07/04/2022
Mary Hayes, Specialist Nurse Organ Donation at the Western Trust is honoured to accept, on behalf of the Northern Ireland Organ Donation Services Team, the gift of memory boxes from the Daly and Campbell families.
Memory boxes can be an important part of bereaved donor families journey.
Joanne Daly, who works for the Western Trust, together with her family made the decision to donate memory boxes and keepsakes to the Trust following the untimely passing of her brother Michael Daly a year ago. Michael was an organ donor, a decision honoured by his family.
Mary said: “Joanne approached me a few months ago expressing a wish to make a gift of additional keepsake items that may bring comfort to families like themselves at this time of distress and difficult decision making. Joanne spoke about how she and her family took great comfort from receiving Michael’s handprint as a keepsake. This initiated an idea to include further keepsake and memory items that we offer to donor families. Together we researched and sourced appropriate items and can now offer donor families the choice of a memory box including their loved ones handprints, hairlocks, heart beat trace, forget me not seeds and a ‘Hand in Their Heart’ Keyring’.”
Mary continued: “Families are supported by a Specialist Nurse Organ Donation throughout the Organ Donation pathway, an aspect of bereavement support is offering families keepsakes. We are very thankful to the Daly and Campbell families for gifting the Northern Ireland Organ Donation Services Team with these poignant memory boxes to be offered to all donor families across Northern Ireland.”