Flag-raising at Hershey Medical Center honors lifesaving gift of organ donation

HERSHEY, Pa. — Penn State Health held a moving flag-raising ceremony April 9 at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center to honor organ donors, celebrate recipients and raise awareness for the importance of organ donation. The event was held in partnership with the Gift of Life Donor Program as part of National Donate Life Month.

Health system officials were joined by representatives from the donor program and individuals personally impacted by organ donation — including one grateful recipient and a mother whose son became a donor.

Among the speakers was Priscilla Glusko, whose 23-year-old son Anthony died in a traumatic accident. His selfless decision to become an organ donor went on to save six lives.

Glusko shared a powerful story of meeting the man who received Anthony’s heart: "My daughter and I drove to Michigan and met him and his wife," she recalled. "I just put my head on his chest because I wanted to hear my son’s heart."

The ceremony also featured Katie Rozman, a 31-year-old Lemoyne resident, who received a heart transplant at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in 2020.

"For me, every day is a gift because I received the gift of life," Rozman said. "While my new heart is still my biggest gift, I wasn’t expecting all of the additional side gifts that came with it: a state-of-the-art medical team who knows me by name and is always there for me, and a new perspective on the meaning of life and giving of yourself."

National Donate Life Month, celebrated each April, honors deceased and living donors and their families, recognizes transplant recipients, and brings attention to the thousands still waiting. According to Donate Life America, more than 100,000 people in the U.S. are currently on the organ transplant waiting list — and each day, 16 people die waiting.