Dauphin News

Penn State Health hosted a flag-raising event on Wednesday at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, aiming to honor organ donors and raise awareness for organ donation. This event was organized in collaboration with the Gift of Life Donor Program as part of National Donate Life Month.

Health system officials were accompanied by participants from the donor program, including those personally affected by organ donation. Among the attendees were recipients and a mother whose son became a donor.

Priscilla Glusko, who spoke at the event, lost her 23-year-old son Anthony in a traumatic accident. Anthony’s choice to become an organ donor resulted in saving six lives. Reflecting on meeting the recipient of her son’s heart, Glusko said, “My daughter and I drove to Michigan and met him and his wife. I just put my head on his chest because I wanted to hear my son’s heart.”

The ceremony also included Katie Rozman, a 31-year-old from Lemoyne, who underwent a heart transplant at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in 2020. Rozman shared, “For me, every day is a gift because I received the gift of life. While my new heart is still my biggest gift, I wasn’t expecting all of the additional side gifts that came with it: a state-of-the-art medical team who knows me by name and is always there for me, and a new perspective on the meaning of life and giving of yourself.”

National Donate Life Month, observed in April annually, pays tribute to deceased and living donors and their families, acknowledges transplant recipients, and highlights the thousands of people still waiting for transplants. According to Donate Life America, over 100,000 people in the U.S. are on the waiting list for organ transplants, with 16 people dying each day while waiting.