An organ donation is life saving for anyone who receives it and the person donating is truly giving a precious gift.
"It was just a wild idea and we love that it did our original intent with honoring the family and didn't have any idea that we would have these downstream great impacts," said Deb Compton, St. Luke's ICU director.
Doctors, nurses, and hospital staff lined the halls of the ICU at St. Luke's Meridian on Thursday as an organ donor comes through.
The hospital had two organ donors in just one week.
"So we lined the hallways and everyone silently stands in support for that family as they take the patient from the ICU to the operating room for that last transport to secure those organs for donation."
It's called the walk of respect and it began a few years ago.
"We had a patient who was going for organ donations. It was a very sad situation. The patient had been in the unit for a while and the team had bonded with the family and we felt absolutely terrible and wanted to do something for that family member to support them."
It impacts everyone involved.
"When you talk about the ancillary department, the labs and the housekeeping and even maintenance and food nutrition. Those people don't see those times but they're so much a part of the team as everyone else and so we brought everyone in to do that walk of respect and they really understand what an honor it is to be a part of this patients life, in any patients life at such a vulnerable period."
It's something that starts a conversation.
"And so it helped with the grieving process from our perspective and then lastly the benefit is that it really shines a light on organ donation."
