Memorial quilt unveiling honors Georgia tissue donors

A special ceremony will unveil a memorial quilt honoring 12 people who performed the ultimate act of kindness by giving the gift of life through tissue donation.

Sponsored by Regeneration Technologies, Inc. Donor Services, Southeast Division, the “Leaves of Life” Memorial Donor Family Quilt will be presented today at 10 a.m. at the Silver Hill Manor in Stone Mountain, Ga. The event will be held in the reception area of the Silver Hill Manor from 10a.m. to noon, with a special presentation ceremony at 10:30 a.m.

The quilt features squares created by families to commemorate their loved ones’ gift of human tissue that will ultimately enhance the lives of others.

The 12 donors represent several communities in North and Central Georgia. These include the Georgia communities of Atlanta, Powder Springs, Palmetto, Marietta, Avondale Estates, Alpharetta, Lizella, Perry and Stone Mountain.

“This quilt truly is a labor of love,” says Regeneration Technologies, Inc. Donor Services, Southeast Division, Executive Director Patricia Higgins. “The donation of tissue is a generous legacy and provides comfort to families of those who have died. With the creation of the quilt, everyone who sees it has an opportunity to know more about how these special people lived.”

Quilt squares show the 12 donors’ individual qualities, including their unique talents, interests, and character traits. The “Leaves of Life” Quilt is the first quilt created by the Regeneration Technologies, Inc. Donor Services, Southeast Division. Rosemarie Sanders, a Marietta quilter and wife of a donor represented in the “Leaves of Life” Donor Quilt, wove the quilt squares into an intricate background of the earth, sky and the connection in between. Recently the donor quilt won second place at the North Georgia Fair, in the quilt competition.

Regeneration Technologies, Inc. Donor Services, Southeast Division, is a Marietta-based tissue recovery agency accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks. Regeneration Technologies Donor Services offers families the option of tissue donation and supports their wishes. In addition, Regeneration Technologies Donor Services provides community education, donor family services and awareness programs, and human donated tissue recovery services to hospitals, funeral homes, coroners, and medical examiners throughout the southeast United States. For further information on tissue donation please visit the Regeneration Technologies Donor Services web site at www.rtidonorservices.com, or call 1-800-254-3440.