UPMC Harrisburg Kicks Off 2026 Donate Life Month with Flag-Raising Ceremony

April 6, 2026

HARRISBURG, Pa. – UPMC Harrisburg kicked off Donate Life Month, observed annually in April, with a flag raising ceremony held on Friday at the hospital. 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’s theme highlights trees as powerful symbols of life, strength, and connection. Just as trees grow together and support one another in a forest, donation brings people together, donors, recipients, and their families, through an extraordinary act of generosity.

Among those present to share their transplant journeys were Ellen Parisan, who received a kidney transplant in 2025, Lori Holtzinger, a donor mother and Laura Woltz, a living donor.

Manish Gupta, M.D., surgical director, Kidney Transplant Program for UPMC in Central Pa., reiterated that the impact of a single donation cannot be understated. 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.

“Earlier this year, national media highlighted the story of a 100-year-old World War II veteran, Dale Steele, who became the oldest organ donor in U.S. history”, said Dr. Gupta. His story reinforced an important message that age alone does not disqualify someone from donating.” 

Last year, eighty-four people received the gift of kidney transplantation at UPMC Harrisburg.

UPMC West Shore and UPMC Community Osteopathic also plan to commemorate Donate Life Month with flag raising ceremonies later this month.

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.