Mayo Clinic is mourning the loss of Dr. Luis Bonilla, a cardiac surgeon, and David Hines, an organ procurement technician who, along with the pilot of the helicopter, perished during a mission to bring the gift of life to a transplant patient.
Every hour across the nation dedicated professionals are on call and in the air, transporting organs and restoring hope to patients in their most desperate hours.
“We’ve been touched by the outpouring of prayer and sympathy from patients, friends and colleagues who understand the demands and sacrifices made by these dedicated transplant teams,” said William Rupp, M.D., vice president of Mayo Clinic and chief executive officer of Mayo Clinic in Florida. “We hope the community honors their sacrifice by supporting organ donation.”
Related posts:
All “Helicopter Crash” Stories published by Mayo Clinic
Download files:
Audio of Dr. Rupp’s message: http://db.tt/8NNfrI0n (MP3)
Hi-Res photo of Dr. Luis Bonilla: http://db.tt/BEf78aHF (JPG)
Hi-Res photo of David Hines: http://db.tt/RkWDunq6 (JPG)
Hi-Res photo of Bonilla/Hines together: http://db.tt/eXIqamoM (JPG)
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Transplant programs at Mayo Clinic: MayoClinic.org/transplant
We welcome you to share your condolences, thoughts and feelings in the comments below.
Thank you to Dr. Rupp for his statement regarding the importance of what these teams do day in and day out, as well as the importance of organ and tissue donation. The Air Medical Memorial honors the sacrifice of Dr. Luis Bonilla, David Hines and pilot E. Hoke Smith.
You can visit the page honoring the Mayo Clinic team to leave a memorial note.
What a trajic loss not only to family and loved ones, but to the medical community and patients at large. Dr. Bonilla performed surgery on me on the 14th of December, the result of which was to enable me to live my life as most normal people would…he gave my life back to me. As a healthcare professional, I hope I can give someone else their life back.