October 02, 2024
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OSF flies Gift of Hope flag to pay tribute, draw awareness to organ donors

Flag will fly through April, which is National Donate Life Month

By Derek Barichello
The Rev. Father Michael Driscoll blesses the Gift of Hope flag as it is raised Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at the OSF Center for Health-Streator as Lisa and Jerry Aukland look on.

The Rev. Father Michael Driscoll blesses the Gift of Hope flag as it is raised Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at the OSF Center for Health-Streator as Lisa and Jerry Aukland look on. (Derek Barichello)

When Bailey Aukland died in 2021 at the age of 24, he was able to give life to dozens of other people by donating his tissue and organs.

His parents Lisa and Jerry were invited Tuesday to a Gift of Hope flag-raising ceremony at the entrance of OSF Center for Health-Streator, in commemoration of National Donate Life Month, which is recognized throughout April. OSF also conducted a flag-raising ceremony earlier Tuesday at OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Ottawa.

Lisa said her son’s donation helped 52 people in 13 different states, including donations of his heart, pancreas, liver and kidneys.

They are so grateful for his gift. They were able to see the birth of their first grandchild and if it were not for him, they wouldn’t have met them.

—  Lisa Aukland, Bailey Aukland's mother

She said when Bailey went to the operating room for the final time, the OSF staff lined up outside his room and honored him for his gift. She said Tuesday’s flag raising pays tribute again to Bailey’s donation, as well as the many others who contributed their organs and tissues for people to continue their lives.

“I’ve reached out to the people who received his liver and heart, and they are so grateful for his gift,” Lisa said. “They were able to see the birth of their first grandchild and if it were not for him, they wouldn’t have met them.”

The Rev. Father Michael Driscoll (center) leads a Gift of Hope flag raising presentation Tuesday, April 11, 2023, in front of the flagpole at OSF Center of Health-Streator. He is joined (to his right) by Lisa and Jerry Aukland, whose son, Bailey, was an organ donor.

The Rev. Father Michael Driscoll (center) leads a Gift of Hope flag raising presentation Tuesday, April 11, 2023, in front of the flagpole at OSF Center of Health-Streator. He is joined (left to right) by Ruth Keith, donation liaison for Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network; Heather Bomstad, chief nursing officer at OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center; and Lisa and Jerry Aukland, whose son, Bailey, was an organ donor. (Derek Barichello)

Lisa said organ donation may be an awkward conversation, but it is an important one to have among family members, and one best to have before anything tragic does happen.

Lisa shared memories of Bailey, who was born March 27, 1996, and his love for racing dirt and street stock cars.

The Auklands were joined Tuesday by OSF St. Elizabeth Chief Nursing Officer Heather Bomstad, Gift of Hope’s Ruth Keith, and the Rev. Father Driscoll, who blessed the Gift of Hope flag. The OSF Center for Health also will be illuminated all April in purple and green colors in commemoration of National Donate Life Month.

“The significance of the flag is simple yet powerful,” Keith said. “It not only reflects hope but also represents the lasting legacy of those who gave the ultimate gift.”

Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network serves as the federally designated not-for-profit agency that coordinates organ and tissue donation and supports families of donors in the northern three quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana. Go to https://www.giftofhope.org/ for more information on the agency.

The Illinois Secretary of State’s office maintains the state’s official registry of those who wish to donate organs/tissue upon their death. To donate and for more information about donation, go to https://www.lifegoeson.com/