Vim & Vigor - Spring 2012 - Community Healthcare - (Page 3)

Community Briefs A Parade of Memories T Rose Parade float honors organ, eye and tissue donors One More Day was the theme of the Donate Life float that the hospitals sponsored at this year’s Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. his year’s Rose Parade held special meaning for Community Hospital nurse Cheryl Perry. She and other area residents were given the opportunity to dedicate roses in honor of their loved ones for a float that paid tribute to organ and tissue donors and their families. Perry joined with other area families in a very special dedication program sponsored by the hospitals of the Community Healthcare System—Community Hospital in Munster, St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago and St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart—which contributed roses in their honor. In August of 2011, Perry tragically lost her 54-year-old husband, Anthony, to a motorcycle accident. She says that when the call came to confirm him as an organ donor, she was ready. “The decision gave me peace,” Perry says. “From the bad thing that happened, something good could come of it. I had a real giving husband. He was a generous person. This was his final gift.” When she heard that Community Healthcare System hospitals were going to have a ceremony to dedicate the rose vials that would help make up the float and to celebrate the lives of organ and tissue donors and their families, she was excited and pleased. “The rose ceremony ensures that these families know that we won’t forget their loved one’s contribution and celebrates their life and generosity,” Perry says. With a design inspired by floral clocks, the 2012 Donate Life Rose Parade float carried donor families, living donors and transplant recipients. A rose dedication garden honored more than 3,000 people; each rose included a vial with a personal message honoring a loved one. Anchoring the float was a 30-foot clock tower with a dial reminding everyone to make each passing day count. An OngOing EffOrt Organ and tissue donations save and heal hundreds of thousands of adults and children each year in the U.S. alone. Year-round, the hospitals of Community Healthcare System partner with Donate Life America to raise awareness regarding eye, organ and tissue donations. “At the hospitals of Community Healthcare System, we are privileged to accept the selfless gift that donors and their courageous loved ones have chosen to share and impact the life of someone they have never met,” says John Gorski, chief operating officer of Community Healthcare System. “By supporting the Donate Life float, we honor and salute these donors who have given the greatest gift of all through organ, tissue or eye donations.” OnlinE Cheryl Perry, R.N., represents one of the donor families who participated in Community Healthcare System’s ceremony to dedicate the rose vials on the Donate Life float in the Rose Parade. Go to www.donatelifeindiana.org to register. Indiana residents can also register their intent to be organ and tissue donors while obtaining or renewing their driver’s license. Are You Interested in Becoming an Organ Donor? Vim & Vigor • SPRI NG 2012 3 http://www.donatelifeindiana.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2012 - Community Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2012 - Community Healthcare
Contents
Community Message
Community Briefs
Care When You Need It
Saving Time, Saving Lives
Get Real
How Far We’ve Come
Patient Survival Guide
Perfect Attendance
A New Day
Lean on Me
Intimidated by the Gym?
What Is Your Volunteer Style?
A Prescription for Relief
Creating Comfort and Convenience
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Catherine Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Mary Medical Center
SPOTLIGHT ON: Community Hospital
Valuable Connections

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2012 - Community Healthcare