By Christina Lengyel | The Center Square
Republished by Travels With The Post
(The Center Square) – About 100,000 people across the U.S. waited during 2024 to receive life-saving organ transplants, according to a Pennsylvania Senate estimate. Of that number, roughly 7,000 were men, women, and children living in the state. Some were saved. Some died waiting.
Some still hope for their miracle to arrive.
With that backdrop, representatives of the Pennsylvania departments of Transportation and Health gathered Friday (Aug. 1, 2025) in Mechanicsburg PA to promote organ donation throughout the Commonwealth. Their selection of the date, 8/1, was purposeful; it signifies that up to eight lives can be saved by a single donor.
PA residents can opt-in to become organ donors when they receive their driver’s licenses or state IDs.
“Organ donation is not just a medical act. It’s a social commitment,” says Elizabeth Ritter, president of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s West Shore facility where the event was held.
Ritter reports the organization tries to support organ donation through its culture. It even offers employees four weeks of paid leave if they choose to become living donors. Single kidneys, as well as parts of the liver, lungs, pancreas, and intestine, are all organs that can be donated by a healthy person who is the right match for someone in need.
Only Half of PA’s Eligible Donors are Registered
“Only about half of eligible individuals are registered as donors,” notes Dr. Manish Gupta, surgical director of the center’s Central Pennsylvania Kidney Transplant Program. “We believe that gap is largely due to a lack of information. Thanks to advancements in technology, organ donation is safer and more accessible than ever. Events like this help inspire people to take action.”
Misconceptions about the organ donation process have long prevented individuals from opting in. Some worry doctors won’t do everything they can to save someone who is an eligible organ donor. Others worry it would compromise other end of life plans.
Ultimately, the choice to donate can impact far more than eight lives. Tissue donation allows a person to benefit up to 75 people. With today’s technologies, even hands can be donated.
“Choosing to become an organ donor can save, or dramatically improve, someone’s life,” PennDOT Executive Deputy Secretary Larry Shifflet agrees. “And you don’t have to wait until you renew your license. You can register at any time,” he adds.
Organ donor license image provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles
Donation Saved a 13-Year-Old’s Life
Thirteen-year-old C.J. Adams spoke about the improvement an organ donation made in his life. Born with a heart complication, he had his first surgery on his second day of life and received a pacemaker at seven months. At one point, he stayed in the hospital for an entire year, afraid and wondering if he would die.
“I was never able to play sports or act like a normal kid like everyone else my age,” said Adams, who had been given limited time after entering heart failure at age 12. “I wasn’t sure if God had forgotten about me.”
Adams received a heart in January and is now able to play sports. He hopes to become a heart surgeon when he grows up. “I really appreciate your loving and selfless gift,” he told his donor family. “Without it, I might not be here today.”
“PA Donor Day is a special opportunity to come together in kindness and compassion,” says Susan Stuart, president and CEO of the Center for Organ Recovery & Education. “Encouraging our family, friends, and neighbors to learn more, and sign up as donors, gives hope to those who need it most.” It also “honors the incredible generosity of donor families across the Commonwealth.”
Photo by Getty Images on Unsplash+, used by Travels With The Post under license
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