SAN ANTONIO, Texas
— Dec. 18, 2020 — Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA), the organ procurement organization that provides organ donation and recovery services for individuals and families in Central and South Texas, unveiled the centerpiece to their new headquarters in a special ceremony.
The Wall of Heroes pays tribute to the organ donors from TOSA's 56-county service area that spans from Waco to the Rio Grande Valley. These selfless donors have saved thousands of lives since TOSA's inception in 1975.
On Dec. 16, TOSA held a private ceremony with members of the Donor Family Advisory Council who assisted in the project.
“We built this Donor Memorial Garden and Wall of Heroes to honor the individuals and families who have impacted so many lives over the years,” said TOSA President & CEO Joseph Nespral. “This Wall of Heroes is a gift from TOSA's staff and governing board to our donors and their families who've given life and been a beacon of hope for the thousands who await a life-saving organ transplant.”
A total of 3,279 engraved medals were placed onto the Wall in June by TOSA's staff for donors that saved lives from 1988 to 2019; the engraved medals feature the donor's first name and the initial of their last name. The Wall of Heroes has five panels that will eventually hold the names of more than 6,000 donors.
The Donor Memorial Garden also features eight flowering ornamental trees to represent the eight lives that a single donor can save. The area was designed so visitors could walk and find healing while paying homage to TOSA's mission of saving lives.
Located in the heart of the San Antonio Medical Center, the two-story headquarter facility is built on a four-acre lot leased from the San Antonio Medical Foundation. TOSA's staff, governing board and donor family volunteers assisted in the design discussions for the building and Donor Memorial Garden.