2022 HAP Donate Life Challenge Encourages People to Register as Organ Donors
Reading Hospital celebrated its commitment to building awareness about the importance of organ donation by raising a “2022 Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) Donate Life Challenge” flag on Thursday, April 14, at the Fifth Avenue entrance. Reading Hospital is honored to joined HAP and Gift of Life Donor Program in encouraging all people to register as organ, tissue, and cornea donors. Remarks were made by Rosemary Wurster, DNP, RN, MPH, NEA-BC, CEN, Reading Hospital Chief Nursing Officer, Shelly Farmer RN, educator at the Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences, Dwendy Johnson, Community Relations Supervisor at Gift of Life. The flag was raised by Eileen Ravert, RN and Cheryl Machemer, RN, coordinators of the Reading Hospital 2022 Donate Life Challenge.
“It’s important to know that anyone can be a potential organ donor regardless of medical history, age, or race,” said Dr. Wurster. “This is imperative because there are more than 95,000 individuals across the country waiting for a kidney, liver, heart, or lung transplant and every day more people are added to the list. By becoming an organ donor you can give the most special gift, the gift of life, to those in need.”
Ms. Farmer shared, “My mother suffered a traumatic brain injury when she was 60 years old. At the time of her accident I was a nurse in the ICU so I was very familiar with organ donation and knew she may be a candidate for donation. My mother was blind in one eye and wanted to help others by donating her cornea. She had discussed organ donation with our family on multiple occasions and was designated as an organ donor on her driver’s license. Having those discussions with her helped us to follow through on her wishes to be a donor. My family was very happy that my mother was able to donate and we find comfort in knowing that other individuals and families benefited greatly from her gift of life.”
For more information and to register to become an organ donor, visit www.donors1.org.
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