Jordan Herr’s spirit of generosity lived in everything she did. At Girl Scout summer camp, she cooked meals for and mentored hundreds of girls. Cooking and baking was her love language. She poured her love of people into the meals she created. She expressed herself through music when playing her flute, weaving stories of colors and feelings. She was always willing to give advice to anyone who needed it.
“She gave and gave and gave,” Wendy Peterson, Jordan’s mother, said. “In every way, she gave to all of her friends and everybody.”
Wendy remembers her daughter as quirky, caring, intelligent, and a mediator. Jordan especially loved being outdoors, hiking and camping most weekends with her younger sister. “Jordan spent as much time as she could outdoors, in nature. That’s where she was happiest.”
Jordan loved to learn new things, including making sausage and how to crochet. “She was constantly pushing her brain from a learning perspective, that’s just who she was. But she didn’t just learn it, she took it to a scientific level,” Wendy said.
Jordan’s selfless nature was evident even after she ended her battle with depression in 2021 at the age of 25. Wendy said she didn’t know when Jordan made the decision to become a donor by signing up on the Wisconsin Donor Registry, but she wasn’t surprised.
Jordan’s gift of tissue donation has helped over 200 people across the United States and in Mexico. “Even in passing, she gave and gave. It’s comforting to know that she lives on and that she helped so many people.”
Wendy was grateful to learn how the tissue donation process worked with American Tissue Services Foundation’s assistance. “I am in awe of the process. I didn’t understand how this worked. You tend to think of just the organs. You don’t think about everything else that can be a benefit to people.”
The family continues to remember Jordan’s legacy and to find new paths forward while also advocating for mental health. Wendy continues to bake and teach others so Jordan’s spirit lives on.
“Everybody needs to donate. Not saying yes to donation is a wasted opportunity because everybody should have a chance to help humanity and this is an easy way to do it,” Wendy said. “The fact that her DNA is living on in that many people, her spark, her sunshine, her joy, her essence is really cool to think about. Her light, her generosity, her spirit is like a network of fairy lights being spread far and wide, that’s her legacy.”
Governor Tony Evers hosted the annual Gift of Life Ceremony on Aug. 18 at the executive residence in Madison.
More 4 300 people representing over 70 donors attended the ceremony on a sunny Friday morning. Evers said during an emotional speech that he hopes the ceremony will help families through such a difficult time and give them some peace knowing their loved ones have given the gift of life to others.
Each donor name was announced while the families stood for a few moments of silence in a respectful and meaningful ceremony.
Organ and tissue donation makes an important impact on the lives of the recipients receiving such life-changing gifts. Up to eight people can be helped through organ donation, while over 75 people’s lives can be enhanced by tissue donation. One donor can also help restore sight for two people.
To meet such a critical need in the country, it is important to sign up for the donor registry when receiving or renewing a driver’s license at the DMV, renewing a hunting, fishing, or trapping license at the DNR, or online at health.wisconsin.gov/donorRegistry/public/donate.html and then talk to your family about your decision.
Jackie Pische received her son's donated bone graft for back surgery.
Hospitals statewide participated in National Donate Life Month activities, including speaking at flag raising ceremonies and observing moments of silence, participating in Blue and Green Day and hosting informational booths for organ, tissue and eye donation. These events promote the importance of registering as donors and honor donor heroes who have saved and enhanced lives through their gifts of donation. Hospitals statewide participated in National Donate Life Month activities, including speaking at flag raising ceremonies and observing moments of silence, participating in Blue and Green Day and hosting informational booths for organ, tissue and eye donation. These events promote the importance of registering as donors and honor donor heroes who have saved and enhanced lives through their gifts of donation.
Staff at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Neenah enjoy sunshine and warm temperatures as they raise the Donate Life flag on the hospital grounds on April 10.
While organ donation may get much of the spotlight, advocates say donation of tissue and eyes are just as vital and that a single donor can help dozens of people.