New mural is lasting reminder for Colorado students of organ donation
"Middle school students are just at that age where they're soaking up all the information. They don't know that in a couple of years they're going to be asked a question that's a very important question when they turn 16, that checks the box on whether or not they want to be an organ donor," said Chris Zimmerman, principal at Cimarron Middle School.
CBS
For Cimarron students, the face of organ donation is Molly Corlett, a former students of the school.
"Molly really made a difference when she was at our school. She brought kindness and leadership to everybody, and she still has a presence here," Zimmerman said.
"Molly was a great person," said Rylee Zimmerman, a 7th grader.
Molly passed away suddenly from an undiagnosed medical condition at the age of 23. She was an organ donor.
"And the hardest day of our life becomes the best day of someone else's life," said Molly's mother, Cindy, as her voice breaks.
Cindy Corlett remembers the day Molly checked that box.
"She...16... and she came out with her license. 'Look what I got.' Every 16-year-old so proud of their license. And she said, I distinctly remember this because I didn't want to talk about it, she said, 'I checked yes. I'm going to be an organ donor,'" Corlett recalled.
Molly gave six organs to save the lives of five other people.
"I think about those five people and their families. The ripple effect for generations that we will never know and the difference that Molly made," Corlett said.
CBS
Now, Molly's miracle is memorialized in a mural on the wall of the school's gym. It was a surprise for Corlett. It will serve as a reminder to everyone who sees it what a gift donating life can be.
"There's so much comfort in knowing that she lives on, even though she is not with us," Corlett said.
Molly's Miracle is a service organization started by the Corlett family, to honor Molly with acts of kindness. Cindy Corlett encourages every family to have the conversation about organ donation even through you may not want to.
LINK: Donate Life
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Cape Cod swimmer infected with bacteria that can cause rare ‘flesh-eating' disease, health officials say
The Vibrio bacteria in coastal waters," according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Those who consume contaminated shellfish can also contract the disease, the advisory said, but no such cases have been confirmed in Massachusetts as of this year. Advertisement The alert was prompted by the confirmation of an extremely rare case of Vibrio vulnificus infection that was likely acquired while swimming in the coastal water of Buzzards Bay, the statement said. It is the seventh confirmed case among Massachusetts residents in the last several years, including four that were likely exposed in state, health officials said. The condition is 'extremely uncommon' and is preventable with appropriate precautions and wound care, Falmouth health officials said. 'Cape Cod's beaches are an important part of our economy, culture, and community,' Scott McGann, health agent for the town of Falmouth, said in a statement. 'By taking a few simple precautions, residents and visitors, and particularly anyone who is vulnerable or immunocompromised, can continue to enjoy them safely,' he said. Advertisement Vibrio vulnificus is a bacteria that lives in warm water and can cause necrotizing fasciitis, or 'flesh-eating disease,' according to the ' Vibrio bacteria normally live in warm, salt or brackish waters along the Atlantic coast,' Robbie Goldstein, the state's public health commissioner, said in a statement. 'Heat waves and above-average water surface temperatures create favorable conditions for Vibrio bacteria to grow, making May through October generally the peak season for these bacteria,' Goldstein said. 'People with open wounds who spend time in the water, or those who consume contaminated shellfish, can develop an infection when the bacteria enter the body,' Goldstein said. 'Sometimes these infections can spread through the bloodstream and cause severe, even life-threatening illness.' There are several species of Vibrio bacteria that can cause human illness. From 2015 to 2024, there was an average of 88 cases of the various Vibrio infections per year in Massachusetts, according to the state department of public health. There were 62 cases in 2020, and 127 in 2024, the department said. Most of the infections arose from consuming contaminated shellfish, state health officials said. Symptoms range from fever, to redness, pain, swelling and warmth in the wound area, as well as discoloration and discharge. Although Vibrio vulnificus infections are most common in the warm waters of the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Florida, rising water temperatures are contributing to more cases arising further north, This year, there have been 17 cases in Louisiana, 16 in Florida, and seven in North Carolina. Florida has reported five deaths so far, the most of any state, CBS reported. Advertisement According to Barnstable County health officials, those at highest risk of infection are people with liver disease, diabetes, weakened immune systems, and chronic illnesses. Pregnant women, older adults, and young children also should take extra precautions. And people with open cuts, scrapes, or fresh tattoos should avoid swimming or wading, state health officials said. Waters cannot be tested for the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria. Tonya Alanez can be reached at
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
COVID levels rising in much of U.S., with highest in West, CDC says
