ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — UnityPoint Health honored organ and tissue donors at a flag raising ceremony.
The April 13 event was in partnership with the Gift of Home Organ & Tissue Donor Network and the Iowa Donor Network.
Speakers at the ceremony emphasized the importance of organ, tissue and eye donation.
According to the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), close to 105,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list, with over 4,000 in Illinois and over 580 in Iowa.
Jaquel Sherrod shared her story at the event, remembering her daughter Denae Nash, who was killed in a car accident and was a registered donor.
"I am overwhelmed with the people she's saved with her organs and the lives she's enhanced with the tissue," Sherrod said. "Of course I want her back but, knowing that she saved those lives helps me get through the day."
The HRSA also says that a donor can save eight lives and enhance the lives of more than 75 others.