Sarnia Organ Donor Awareness (SODA) and Bluewater Health (BWH) celebrated a decade of honouring organ and tissue donors on Tuesday with the opening of the new Garden of Honour.
The newly expanded garden recognizes donors and recipients and the connections made possible through the gift of life.
"The gardens were a long time coming to fruition. It took 16 years for us to get things planted and to the grand opening phase of the gardens, and it turned out to be a perfect space for them," said SODA Chair Sue Morrison-Weir. "I think of the impact as people come through the lobby for the paintings because that's the first thing you see when you enter the hospital, and it's a little bit of a secret because everybody sees the beautiful paintings but they don't realize they're transplant-themed. It's a little secret for those of us in the community; they have a little extra meaning for us."
It was also the 10th anniversary of the Transplant Garden of Life at the hospital. The new garden and the upgrades to the existing one include memorials for those who helped make the spaces possible.
"It honours them for the gift that they're giving to others, and to honour their memory. For their families to have a place to visit to remember their loved ones, especially now that they're adding the Garden of Honour, it's an opportunity for them to preserve the memory of the person that gave that generous gift of life to someone else," said Intensive Care Physician and Hospital Donation Physician Dr. Glenna Cuccarolo.
The gathering also celebrated BWH's recent achievements in organ and tissue donation. Trillium Gift of Life, part of Ontario Health, recently recognized the hospital's performance for the 2025-26 year. BWH supported five separate organ donors, resulting in 17 organ donations and 15 lives saved.
"This is a sacred space created specifically to recognize and celebrate organ and tissue donors and recipients united forever through the gift of life. This will truly be a space for community involvement, where customizable tiles will be available for people to place within the garden," said Morrison-Weir.
The first tile placed in the garden is a memorial for Connie Ellis, who was a longtime SODA chairperson, a kidney recipient, the pastor of St. Luke's United Church, and a chaplain at Bluewater Health.