The summer surge of COVID-19 doesn't appear to be slowing down — instead, a key indicator for tracking the spread of the virus has increased, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In an update shared Friday, official data showed wastewater activity for COVID-19 is now at a "moderate" level nationwide, up from "low" the previous week. Wastewater levels for the virus are currently the highest in the Western U.S., the data also showed. States in this region showing high levels include: Alaska, California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. "Wastewater monitoring can detect viruses spreading from one person to another within a community earlier than clinical testing and before people who are sick go to their doctor or hospital," the CDC notes. "If you see increased wastewater viral activity levels, it might indicate that there is a higher risk of infection." Other metrics are also showing increases in the illness. As of Tuesday, the CDC estimates COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 45 states, which is up from 40 states last week. And although the weekly percentage of emergency room visits for COVID-19 is overall low — compared to the week before, ER visits for the infection have also risen from last week. As the nation saw the number of COVID cases increase last month, CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook told "CBS Mornings" that this is typical of what we've come to understand about summer spikes. "We now know that there's a winter spike and then there's a summer spike," he said at the time. "And every year, the number of deaths, the number of hospitalizations, is gradually going down each season. So that's the good news." But, people shouldn't ignore the increases, he said, adding if it strikes — especially those vulnerable like the elderly, young people and those immunocompromised — as they can still get really sick. Global stock markets react to Trump's sweeping tariffs in effect now Sean "Diddy" Combs wants to go back to Madison Square Garden in the future, attorney says Israel's Security Cabinet approves plan to take over Gaza City Solve the daily Crossword
Forbes
04-08-2025
- Forbes
Medical School Grads Avidly Pursuing Psychiatry Despite Or Maybe Spurred By Rise Of AI Mental Health Apps
In today's column, I examine the latest headline news that medical school grads are avidly pursuing psychiatry as their career pathway, which seems somewhat contradictory to ongoing pronouncements that AI is going to take over as a mental health advisor and usurp the role of human therapists. Why would sharp-as-nails med school grads opt toward a presumably dead-end occupational route? Let's talk about it. This analysis of AI breakthroughs is part of my ongoing Forbes column coverage on the latest in AI, including identifying and explaining various impactful AI complexities (see the link here). AI And Mental Health Therapy As a quick background, I've been extensively covering and analyzing a myriad of facets regarding the advent of modern-era AI that produces mental health advice and performs AI-driven therapy. This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI. For a quick summary of some of my posted columns on this evolving topic, see the link here, which briefly recaps about forty of the over one hundred column postings that I've made on the subject. There is little doubt that this is a rapidly developing field and that there are tremendous upsides to be had, but at the same time, regrettably, hidden risks and outright gotchas come into these endeavors too. I frequently speak up about these pressing matters, including in an appearance last year on an episode of CBS's 60 Minutes, see the link here. If you are new to the topic of AI for mental health, you might want to consider reading my recent analysis of the field, which also recounts a highly innovative initiative at the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences called AI4MH; see the link here. Latest News Is Uplifting A recent news report noted that medical school graduates are increasingly pursuing psychiatry. In a posting entitled 'More Med School Grads Choose Psychiatry – Again' by Mark Moran, Psychiatric News, May 29, 2025, these key points were made (excerpts): The claimed overarching basis for this interest in psychiatry, as suggested in the last point, would be that we are daily bombarded with indications that mental health issues are becoming widespread. Thus, these younger generation grads are undoubtedly seeking to apply their acumen to solving this national and global dilemma. Good for them. One could also cynically observe that this also means that there ought to be a lot of business available for those grads. Namely, the rising demand for therapy will be strong and ensure a long-lasting livelihood for this chosen profession. Nothing is wrong with wanting to have a financially secure future. All seems glorious and upbeat. The AI Mental Health Takeover The hitch is this. There is an immense rise in the use of generative AI and large language models (LLMs) as a surrogate for seeking mental health guidance. Indeed, many predictions are that people often prefer AI since it easy to access on an anywhere anytime basis, it is super inexpensive if not free to use, it tends to be highly empathetic in appearance (see my discussion at the link here), and AI seems to be a kind of anonymous non-judgmental form of psychological analysis (this isn't the case but many falsely believe this to be true). All in all, the bottom line is that AI is predicted to gut the need for human therapists. Patients will angle toward using AI in lieu of seeing a mental health professional. Even if AI doesn't seem a suitable replacement from the perspective of the profession itself, clients are going to gravitate toward AI anyway. The alluring traits, as I've noted, are so compelling that it is hard to justify going toward the human therapist's direction. How could those savvy med school grads not somehow discern this emerging disruption and transformation of the mental health realm? It seems quite a vexing mystery. These are smart students who have painstakingly made their way in a herculean fashion through modern med school. Choosing their next step is bound to be something they have noodled on throughout the excruciating medical school experience. The odds of making a haphazard choice are exceedingly low. What gives? Eyes Wide Open Is The Case First, let's assume that they are generally cognizant of the looming takeover of AI in the mental health realm. I say this because some pundits would contend that they are unaware of this possibility. These newbie grads simply don't realize that AI is rapidly emerging in this domain. My interactions with