RUMFORD – Registered nurse Anne Marie Mahar of Rumford Hospital’s organ donation coordinator, has been invited to recognize organ and tissue donor families at the annual Donor Family Recognition ceremony at Sebasco Estates later this month.

Each year representatives from the Maine Organ Transplant program and the New England Organ Bank organize a donor family recognition at which an organ transplant recipient and a tissue transplant recipient speak about their experiences. Following the speakers, each donor family is presented with a small gift by transplant recipients or coordinators.

Mahar has been asked to call out the names of donors during this part of the ceremony, an honor reserved for someone who has made significant contributions to organ donation in Maine.

Mahar established the tissue and organ donor program at Rumford Hospital and has helped other hospitals take on the program. She frequently makes presentations at the semi-annual liaison meetings of the Maine Transplant Program on such topics as data collection, process improvement and community education.

“I’ve spoken to many community groups in this area,” explains Mahar, “sharing information that I hope will help people make an informed decision about organ donation.” Registered nurses Peg Blouin and Sylvia Goodman are also transplant program liaisons at Rumford Hospital.

Mahar has been a nurse at Rumford Hospital for 18 years. In addition to coordinating the Organ Donation program, she manages the Diabetes Education and Follow Up program and is a nursing supervisor.

She lives in Andover with her husband and two children.