Organ donor celebration joins donor families and recipients

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ)- Imagine meeting the person whose life was saved by your loved one’s liver, heart or lungs. That’s a reality around this time each year at UK Chandler Hospital.

Donor families and recipients are brought together each year, some meeting for the first time for the annual Gift of Life Celebration. The gathering honors those who’ve become donors in the past year.

Organizers say this year, 41 donors were recognized and have their names added to the organ donor wall. An estimated 175 donor families and recipients, along with UK staff were on hand to watch the ceremony.

The ceremony saw Martha Rhoads, whose daughter Emily passed away in car crash meet Becky Hayes, whose life was saved thanks one of Emily’s organs.