UW Health Exhibits Showcase Donor Legacies That Led To Multiple Organ Transplants
USA: In the halls of UW Health’s Organ and Tissue Donation program in Madison, glass cases line the main corridor, each curated to honor a different organ donor and to make the work of transplantation visible to staff and visitors. The displays are tangible reminders that donors continue to save lives long after they have lost their life.
One case belongs to 19-year-old Emily C. Lions, a UW student, lacrosse player and volunteer whose life ended in a tragic accident. Her kidneys, pancreas and liver were procured and used in multiple transplants, giving strangers a second chance and illustrating the reach of modern transplantation in real human terms.
For families such as Dawn’s, the donor process has created a new community of donor families and recipients who find one another through shared experience. The legacy cases are assembled by loved ones and filled with personal items that capture who each donor was, turning clinical hallways into spaces of remembrance and connection.
UW Health staff say the displays help sustain the emotional work of donation and transplantation, keeping donor stories at the center of patient care. The cases reinforce the practical and human impact of organ procurement and transplantation, showing how individual generosity can ripple into restored lives.
Video originally published on 2026-05-19 17:42:17
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