PJs LCNW signOne of the most rewarding things about working in donation is being exposed to the best in humanity. Generosity, strength, courage, and hope in the face of grief. A donor mother in Alaska displayed each of these qualities as she said goodbye to her young son, Cooper, and allowed us the honor to carry out her wishes to have him become a donor. Post surgery, she asked that we please dress Cooper in his favorite pajamas. The impact of that simple gesture changed the way the completion of the donation process felt to everyone in the room. Immediately, it became apparent that we should provide the same cozy transition to all our littlest donors. One mom and her brave boy, helped make one of the toughest parts of our job more personal and provided comfort for our clinical team.

A LifeCenter Northwest surgical manager who worked on the case, mentioned that for him, this gesture was something that had been missing from his previous pediatric experiences, and spearheaded the formation of the Cooper PJ Project to collect pajamas to dress our pediatric donors.

We are now collecting pajamas sized for children up to age 5, for clinical staff to dress our young donors after their recovery. We hope this program will help bring everyone involved in these difficult cases a little comfort, and provide another way to honor these beautiful young people and their amazing legacy.

If you are a hospital staff member please contact your HD representative to deliver donated pajamas or for more information on the project.

Click here to download a Cooper PJ Project printable flyer