CRESTVIEW — Even when a loved one dies, there is hope, particularly if the deceased was an organ donor, North Okaloosa Medical Center staffers said.
NOMC chief nurse Nina Perez believes that after experiencing it first-hand. When her uncle, Richard Green, died four years ago, her aunt, who lives in Alabama, received a thank-you letter from the recipient of his liver.
Such a simple act can help organ donors' family members carry on, she said.
"In the darkest hours, that is something positive they can hold onto," Perez said.
NOMC flies a "Donate Life" flag, along with the Stars and Stripes, at the main facility's flag pole, to observe National Donate Life Month.
It's one of 12 Panhandle hospitals to raise the flag and spread awareness for organ, eyes and tissue donations, which many lives depend on.
More than 121,800 people are on the national waiting list for organ donations and more than 5,200 are in Florida, as of this writing, according to Lesley Lang, from LifeNet Health of Florida.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hospital observes National Donate Life Month