Readers' Theatre production humanizes organ donation

Free, educational and informational entertainment will be offered at the Lenoir Memorial Auditorium today at 6 p.m., when the Brody School of Medicine Department of Medical Humanities and the East Carolina University College of Nursing team up to present the Readers’ Theatre production of “Follow Your Heart.”

“The Emergency Department at Lenoir Memorial Hospital is sponsoring the ‘Follow Your Heart’ presentation with the hope that our community will gain an insight into the emotional complexities of organ transplantation,” Constance Hengel, LMH director of community programming and development, said. “I think attendees will be surprised at how captivating the story is and will not want to miss this special presentation.”

The story’s plot begins with the wife of a man whose organs she has donated for transplantation and the journey she embarks on to seek solace from her grief. By looking at the issue from the perspectives of the donor’s family, the organ recipient and the transplant physician, the audience will have the opportunity to put a human face on the sometimes controversial issue of organ transplantation.

The purpose of the Readers’ Theatre program is to foster a closer relationship between the health care profession and the public they serve.

Hengal said LMH recently hosted a Readers’ Theatre production of “Imelda”— the story of the unexpected death of a young woman and how it affected the surgeon responsible for her care.

“These productions are new and powerful way to offer health education and the dialogue is always interesting,” she said.

Hengal said LMH is also working to form a Lenoir County Friends of Better End of Life Care taskforce that would “help audiences in our community think more about the importance of having better family and physicals discussions about end of life wishes.”

Sarah Campbell can be reached at 252-559-1076 or scampbell@freedomenc.com.