FARGO, ND (Valley News Live) – The Healing Garden planted its roots in 2021, three years after the son of Sarah and Arlin Fisher died in an accident. Over the years, the garden has helped them in their mission to raise awareness of organ donation.
Cameron Bolton, 22, died after a crash near Mapleton in 2018, but he saved many lives through organ donation. In 2021, Sarah and Arlin broken ground on the Healing Garden, located in Urban Plains Park. The vision came while watching the news.
“We have a lot of physical and emotional suffering in this community,” Arlin said. “We need to do something.”
For Pescatori, the beauty of the garden comes not only from the flowering of the plants, but from the stories of its visitors.
“A lot of families, both from the city and out of town, are looking for a place like this to come just to process the whole loss,” Sarah said.
With April being National Donate Life Month, Fishers is focusing on organ donation. It is a great inspiration for the garden where the Donate Life flag is always flying, serving as a reminder for those who pass by to give back.
“Now in the United States, there are more than 103 thousand people waiting for an organ transplant,” said Arlin. “If we can create more awareness for what organ donation is through the garden, we are happy to do it.”
To continue this mission, the garden plans to expand. The Fishers worked with local leaders and architects to come up with a plan that expanded the garden to about the size of a football field, stretching all the way to 32nd Avenue. The Fishermen hope that by expanding they will be able to better serve the community.
“The biggest goal of the Healing Garden is to help our community heal,” Arlin said. “So if we can have more features, more things, that help our community overcome whatever challenges are coming up, that’s a big win in itself.”
But in addition to helping to heal the community, the garden also helped to heal. Her work has allowed her to form a community with other families who have gone through similar struggles.
“We have met so many wonderful families who have also given that gift of life and recipients who have been so grateful for that gift of life and just want to give back to the community,” Sarah said.
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