med school students suggest otherwise. These are digital natives who embrace the latest online tools. Many of them leaned into generative AI and LLMs during their schooling, often doing so on their own since the university was either silent on the matter or was agonizingly trying to figure out what role AI should have in the medical education arena. Via grit and keen interest, these battle-hardened med school students have ventured into the AI side of things. The gist is that few of these grads seem to have their heads in the sand. Most tend to see clearly that AI is coming. They are not choosing a path that will catch them completely off-guard, which is a base assumption that some are saying is going to happen to them. Belief In The Human-To-Human Sanctity One logical basis for going the psychiatry direction is that they ardently believe in the sanctity of human-to-human interaction. People who use AI for their mental health pursuits will, at times, realize that it isn't the same as a truly human-to-human experience. They will rely partially on human-to-AI assistance but ultimately seek human pairing too. It isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, AI becomes part of a larger picture that still includes human therapists. I've coined the new arrangement of therapist-AI-patient as the triad, which is gradually supplanting the classic duo or dyad of therapist-patient; see my discussion at the link here. Med school grads readily grasp this evolving relationship. For them, adding AI into the mix provides no fear. They astutely perceive that AI has its place, as does the human-to-human element. Embracing AI Rather Than Sidelining It Another facet is that these med school grads are eager to embrace AI. Whereas some longstanding members of the profession are resistant to AI and insist that AI must be kept out of the loop, these eye-opening grads realize that there is little sense in tilting at windmills. You might as well accept that AI is going to be an integral part of the profession. It is career-limiting to try and simply wish that AI goes away. Advances in AI are going to radically expand how AI gets immersed in mental health advisement. This is a train that isn't going to stop. Recent grads aim to be on the train, rather than getting rolled over by the train. AI is already in the loop and will increasingly be in the loop. Period, end of story. Shaping AI In Mental Health This embracing of AI goes a step further. Some grads are hopeful of being pioneers in intertwining AI into the field of psychiatry. When the transformation of a domain is underway, great opportunities arise. For my recounting of the history of AI and the field of psychology as intertwined cousins, see the link here. Think of it this way. The golden age of therapist-AI-patient is going to inevitably emerge. We aren't there yet. If you want to make a difference, a big difference, the timing of doing so is almost ideal. AI will allow a reach of mental health guidance at a massive scale. We already know that, for example, ChatGPT by OpenAI already garners around 400 million weekly active users, and some proportion of those are indubitably leveraging AI for mental health advice (see my effort to calculate the population-level magnitude, at the link here). Now is the early stage of enormous change afoot, and these grads are going to be part of that new wave. In a given standalone career, there are only so many patients or clients that a solo therapist can help out. The number of patients is capped by the number of hours that a psychiatrist can muster on a weekly and annual basis. Time is precious. But by being instrumental in shaping AI for mental health, they can have a demonstrable impact on an immense scale. Their energy and enlightenment on how AI should undertake mental health guidance provides a strident possibility for establishing a legacy that will last their lifetimes and beyond. Money Making Too Let's revisit the earlier noted factor of an expanding demand for mental health advisement and the somewhat materialistic assumption that pursuing psychiatry will therefore ensure a long-lived livelihood for those in the psychiatry field on a demand/supply basis. Again, there's nothing wrong with picking a career path that provides sufficient monetary fulfillment along with professional fulfillment. Some of these grads are undoubtedly eyeing how they can avidly pursue an AI startup that weaves together the latest in AI and the AI-driven delivery of mental health advice. There are plenty of big bucks flowing from VCs and healthcare providers to this niche. Might as well jump into that lucrative pond. In essence, their forte provides insights into psychology and human mental health guidance, and they are primed and ready to aid in devising AI that can do a bang-up job, similarly. One angle is to pair up with erstwhile heads-down AI developers to figure out ways to get AI to do this. Especially getting the AI to act safely and suitably. You see, there are many weaknesses and concerns about how AI can actually undercut mental health by giving out lousy advice or even endangering guidance -- these are yet to be resolved concerns. See my analysis at the link here. Disruption As Challenge And Opportunity For those grads that might be behind the eight ball, perhaps they aren't foreseeing the upcoming disruption that is going to undeniably occur. If they want to have a conventional mental health practice, good luck with that. Ignoring AI won't make AI go away. At some juncture, their non-AI imbued practice will have to contend with AI or close its doors. I would wager that most of these grads are wise to the advent of AI in their profession. They aren't sure what way AI is going to go. They aren't quite sure what their role will be in the upcoming transformation of how mental health therapy takes place. They are certainly sure that they have the right stuff that will ensure they are primed to take on new ways of doing business. The final word for now goes to Carl Jung and his legendary remark: 'Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.' That's exactly what those new grads pursuing psychiatry already know to be true, particularly in an AI-based future.
