Erlanger holds remembrance ceremony for organ donors

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Erlanger held a Donor Remembrance Ceremony this morning.

The guest speakers explained how organ donation can saves lives.

Danyelle Stone was seven years old when her dad died and became an organ donor.

Then, her 4-year-old son Grayson died in the 2020 Easter tornado.

So, she chose to make him a real superhero and save the lives of others.

Another speaker is an organ recipient.

Anthony Spears was healthy, a football player and he worked out often.

But he found out he had kidney failure, and needed a transplant.

“You’ve got to be a donor. Not just for me, you know, family, friends. You will be… you’ll get a joy out of it… helping someone else out,” Spears said.

Just last year, 39 Erlanger patients were organ donors. They saved 108 lives.

However, there are still more than 100,000 people waiting for transplants in the U.S.