Staff members at Windsor Regional Hospital are being honoured for their work in helping guide family members and patients when it comes to the difficult conversations around life-saving organ and tissue donation in a time of crisis.
Officials at the hospital recognized four staff members during a ceremony Monday with the "Hidden Heroes" certificate.
One of the certificate recipients is registered nurse Jennifer Jesso, who has worked in the emergency department at the Ouellette Campus for the past six years.
Over the past year, she was involved in speaking to the family of a 15-month-old toddler who died after a car accident about the subject of organ and tissue donation.
Jesso says it is very difficult to approach someone losing a family member, but the most important thing is to show empathy.
"It's really a true honour to be there for somebody in the hardest moments of their life. I feel like a caring demeanour, being as comforting as possible, talking to them, and educating them on how truly important organ donation is, really helps," she says.
Jesso says these cases do have an effect on everyone.
"Hearing a mother cry, know that her child is not going to make it. It's a hard decision to make in the moment because everything is so fresh, right? It is very difficult, but I am truly honoured to be there for families in those hard moments," she says.
Once a family is ready to consider organ or tissue donation options, further conversations take place with physicians and members of the Trillium Gift of Life Network before final consent is given.
The Trillium Gift of Life Network recognizes April as Be a Donor month.
In the 2025-2026 fiscal year that ended March 31, 2026, Windsor Regional Hospital supported 14 organ and tissue donors.
The other recipients of the "Hidden Heroes" certificate include Dr. Riley Jakob, Dan Fraser, and Mackenzie Clifford.
Visit www.beadonor.ca to register or learn more about organ and tissue donation and transplantation.