Guthrie Marks National Donate Life Month with Flag-Raising, Personal Stories of Hope

April 21, 2026
Left to right: William Osterman, Vice President, Nursing, Robert Packer Hospital; Kyra Snook, Spouse of a Donor; Joseph Sawyer, President, Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital; Christie Ryan, Director of Professional Services and Hospital Development, CORE; David Webster, Heart Recipient; Shannon Clark, Living Donor; Vanessa Kabes, RN, Robert Packer Hospital CORE Advisory Council; Dr. Adam Breslin, ICU Medical Director and Organ Donor Support Team Provider at Guthrie.
William Osterman, VP, Nursing, RPH; Kyra Snook, Spouse of a Donor; Joseph Sawyer, President, RPH; Christie Ryan, CORE; David Webster, Heart Recipient; Shannon Clark, Living Donor; Vanessa Kabes, RN, RPH; Dr. Adam Breslin, Organ Donor Support Team Provider

Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital and the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) marked National Donate Life Month on Tuesday with a Donate Life flag-raising ceremony honoring organ donors, donor families, recipients and the healthcare professionals who support the lifesaving process.

The event featured powerful personal stories from individuals whose lives have been directly impacted by organ donation, underscoring the lasting importance of donor registration and awareness. Shannon Clark shared her experience as a living donor, describing the decision to donate and the opportunity to change another person’s life. David Webster, a heart transplant recipient, spoke about receiving a second chance through donation and the gratitude he carries for the donor and family who made his transplant possible. Kyra Snook reflected on the loss of her husband, whose decision to be an organ donor allowed others to live and helped provide meaning and hope during a time of profound grief.

Hospital leaders and clinicians also spoke about Guthrie’s partnership with CORE and the role of unity among donors, families, clinicians and recovery organizations in ensuring donation opportunities are handled with care and dignity.

The ceremony concluded with a flag-raising outside the hospital, accompanied by the Penn York Highlanders Bagpipe Band.

Observed each April, National Donate Life Month raises awareness about the critical need for organ, tissue and cornea donors and honors those who give the gift of life.

We encourage individuals and families to have these difficult discussions before an emergency or major illness happens or consider signing up to be a living donor. To register, please visit registerme.org.