Team Fishguy holds annual flag raising at hospital
Butler Memorial Hospital did its part to celebrate National Donate Life Month by raising the Donate Life flag in a public ceremony on the fifth floor of the hospital on Tuesday, April 15.
The flag-raising is part of Independence Health System’s annual efforts to raise awareness of the need for organ and tissue donation in collaboration with the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), which organizes National Donate Life Month efforts in Western Pennsylvania and most of West Virginia.
“We work with hospitals to facilitate the allocation, matching and recovery of organs, tissues and corneas,” said Jared Bedekovich, marketing and communications specialist for CORE. “And we work with wonderful volunteers to promote people to sign up as organ donors.”
Among those volunteers are Bill and Jackie Hutz, who know more than almost anyone the value of having life donated to them. Between 2014 and 2018, Bill Hutz’s life hung in the balance as he waited for a kidney transplant.
“He set up and maintained fish aquariums,” Jackie said. “After a few years, it became too difficult for him to drive and carry the equipment.”
Ultimately, Bill received his lifesaving kidney donation from the least likely source: the sister of Jackie’s ex-husband. The experience led Bill and Jackie to create the Team Fishguy Transplant Foundation in March 2019, to help support families who are going through the same situation they did.
“Our nonprofit supports transplant patients, donors and their families while raising awareness for organ donation,” Jackie said. “Over the last two years, we’ve given out over $40,000 to 65 families to help with their medical expenses related to transplants.”
Another special guest at the flag-raising was Roseanne Hershberger, whose son, Christopher, was able to donate life even at the cost of his own. One night in January 2012, Roseanne awoke to find that her 17-year-old son had gone into a seizure. He was taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital, where he later died of a brain hemorrhage.
“When Christopher passed, it was a shock to us,” Hershberger said. “It was the worst day of my life.”
Shortly after being given the worst news of her life, Roseanne uttered a few words that would turn the death of her son into a new life for others.
“I walked out of his room and said, ‘What about organ donation?’” Roseanne said. “I don't know where it came from, because I didn’t know anything that I know now about organ donation or what goes on with it.”
Ultimately, four of Christopher’s organs were salvaged and donated to three people who needed them.
Although Christopher has been gone for 13 years, he has managed to live on in spirit, thanks to a woman who received one of his kidneys.
“The girl that got his kidney … she now has a little boy, and his name is Connor Christopher,” Roseanne said. “Losing Christopher was the worst day of my life. But I'm just seeing more life branch off that tree of Christopher.”
