Butterfly Release Honors Acadiana Heroes

Lafayette General Medical Center (LGMC), Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) and Southern Eye Bank (SEB) honored local organ, tissue and cornea donation heroes Wednesday afternoon to kick off National Donate Life Month. A butterfly release and flag-raising ceremony was held at La Place de Vie, the memorial courtyard next to LGMC’s main entrance, to raise awareness about the need for organ, tissue and cornea donation.

Julie Castille, mother of a donor recipient, shared the story of her son and his donor, Kelly Theriot. Castille and representatives from the organizations involved, including members of several organ donor families, released a group of butterflies to celebrate the gift of life. A “Donate Life” flag was hoisted up the flagpole at La Place de Vie, where the flag will fly for the duration of April. LOPA will also raise this flag year-round on any day an organ donation occurs.

SEB presented LGMC its 2014 “Hospital of the Year” award for being a local leader in cornea donation. This is the fifth time LGMC has received the SEB award.