MANSFIELD — Nearly 50 people trekked .8 miles from the Richland County Foundation to OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital on Wednesday to help raise awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation awareness.
The walk was in correlation with the 2016 Transplant Games in Cleveland Ohio beginning June 10 through 15. Participants of the Olympic-style games are living organ donors and organ recipients.
“The games bring awareness to the terrific success of transplant — the saving of lives — but it also sheds a light on the overwhelming need for organ, eye tissue donors,” said Jean Halpin, president of OhioHealth.
This past year, there were 353 organ donors in Ohio; of those donors, 59 percent were on the organ donation list, she said.
“Thanks to those donations, 1,084 organs were transplanted saving lives,” she added.
Before the walk, a small group met at the Richland County Foundation to celebrate Shelby Cooper’s donation of a pancreas and kidney to Kelly Richart, of Lancaster.
Shelby was killed in an Oct. 1, 2004 single-car accident where she suffered a brain injury. Six months before the accident, her father, Tim, recalled Shelby informing the family she was a registered organ donor.
“We didn’t know anything about organ donation until she told us,” Shelby’s mother, Tammy said.
She and her husband were not organ donors at the time, but after seeing the miracle of life Shelby was able to provide, the parents singed up to be donors as well.
“(Donating) is just something we feel is important,” Tim said. “It’s very important we get as many organ donors signed up as we can and for those on the list to let family members know.
“We wouldn’t have known Shelby was a donor if she hadn’t told us.”
Lori Cope, Mansfield City Safety Service Director, spoke to the Coopers of Lucas, Tim, Tammy and their son Scott. The family lost Shelby at the age of 16. Cope read a proclamation to the Coopers thanking them for their daughter’s donation.
After reading the proclamation, Cope told the Cooper family and those in the audience she had a connection with organ donation.
“My uncle was a recipient of an organ, a heart and kidney, and we’re so thankful for this organization because it has added years to his life,” Cope said.
OhioHealth Mansfield and Shelby and Life Line of Ohio have had seven organ donors with 15 organ transplants as a product of the donations over the past five years. Mansfield Hospital has also had 76 tissue donations. At Shelby Hospital, there have been 10 tissue donations since 2011.
During the walk, a torch representing the continued flame and gift of life and legacy organ, eye and tissue donors leave behind.
“As the torch travels throughout Ohio, it is passed from one individual to the next, it reflects connection of donors, recipients and those waiting for the life-saving and healing transplants,” Halpin said.
