UPMC Harrisburg Kicks Off Donate Life Month with Flag-Raising Ceremony

April 4, 2025

HARRISBURG, Pa. – UPMC Harrisburg kicked off Donate Life Month, which is observed annually in April, with a flag-raising event at UPMC Harrisburg today. The event honors deceased and living donors, celebrates the lives they've saved, and creates awareness of the importance of registering to be a donor.

This year, the theme for National Donate Life Month is, “let life sing!” Birds are known across many cultures as one of the most welcomed and visible signs of spring. They represent both new beginnings and visits from loved ones who have passed away.

Among those present were Ken Rapp, who underwent a kidney transplant in October 2024 through a living donor donation and Cheryl Eshenour, who shared how her son, Jonathan’s gift changed so many lives with his donations. In 1997, Cheryl and her family made the difficult decision to donate some of her Jonathan’s organs and four lives were saved.

“The impact of a single donation cannot be understated,” said Manish Gupta, M.D., surgical director, Kidney Transplant Program for UPMC in Central Pa. “Each day, 16 people in the United States die while on the organ transplant waiting list because a suitable match was not found. While life-saving organs for transplant include the heart, kidneys, lungs, liver, pancreas, and intestines, you can also donate tissues such as bone, ligaments, and tendons, which are used to repair injured or diseased joints and bones. Corneas, heart valves, veins and skin may also be donated”.
Joye Gingrich, chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services, for UPMC Harrisburg commended UPMC clinicians who are actively working to improve the quality of life for the tens of thousands of transplant recipients who have been given a second chance of life.

Richard Hasz, president and CEO of Gift of Life Donor Program, emphasized the importance of organ donation, noting that a single tissue donor can benefit over 100 transplant recipients.

Last year, 83 people received the gift of kidney transplantation at UPMC Harrisburg, that’s a 38% increase from 2023. In September last year, amid the growing need for additional transplant services in the region, the UPMC Heart Transplant Program opened a new evaluation clinic for heart transplants in Harrisburg. This clinic enables us to improve access to care for patients limiting the burden of travel for pre-transplant appointments.

By registering as an organ donor, you could save lives and offer hope to those on the waiting list. To register as an organ donor or just to learn more about organ donation, visit UPMC.com/DonateLife.