PHOTO PROVIDED Representatives from UPMC Williamsport’s Donate Life committee, regional UPMC leadership team, and Gift of Life gather for a Donate Life flag raising ceremony at the main entrance at UPMC Williamsport.

PHOTO PROVIDED
Representatives from UPMC Williamsport’s Donate Life committee, Patti Jackson-Gehris, chief operating officer, UPMC in North Central Pa., and Christina Sarge, Gift of Life, pose with a Donate Life banner which will be hung in the hospital and used at regional organ donor outreach events.

WILLIAMSPORT — On Fri., April 1, UPMC Williamsport raised the Donate Life flag to signify the start of Donate Life Month. Every April, National Donate Life Month is celebrated across the U.S. to raise awareness about organ, eye, and tissue donation; encourage Americans to register as donors; and honor those who have given the gift of life.

“Donors are at the center of everything we do in transplant,” said Patti Jackson-Gehris, chief operating officer, UPMC in North Central Pa. “Donors help the thousands of people on the national waiting lists for organ donation and give our patients and their loved ones the hope and renewal that come with a new organ. This flag raising is one of the many ways this month, and all year round, that UPMC show our commitment to the community and the cause. We want to honor those that have saved lives through the gift of donation, celebrate the recipients and their life-changing stories, and encourage everyone in the community to register as organ donors today.”

There are over 106,000 people waiting for a transplant in the U.S., with over 7,000 in Pennsylvania alone. Registering as an organ donor is a selfless act with the potential to save up to eight lives. Every person who registers to be an organ donor is giving those on the waiting list hope for a second changes at life.

To learn more about organ donation or to register to become a donor with UPMC Transplant Services, visit UPMC.com/DonateLife.