Fountain honors donors who, at the time of death, gave life to others

Two years ago, Rachel Greenberg of Marina del Rey went out to run a few errands. While she was gone, her husband Glenn suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. He was immediately taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center where physicians explained he had suffered the worst kind of brain bleed. They operated, but after four days it was clear that the hemorrhage had caused too much damage, and he would not survive. Glenn was kept on a ventilator until family members from the East Coast could arrive. During this vigil, Rachel learned that when Glenn had renewed his driver’s license a few months earlier, he had signed up to become an organ donor.    “In the midst of the most unimaginable grief and shock, I felt pride for Glenn’s decision to be a donor in what would be the last chapter of his life,” said Rachel. “Now he lives on in others.” Glenn’s donation went on to help 89 individuals, ranging in age from 19 to 92 years old.  “Organ donation is a positive and powerful thing we can do to help families and loved ones transition from grief to opportunity to help others who are in need,” said Dr. Paul Vespa, director of neurocritical care at Reagan UCLA Medical Center and a professor of neurosurgery and neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Todd Cheney/UCLA Dr. James Atkinson, interim associate vice chancellor and president of the UCLA Hospital System, is flanked on the left by Rachel Greenberg, whose late husband, Glenn, became an organ donor...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news