This month we are celebrating National Donate Life Month. It is a moment in time to honor and reflect on organ donors and celebrate the life they gave to those in need. Organ donation is an important but difficult topic. One person’s choice to be an organ donor can save many lives.

Around this time of year, we hold a special annual event called “The Tree of Life,” where we honor donors and their families, and remember their gift of life and the impact they had on others. This year, the event was held on Tuesday, March 29, and one of the donors we honored was Darrius Bolden. You can read about Darrius and his family on page 6.

UF Health Jacksonville and UF Health North work with organizations that help make organ, tissue and eye donation happen. In 2021, we had 22 organ donors who gave 80 organs and saved 66 lives. We also had 25 tissue donors, impacting 3,750 lives, and 38 cornea donors who gave the gift of sight to 76 people.

You’ll learn more about the impact and importance of organ donation in this issue. Visit DonateLifeFlorida.org to find out more and sign up to be an organ donor.

As always, it is an honor and a privilege to be your CEO.

Sincerely,

Russell E. Armistead, MBA

CEO, UF Health Jacksonville