New Pinwheel installation shines light on organ donors

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - UVA Medical Center has some new decorations that look lighthearted, but they have an important significance and point out both health advancements and a major health need.

Colorful pinwheels shine a light on those who donated organs and those who need them. More than 700 people are waiting on UVA Health’s donor list.

“Organ donation is something that can bring us together. There are many patients who faced an organ disease and are in need of that life saving gift,” UVA Health’s Amy Schmidt-Morris said.

She hopes all of this will make you stop and think.

“We’ve had a hard couple years, a lot of us and encouraging folks to take pause. Think about organ eye and tissue donation, consider being and becoming a registered organ donor,” Schmidt-Morris said.

Organ transplants continued even as the pandemic stopped so many other procedures.

”At UVA we have successfully transplanted several patients who have gone through COVID and needed new lungs to be able to breathe again and live again. So even in the challenges that we have faced as a transplant center and COVID we’ve been able to rise to that occasion, and absolutely come together,” Schmidt-Morris said.

This display is a visible support to many of those who are waiting in the transplant clinic.

“Our outpatient appointments for our transplant clinic are in the west complex. You can also see this garden from our inpatient unit for central at the medical center,” Schmidt-Morris said.

Pinwheels was chosen because of what they represent.

“Pinwheels are a national symbol for organ eye and tissue donation and living donation there are four petals located on the pinwheel and the stem of the pinwheel brings us all together,” Schmidt-Morris said.

UVA is Virginia’s only comprehensive transplant center serving both adults and children and has performed in total over 6,000 transplants. If you are interested you can find more information here.

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