While there is something very special
about donating to a worthy cause, there
is no donation that is more precious
than the gift of life. In honor of National
Donate Life Month – a time when the
nation reflects on the importance of
saving lives through organ, eye and
tissue donation – Winthrop-University
Hospital was honored to participate
in a special flag raising ceremony to
commemorate its significance.
Representatives from the New York
Organ Donor Network presented
Winthrop with an Organ and Tissue
Donation flag in honor of the Hospital’s
deep commitment to and success in
raising awareness of and participation
in organ and tissue donation. Members
of Hospital administration, staff, as
well as a proud donor family and gracious
recipient and loved ones gathered
at the Winthrop flag pole outside of the
Hospital’s Emergency Department to
mark the special occasion.
The ceremony began with a
welcome from Winthrop-University
Hospital President & CEO John F.
Collins, who thanked the community
for their commitment to saving lives
through organ and tissue donation and
encouraged those who have not, to
enroll in the New York State Donate
Life Registry.
Barbara Kohart Kleine, Vice
President, Administration, and Chair
of the Organ Donor Task Force at
Winthrop, shared heart-felt sentiments
about the profound impact that
organ donation has had on many families,
including the Crimeni family of
Westbury, who made the monumental
decision to donate their 27-year-old
son Vincenzo’s organs when he suddenly
passed away in 2008; and the
Coico family of Farmingdale – who are
forever grateful for the gift of life that
their 21-year-old son Sal received as
a result of the Crimeni family’s courageous
decision.
“For those of us who have had the
opportunity to ‘give’ the gift of life on
behalf of our loved ones, or those who
have benefited from the ‘gift’ itself… it
is, without a doubt, an experience that
will stay with you forever,” said Ms.
Kohart Kleine, “for whether you have
given or received, you have become a
part of a very special group of people
who were there for each other in a
life-saving effort.”
During the ceremony, the Crimeni
family was presented with a Medal of
Honor by the New York Organ Donor
Network for their generous participation
in the organ donation process
and for their commitment to raising
awareness of the importance of organ
and tissue donation.
In addition to receiving the Organ
and Tissue Donation flag for display
outside of the hospital, Winthrop had
the privilege of displaying a panel of
the New York Organ Donor Network
Memory Quilt during National Donate
Life Month. The hand-crafted squares
on the Memory Quilt were created by
donor families to commemorate the
lives of their loved ones. The squares
are stitched together and surrounded
by a framework with the embroidered
names of transplant recipients. The
acknowledgment of donors and recipients
symbolizes the “circle of life.”
Winthrop-University Hospital is
proud of its commitment to organ donation.
In 2006, the Hospital was honored
by the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) with the Organ
Donor Network Medal of Honor for its
high rate of organ and tissue donations.
For more information about
becoming an organ donor, please call
the New York Organ Donor Network at
1-800-GIFT-4-NY (1-800-443-8469)
or visit www.donatelifeny.org.
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Vol. 19, No. 2
Summer 2009
Back to Publications
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