Banner Estrella honors friend, former ER doctor in Donate a Life month

PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 5, 2010) – Emergency department staff at Banner Estrella Medical Center in West Phoenix will host an information table about organ donation in the hospital’s cafeteria, April 5-9, in honor of former emergency physician and friend, Dr. Joe Gibson.

Dr. Gibson's life was taken on Dec. 29, after being struck by a vehicle while jogging with his wife. Now, during National Donate Life Month, his colleagues, family and friends remember his life, and celebrate the lives of those he was able to save through the gift of organ donation.

Dr. Gibson had three passions: emergency medicine, organ donation and superhero comic books. His close friend, Dr. Darren West, will tell you that his fascination for superheroes is rather fitting. To anyone who knew Dr. Gibson—he was a superhero.
 
In partnership with Donor Network of Arizona, the table will support a cause that Dr. Gibson greatly cared for: organ donation. Even in his final moments, Dr. Gibson was able to give the gift of life—donating his vital organs—which saved the lives of four people.

Emergency department staff and Donor Network of Arizona will be in the cafeteria at Banner Estrella from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., April 5-9, distributing donor bracelets and providing donor registry information. In addition, they will hand out stickers of superheroes.

Banner Estrella encourages the community to take the first step to giving the gift of life by registering to become an organ donor. There are currently 106,225 people waiting for an organ transplant in the United States, and 1,950 of those people are waiting in Arizona. Visit www.donatelifeaz.org, call 1-800-94-DONOR, or stop by the hospital, 9201 W. Thomas Road in Phoenix, to sign-up using the Donor Network kiosk. The kiosk is located just outside the Emergency department waiting room.

Banner Estrella Medical Center, located on the southeast corner of the Loop 101 Freeway and Thomas Road, is a 214-bed full-service, non-profit hospital offering general surgery, orthopedics, women and infants services, a full cardiac program with open-heart surgery, emergency services, and medical imaging services. Banner Estrella is part of Banner Health, the leading provider of health care services in the Valley with 10 hospitals. Visit us online at www.BannerHealth.com/Estrella.

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