Annual Thanksgiving Ceremony

 

Reflection and Thanksgiving

The Tree Planting and Thanksgiving Ceremony is a collaborative event, hosted each year by the Heart and Lung Transplant Foundation, to commemorate and reflect on the remarkable and generous gift of life made possible through organ and tissue donation.

 

Each year, the Foundation invites a donor family member and an organ / tissue recipient to share their stories of the difficulties and triumphs involved in organ donation. This is a poignant and inspiring component of the Ceremony with personal experiences providing profound insight into the journey of the donor and recipient, and their families.

 

The highlight of the Ceremony is the candle lighting exchange denoting the vital ingredients of the recipe for granting a second chance at life via organ and tissue donation and includes:

• the life giving energy of organ and tissue donation made possible by generosity of the family of a loved one who has sadly passed;

• the skilled hands of the medical profession;

• the receiving of the precious life-giving organ and / or tissue by the recipient and the support of their family and friends.

To conclude the Ceremony, a tree is planted to symbolize growth and life, encouraging people to remember and appreciate the generosity of the donor community, and to celebrate the precious gift to recipients and their loved ones.

All attendees are invited to join in the planting of the tree, which provides an uplifting and moving end to the day’s proceedings.

 

This year the event will be held on Saturday 6 October 2018
 

DonateLife is the major sponsor of the heart warming and inspiring occasion held at the beautiful Lake Monger Reserve, adjacent to the organ donor Honour Board. The event also receives support from PlusLife, Transplant Australia and Kidney Health Australia, and would not be possible without the help of many volunteers.