Mother Of Organ Donor Creates Smiles And Awareness With Hand Painted Stones (Photo) -04/18/23

PORTLAND, Ore. (April 18, 2023): More than 100,000 people are waiting on the national transplant list for lifesaving organ transplants, with another person being added every nine minutes.

April is organ donor awareness month and Anne Carleton, an orthopedic technician at Kaiser Permanente’s Westside Medical Center, is spreading kindness and raising awareness in memory of her son, Hayden.

To honor her son and share his lasting impact of kindness, Anne recently gave away 3,200 hand-painted rocks at Westside Medical Center to raise awareness on the importance of organ donation. “Hayden gave life-impacting organ donations to seven people. My heart is full to share his life message, ‘rock on and be kind,’” she said.

Over 150 people, including Kaiser Permanente staff, family and friends volunteered to paint the rocks over a three-month period. “Anne has been a kindness inspiration to me and many of her coworkers,” said Gretchen Dallman, a nurse manager with Kaiser Permanente. “Painting Hayden Kindness Rocks has brought us closer together and allowed us to learn and give back in a different way.”

In 2022, about 250 people and 27 groups from around the community volunteered to paint Hayden Rocks with Anne. Each rock receives four coats of paint and a coating to increase its color and shine. Rocks are painted year-round and distributed at events across the community.

Hayden lived an active life — football, snowboarding, skateboarding and camping — but especially enjoyed sharing smiles with friends and family.

In 2011, 15-year-old Hayden passed his drivers permit test, and asked what an organ donor was. He signed up on the spot. Eight months later, Hayden passed away suddenly during a run with his mom and their dog near the Rock Creek home they shared.

Years later, Anne came across two rocks she and Hayden had painted, making her smile. Soon she was painting and spreading smiles everywhere she went. 

Anne’s commitment and kindness continue to impact strangers, friends and colleagues on a daily basis. And each time someone new takes a moment to ask about being an organ donor, Anne knows Hayden lives on.

“My mom just had multiple heart issues and a cardiovascular surgery. She lives out of town, and I brought her to my house to recover. When Anne found out she delivered a rock to my mom. It meant the world to my mom,” Carolyn Ortman, rock painter and Regional Manager for In-Patient Volunteer Services at Kaiser Permanente.

Interviews available

• Anne Carleton is available in-person at her custom rock painting studio in Rock Creek on Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
  • Video and phone interviews can be scheduled.
  • Carolyn Ortman, painting volunteer is available by phone or video.

Photos available

Contact: Kim Mounts to schedule interviews.

National statistics from Donate Life (www.donatelife.net)

Organ, eye, and tissue transplants transform lives. They save people who are dying, restore sight, turn loss into hope, and forge profound bonds between total strangers.

• In 2022, more than 42,000 transplants from 21,300 donors brought renewed life to patients and their families and communities.
• More than 100,000 people are waiting on the national transplant waiting list for lifesaving organ transplants.
• 60% of patients awaiting lifesaving transplants are minorities.
• Another person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list every 9 minutes.
• 17 people each day while waiting for a transplant. 6,388 transplant candidates died in 2021 while on the national transplant waiting list.

ABOUT KAISER PERMANENTE 
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, please visit: about.kaiserpermanente.org

For more information, please visit: about.kaiserpermanente.org