Mid-America Transplant Candlelight Memorial Sparks Talk of Donor Monument in Chesterfield

News Magazine Network | Sheila Frayne Rhoades

Photo: Don Wiegand stands at the MTS memorial monument that he sculpted in 2009.

Nearly 1,000 people were on hand Aug. 30 when Mid-America Transplant Services (MTS) held its annual candlelight memorial ceremony honoring organ and tissue donors and their families. The emotionally moving ceremony took place in Highlands Park, which is located adjacent to the MTS office.

At the centerpiece of the park is a donor memorial monument – a bronze, bas-relief sculpture created in 2009 by Chesterfield sculptor Don Wiegand. The piece depicts transplant recipients raising lit candles in lasting tribute to their donors. The sculpture is backed by large blocks of stone and marble and surrounded by a serene reflecting pool.

MTS President & CEO Dean F. Kappel, a Chesterfield resident, said the monument “honors the selfless act of giving life to another through organ and tissue donation.”
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