Organ donor families honored by recipients at community celebration

SPOKANE, Wash. - A community celebration honored organ, eye, and tissue donations this Saturday with stories shared from both donor families and recipients.

The event, hosted by Life Center Northwest, recognized the families whose loved ones were donors and connected them with the recipients.

"It's a very unique feeling to lose a child and then to pair that with organ donation," said Rhonda Parkhurst.

Parkhurst's son Robbie passed away almost four years ago. She said he loved to help others, making it fitting for him to be an organ donor. This was her third time coming to the donation celebration.

"It is super sad but there is hope in that sadness," Parkhurst said.

Saturday's event offered healing moments through conversations and activities, such as one where donor families hung a leaf with a quality of their loved one written on it to honor their legacy.

Mary Goodwin, a lung organ donation recipient, spoke at the event.

"I don't know how to express how grateful I am to even be in their presence," Goodwin said.

It has been 13 years since Goodwin got her new set of lungs. For her, what makes an event like this special is the opportunity to express her gratitude for a chance to keep on living.

"Donor families, whether they feel it as much as I feel it is immeasurable," Goodwin said. "I think that they don't realize what they have done until they see someone like me. And then I am hoping they will feel just a little bit better."

It was clear the sense of community at the event. Some donor families hung up a picture of their loved ones, making the memory of them live on forever.

"Not having Robbie here is unspeakable and I would not wish that on anybody. I am so thankful that in my darkest moment, Robbie was able to help others and prevent them from experiencing that," Parkhurst said.

Goodwin's husband said not a day goes by that his wife doesn't pray for her donor's family.

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