In an emotional gesture of support and respect, these hospital employees have a special way of honoring patients who choose to be organ donors.
A video that was released last week by St. Luke’s Medical Center in Meridian, Idaho shows the staff members lining the walls of the facility’s fourth floor so they can pay homage to a 53-year-old organ donor.
The man, whose family asked to remain anonymous, was on his way to being taken off of life support so that his organs could immediately benefit another patient.
Whenever a patient or a patient’s family agrees to organ donation, the hospital employees – from janitors to surgeons – quietly stand in the hallway as the donor is wheeled to the operating room.
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The hospital has been performing the “Walk of Respect” tradition since they paid homage to an employee’s son who passed away a few years ago.
“It’s just a way we can honor the family who has made a difficult decision,” St. Luke’s spokeswoman Anita Kissée told the Idaho Statesman. “The family said it was just one of the most special things.”
Since the video has been shared across social media, other hospitals have reached out to St. Luke’s to express their interest in starting up the tradition at their own facilities.
(WATCH the video below)
Be Sure to Share This Love With Your Friends – Photo by St. Luke’s Meridian Medical Center