When patients and families make the impactful decision to donate organs to those in need, the entire Oakland Medical Center staff are invited to honor this selfless act. An announcement is made throughout the medical center to signal that the “Honor Walk” is taking place in the ICU.  Physicians, nurses and other staff gather and line the halls from the donor’s room in the intensive care unit to the elevators leading to the operating room.

The Honor Walk is a way to celebrate the patient’s life and legacy, while demonstrating support for the donor family. A beautiful poem is read to describe this act as a final gift and to celebrate the patient’s generosity. Many patients and families have developed relationships with nurses who have been on their care team, and they participate in this event to support one another in the shared experience of loss and healing.