Recently, HAI celebrant Michelle Read delivered a moving Humanist reflection at the Ruby Anniversary of the Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving for the Irish Kidney Association on the 27th September, in Dublin.
The HAI is very grateful to be invited to have again been invited to take part in this unique and meaningful service which celebrates the lives of transplant recipients and honours with gratitude the donors and their families.

Michelle Read’s Humanist Reflection

The gift of life is profound. Today we come together to honour and to celebrate those whose generosity brings hope and transformation in ways that cannot be measured.

In honouring donors, we also honour their families, who in moments of great sorrow choose to extend life and offer possibility to others. Each act of donation ripples outward, touching not only the life saved, but families, friends, and communities.

In our regular lives, it is natural to help and support each other, and to gain joy in seeing loved ones benefit from care. In making the choice to donate, organ donors and their families, never meet the people whose lives they transform. They simply know that they have made a fundamental difference to another human being. This is a deep altruism, which speaks to the very essence of our shared humanity.

Humanists worldwide recognise the power of just such human connection and compassion. Here today, from diverse backgrounds and beliefs, we are united in our appreciation of each donor and the light and love they offer to another. May this gathering remind us of the kindness and empathy that can enrich our lives, and inspire us to carry that spirit forward.

You can read more about the remembrance service HERE