we’re doing with the ornaments. We’re telling their stories. We’re giving them their legacies,” Susan said.
Families participated in a candlelight vigil, where candles were lit in memory of tissue donors. Families call out the names of their beloved at the same time. Some kiss their candles, others smile, some cry.
Eight years of wishes
Ceremonies were concluded by sprinkling “wishes” in the Legacy Garden, a place for donor families to pay tribute. It is a place to reflect, meditate, and place mementos representing their loved one’s legacy.
The wishes add to eight years of faith, special dreams, and hopes all gathered in one place.
The event was a great success. Many left with a full heart and peace.
