In a heartbreaking moment caught on video, Idaho hospital staff lined the hallways to honor a 53-year-old organ donor.
St. Luke's Boise Medical Center staffers paid their final respects to the man, who was not named, as he was wheeled to the operating room, where he was taken off life support.
The "Walk of Respect" started at the Boise hospital two years ago as a way to honor those who have chosen to donate their organs once they die.
"It's such a gift they are giving," Deb Compton, director of the intensive care unit at the hospital, told InsideEdition.com. "We wanted to do something for that patient and family to give them the respect."
The Walk of Respect has since spread to other hospitals around the U.S.
"Once a patient dies, it takes a piece of you as a nurse or doctor involved in that care and [the Walk of Respect] gives you that time to start that grieving process," Compton said.
The staff at St. Luke's hopes the powerful ritual raises awareness for organ donation, and its importance in saving other people's lives.
"Have conversations with your family to tell them what you want so they know what you want and they aren't forced to make a choice," Compton said.
RELATED STORIES
11-Year-Old Girl Rises Above Cancer, Foot Amputation: 'She Just Doesn’t Give Up'
Childhood Friends Who Beat Cancer Marry in the Hospital Where They Met
4 Young Girls Who Beat Cancer Together Celebrate With Photo Shoot
