Bellin to Hold Organ Donation Flag Ceremony

Event to honor donors, promote mission of organ, tissue and eye donation

Members of the public are invited to join Bellin Health for a flag-raising ceremony to celebrate Donate Life Month, which is observed each April to honor organ donors and promote the importance of organ, tissue and eye donation.

Attendees are invited to gather April 2 in the Bellin Hospital lobby at 744 S. Webster Ave. at 9:45 a.m. for opening remarks and a special guest speaker before gathering around the flag pole at 10 a.m. The flag will be raised at precisely 10:08 a.m. to highlight the fact that one organ donor can save eight lives. After the flag is raised, participants will observe 1 minute and 14 seconds of silence to signify that more than 114,000 people nationwide are currently awaiting life-saving organ transplants, and thousands more could have their lives dramatically improved through tissue and eye donation.

Bellin Health Oconto Hospital, along with others statewide, will hold similar flag-raising ceremonies at the same time. Titled “Pause to Give Life,” the events are presented in conjunction with Donate Life Wisconsin.

The Green Bay event’s guest speaker will be Bette Briar-Tilot, a 42-year Bellin Health employee who lost her daughter (and fellow Bellin employee) Dianne Tilot to a blood clot issue in December. Bette and Dianne had discussed organ donation and their wishes many times; therefore, the family was able to follow through on Dianne’s desire to be an organ donor. Bette says she’s glad they had those conversations, because without them she wouldn’t have known whether to donate Dianne’s organs. Bette didn’t initially realize how many people one donor can help – and she’s so glad they made the decision they did.

“She’s still giving,” Bette said. “That was Dianne.”

The April 2 event will conclude with refreshments and a reception in the Bellin Hospital lobby. Registration is not required; however, members of the public are encouraged to RSVP to Kathryn Petersen at [email protected].