The National Donor Memorial Garden in Richmond, Virginia

June 21, 5:09 PMOrgan and Tissue Donor ExaminerCathy Doheny

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The Wall of Tears at the National Donor Memorial Garden*

The National Donor Memorial Garden, located at United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in Richmond, Virginia, is a 10,000 square-foot memorial honoring the nation's organ and tissue donors and their families. Completed in 2006, the facility is comprised of a walkway and garden that symbolically leads visitors through the organ and tissue donation experience.

The journey through the memorial garden opens at the Wall of Tears. Here, visitors symbolically witness a family's loss, as water flows over the words, "friend, wife, son, daughter, mother, sister, husband, brother, father," symbolizing the tears shed by donor families.

The Wall of Names is the main area of the memorial and contains the names of thousands of organ and tissue donors. Three words, "Hope, Renewal, Transformation," can be found on a bronze medallion on the granite wall.

The Butterfly Garden is an area of the garden filled with plants that attract butterflies, meant to symbolize the renewal of life through transplantation.

The Grove is the final area of the garden and is a row of holly trees that lead to the source of water flowing through the memorial. The water ripples in the fountain, symbolizing the donors’ generosity, which has far-reaching effects. The memorial ultimately shows that the gift of organ donation does not end with individual recipients.

An interactive kiosk exhibit is also organized in UNOS' lobby. Here, visitors can view online tributes to organ and tissue donors. Readers may also choose to view these tributes in the comfort of their own homes. There is a current database of 810 searchable tributes, with more being added each day. Families, who have not already done this, may choose to honor a loved one who was an organ or tissue donor by creating an online tribute by using stories and photographs.