Honoring organ donors and transplant recipients
Every April, during Donate Life Month, transplant recipients from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Transplant Center and volunteers from Lifeline of Ohio create a pinwheel garden in front of the medical center. This tradition visually highlights the importance of organ donation and transplantation at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
At the first pinwheel planting event in 2008, participants planted 6,500 pinwheels. This April marks the 18th annual Buckeye Pinwheel Planting and Transplant Reunion, where 13,800 pinwheels will be planted—each representing a lifesaving organ transplant performed at Ohio State since the first one, a kidney, in 1967.
1 can save 8
All of Ohio State's scarlet and silver pinwheels feature a unique design with a single stem supporting eight spokes, symbolizing how one donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation (heart, both lungs, both kidneys, liver, pancreas, and intestines). As each pinwheel spins, it serves as a reminder of the "pay it forward" Buckeye Spirit that defines organ donation, helping ensure no one dies while waiting for an organ transplant.
Just imagine how many more lives could be saved if everyone chose to say “yes” to organ donation. Learn more about how you can be a Buckeye For Life!
The powerful symbolism and beauty of Ohio State's annual pinwheel garden
View the recap video of our 2025 Buckeye Pinwheel Planting and Transplant Reunion, attended by more than 2,500 Ohio State transplant recipients, their families, organ donor families and volunteers.
Pinwheel flag honors organ donors
Since 1967, the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center has stood as central Ohio’s adult transplant center, steadfast in its mission to promote the importance of organ donation. In solemn tribute to each HERO who selflessly offers the gift of life at the time of their passing at Ohio State, a pinwheel flag is reverently raised in front of the medical center. To further honor their legacy, the donor’s family receives a replica of the pinwheel flag, as a lasting symbol of their loved one’s profound and lifesaving generosity.
Ohio State's ever-turning, scarlet and silver pinwheel symbolizes the gift of life with eight spokes supported by one stem, representing the eight lives potentially saved by one Hero’s decision to be an organ donor.
