Latest news with #CenterforOrganRecoveryandEducation
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mon Medical Center hosts flag raising ceremony for Donate Life Month
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — To mark National Donate Life Month, Vandalia Health's Mon Medical Center hosted a flag-raising ceremony on Thursday. National Donate Life Month was established in 2003 to increase awareness of the need for organ donors and to encourage Americans to register. In attendance were employees of Vandalia Health and the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, which helps facilitate the recovery of organs and matching of donors to recipients. Also in attendance was one Morgantown man, who told the story of his life-saving heart transplant in 2016. In 2000, Greg Sabak was diagnosed at Mon General with Cardiomyopathy and early-stage heart failure at the age of 39. He became symptomatic in 2005, giving up many activities enjoyed over the years and having to retire from his career as a pharmacist over the next nine years. Thinking about getting a live animal as an Easter gift? Clarksburg animal rescue says think twice In 2014, Sabak was diagnosed with end-stage heart failure, making a heart transplant the only viable treatment option. In 2016, he was matched with a donor and received a new heart. Since then, he's gotten to celebrate birthdays, resume his hobbies of bowling and traveling, and watch his son graduate from high school and get married. 'My donation, it gave my life back. It allowed me to do things that I enjoyed prior to finding out that I had a heart condition,' Sabak said. He added that he hopes that by telling his story, he shares his gratitude to registered organ donors and gets the public at large to consider registering. Donate Life America officials said that more than 100,000 people are on the waitlist for a life-saving transplant. If you're interested in registering as an organ donor, you can sign up at the DMV or Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
UPMC honors organ donors for National Donate Life Month
April is National Donate Life Month, and UPMC held a ceremony Friday morning honoring organ donors and their families. The event was put on in conjunction with the Center for Organ Recovery and Education or CORE. Erie middle schoolers pitch their projects for Project Ice House Families gathered for a flag-raising ceremony to encourage more people to register to become an organ donor. In Pennsylvania, only 50% of residents are registered organ donors, lower than the national average which is closer to 60%. Maple season continuing at Asbury Woods with annual maple festival 'To see them come into our office. when they need their kidney transplant and they come in after they get it, they're a whole different person and their life's changed. they're able to do things with their family, they're able to do things that they couldn't do before. it's absolutely phenomenal to see it happen,' said Debra Weismiller, director of UPMC's kidney transplant program. One organ donor can save up to eight lives. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WVU Medicine Fairmont Medical Center participates in National Donate Life Month
FAIRMONT, (WBOY) — April is Donate Life month, and with the help of WVU Medicine, the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) is helping inform the public on the life-changing impacts an organ donation can make. On Thursday, WVU Medicine Fairmont Medical Center raised its 'Donate Life' flag to gain awareness of Donate Life Month. Currently, more than 100,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant, and the current wait time is roughly four years once an individual is placed on the waiting list. CORE Volunteer Advocate Lori Batteli spoke at the event on Thursday, as she is also a recipient of a kidney donation. UHC honors donors and their families for National Donate Life Month After having multiple kidney infections, Batteli had an infection that turned septic, and her kidneys were damaged by 50%. A stomach bug had put Batteli in the ER on Christmas Eve, where she was told her kidneys had stopped functioning, leading her to start dialysis treatments and being placed on the transplant waitlist. 'I was on the list for about three and a half years. I got my kidney in June of 2019. I got a phone call at four in the morning, and I went out, got it, and immediately I just felt amazing afterwards. I don't know if it was just the high from surgery, but I just felt so much better, fluid was coming off of me, my kidney values were going down, and it was just everything. And I started to get my life back together,' said Batteli. You can learn more about how to become a donor by visiting Donate Life's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
UHC honors donors and their families for National Donate a Life Month
BRIDGEPORT, (WBOY) — On Friday morning, the United Hospital Center celebrated the start of the National Donate Life Month with a special flag raising event alongside the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE). The annual event honored all donors and their families, including four families whose loved one became donors. In 2024, more than 900 life-saving organ transplants were done in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. 3-year-old reads 1,000 books through public library program One mother, Sharon Smith, shared her daughter Abigail's story of being a donor after a tragic accident. Abigail's donation ended up saving five lives and helping two blind people regain vision. 'Through those people she can live on, and as a mom it's very humbling to know that her heart is still beating, and her lungs are still breathing and that she's affected so many different lives by just being selfless,' Smith said. Hospital and CORE officials said it's important for families to have a conversation about their wishes to become a donor. Jeremy Zeiders, WV Designated Requester for CORE explained further. 'The misconception of doctors not saving your life if you're in the position to be a donor is a falsehood,' Zeiders said. 'CORE is not notified until the family makes that decision to withdraw care or until that patient meets a certain criteria which means that they can likely not recover and it is still—we don't talk to the family until the family makes the decision that withdrawal is what they would like to do.' For more information about CORE, you can go here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
