PHOENIXVILLE/POTTSTOWN, PA — Phoenixville Hospital and Pottstown Hospital recently marked Organ Donation Awareness Month with special flag-raising ceremonies, emphasizing the urgent need for organ, tissue, and cornea donors. Both hospitals partnered with the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) and the Gift of Life Donor Program to inspire their communities to register as donors.
At Pottstown Hospital, a donor family and a transplant recipient participated in an emotional ceremony before the raising of the HAP Donate Life flag. “It’s important to know that anyone can be a potential organ donor regardless of medical history, age, or race,” said Lynn Shoap, ICU Critical Manager at Pottstown Hospital. She highlighted the critical need for donations, noting that more than 95,000 individuals nationwide await life-saving transplants.
Phoenixville Hospital welcomed a live organ donor as a guest speaker. The donor shared her personal story, inspiring staff before raising the flag to applause. “Organ donation is so important because 17 people in the US die each day while waiting for a donor,” said Aileen Bojko, RN, BSN, Critical Care Director at Phoenixville Hospital. She urged the public to discuss their donation wishes with loved ones, calling it “a selfless act that provides the priceless gift of life.”
The ceremonies underscored key statistics, including that a single organ donor can save up to eight lives and that one tissue donor can enhance the lives of over 100 others. The need is particularly urgent for kidneys, which account for the largest share of the national transplant waitlist, followed by livers, hearts, and lungs.
Community members are encouraged to register as donors and support the ongoing mission to save lives through organ donation. The hospitals remain committed to raising awareness and fostering meaningful conversations about this life-saving cause for years to come.
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