HERSHEY, Pa. — Penn State Health honored organ donors and recipients and raised awareness for organ donation at an event on April 10 on the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campus. The health system’s heart and abdominal transplant teams were joined by representatives of the Gift of Life Donor Program and patients who have benefited from lifesaving organ donations.
The ceremony featured remarks from people whose lives have been transformed by the gift of organ donation. They included Patti and Sarah Miletta, a mother and daughter from the Scranton area who both had heart transplants at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center due to idiopathic cardiomyopathy caused by a rare genetic mutation.
Sarah Miletta, who received her new heart on April 1, 2023, spoke to the crowd on her experiences as an organ recipient.
"To my donor family, your loved one is my hero. Please know that I will do everything and anything to keep her heart going and to ensure her legacy lives on," Miletta said. "My life is indebted to my hero’s choice, and to all of the donor families here today who also helped give the gift of life."
Representatives of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the Gift of Life Donor Program also delivered remarks.
A week prior, on April 3, staff and leaders from Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center gathered outside the hospital to celebrate the raising of a "Donate Life" flag there.