Sara Sciacchitano: The Gift of a Living Donor
When project manager and fellow creative, Sara Sciacchitano, first encountered a news article about a local resident looking for a kidney donation, questions came to mind of what this person was feeling or experiencing. After finding out that this person unfortunately passed away while waiting for a donor, Sara was devastated and knew that something had to be done. This experience ignited her journey to becoming a living kidney donor, as she shares her story with others and uses her platform to advocate for organ donation.
After researching and educating herself more on organ donation, she found Greg Hesp, first a stranger who’s now a lifelong friend, through a local church group who was looking for an organ donor. At this point, Sara had no hesitation, as she knew that this was something that she wanted to do with her family’s support. Throughout the process of with the national registry and the medical staff at the University of Pennsylvania, she describes the experience as being very inviting as staff at every point ensured that she knew that she could withdraw at any point and she was not alone in her journey. From first submitting information to post recovery after the procedure, Sara’s journey to becoming an organ donor was very safe and relatively easy.
Sara explains how being an organ donor has only uplifted her life in a positive way and she’s passionate about raising awareness about organ donation among others. Before educating herself, she knew very little about organ donation, but within only a few years, organ donation has created a monumental stepping stone in her life. Through this journey, she came out knowing that she opened a new door for a person who was a stranger at first, but someone who’s now a lifelong friend. She also describes now having this entire new network, as she has met so many people through the organ donation community. As someone who’s passionate about spreading the word out and raising awareness on organ donation, Sara urges people to use social media as a platform to help patients waiting for an organ donor. Even if you can’t personally donate an organ, social media is an amazing platform to help connect patients to possible donors and educate others on the process of organ donation, breaking down common misconceptions.