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Organ donors honored by UPMC

By Mark Maroney 6 min read

As UPMC officials in Williamsport raised a flag signifying April as Donate to Life through organ donations, Shaun McQuay, of Montgomery, said he had goosebumps.

The UPMC employee, who works in Outpatient Clinical Therapy, said he decided to donate a portion of his liver, a vital organ that happens to grow back, to a stranger in need.

"I always liked that feel good story, and that's what made me decide to donate and give somebody a second chance," McQuay said.

For those living with a chronic liver disease or liver cancer, hope exists at UPMC's Liver Transplant Program of the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, the crowd gathered at the flag dedication ceremony were told. Other organs are also donated and transplanted through UPMC.

The philosophy of the liver program is to provide liver transplant services and surgery options to all who will benefit, including those that other transplant centers deem high-risk or unfit for transplant.

At least 30 million Americans have some form of liver disease and each year, doctors diagnose about 21,000 new cases of primary liver cancer.

For those considering the gift of life, McQuay said, "it's well worth it."

He noted how the team at Williamsport and at Pittsburgh made it stress free.

"Even pain-wise it wasn't too bad," he said. "I would do it again if I could."

He noted how the best part of the experience is "you get to save somebody's life."

Likewise, the other part of the equation is "it gives you a new meaning and sense of 'I could be on the other side of that.'"

"When you're out in the ICU, you see the other side of that so it definitely makes it more worthwhile and it gives you a new perspective on life."

Surgeon speaks

Before the flag was raised on the front lawn of UPMC Williamsport campus, Dr. Amit Tevar, the director of kidney and pancreas transplants at UPMC, said the month and occasion were "important for us because it allows us to bring recognition to those who have donated in the past and also bring awareness to people who might donate in the future."

Established in 1981, UPMC Transplant Services has performed more than 20,000 organ transplant surgery procedures, including liver, kidney, pancreas, small bowel, liver/small bowel, heart, heart-lung, double-lung, single-lung and multiple organ transplants. The hospital also has living donations.

"The problem with transplantation is we always have an organ shortage," Dr. Tevar said.

Many of the people waiting for a transplantation, sadly, die every year while waiting, he added.

Besides the skill of the surgeon and the clinical team, it coincided with a time when the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are observing holy days, said the Rev. John Charnock, UPMC Williamsport director, mission integration/ethics.

As members of the Jewish community think about the journey from bondage in Egypt to freedom, it made Charnock think about those waiting on transplant lists, longing for some kind of deliverance.

Christians, meanwhile, remain focused on Jesus' journey to calvary and part of that story had someone else carrying the weight of his cross, he said.

The flag raising ceremony may remind some family members of those needing or giving organs and carrying their part of the load and carrying the grief of those who died or carrying a burden of fear and hope -- always hope as they wait for news to come that hope is available, he said.

Muslims are staying true to a spiritual course through fasting and prayer.

"Isn't that kind of disciplined determination and a necessary aspect of securing donors so healing miracles can come true?" Rev. Charnock asked.

"It is a rich time to gather in this place, raising the flag and the summons to donate life," he said.

The celebration recognized and honored all eye and tissue donors and their families, and all transplant recipients, said Christina Sarge, hospital service coordinator.

Every day more people are added to a national organ transplant list, which exceeds 150,000.

Every 10 minutes another person is added to the transplant waiting list.

These include kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, lung, small bowel and others, according to organdonor.gov.

Heidi Weeder, senior clinician, discussed the Organ and Tissue Donation Council welcoming the crowd gathered. The ceremony also was an opportunity for Patti Jackson-Gehris, president of UPMC North Central Pa. and UPMC Williamsport, to highlight UPMC's role in organ and transplant leadership support.

"Today, we raise the flag to celebrate our organ donors, the transplant recipients -- those awaiting the gift of life -- our patients, staff and transplant (team)," she said, adding how UPMC is a leader in organ transplantation services.

While the transplants are not performed in north central facilities, UPMC Williamsport has the aforementioned Kidney and Liver Evaluation Transplant Clinic in Williamsport.

The clinic brings the expertise of the entire UPMC transplant services to the patients and their families. At the clinic, patients are seen and evaluated by the same transplant surgeon and specialist performing the operation at UPMC Pittsburgh or other transplant hospitals in the UPMC system.

That eliminates the need for the patient to have to travel for the care before and after the transplant surgery.

Registering as a potential donor is a selfless act with the potential to save up to eight lives, Jackson-Gehris said.

Those wanting more information need only contact UPMC or visit UPMC's website.

A leader in organ transplantation services, the program is dedicated to advancing basic science and clinically applied research.

This is done with a commitment to provide compassionate, comprehensive care from evaluation leading up to surgery and after the surgery.

UPMC has multiple Organ and Tissue Donation Councils across the system, said Heidi Weeder, senior clinician, discussing the Organ and Tissue Donation Council The Councils are comprised of staff members, clinical and non-clinical, and as advocates for organ donation they help coordinate educational events for staff as well as the community aimed toward raising awareness and encouraging individuals to become organ donors.

In addition to helping support UPMC's Transplant Services, the Council support UPMC's involvement with the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP)'s Donate Life Hospital Challenge. In 2022, UPMC in North Central Pa. was named a HAP Gift of Life Donor Program Top-Performing Health System and UPMC Williamsport and UPMC Wellsboro were both designated as Titanium Gift of Life Program Hospitals.

More information on the HAP Donate Life Challenge: 2022 Designations and Winners is at (haponline.org).

"If others can donate, they should," McQuay said.

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