‘Second chance’
Fayette transplant recipient grateful for life-saving organ
In 2014, David Sitko of Leisenring, Fayette County, received an unexpected – and life-changing – diagnosis.
Sitko, 59, had been experiencing stomach pain, so he underwent tests and was sitting in the doctor’s office with his wife, Renee, when his physician shared the diagnosis: Sitko had late-stage kidney disease.
“My wife and I sat there completely stunned and scared, and wondering what was going to happen next,” said Sitko, who shared his organ transplant journey at UPMC Greene County’s annual Donate Life flag-raising ceremony held Monday.
Monday’s events at UPMC Greene and UPMC Washington were coordinated by Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), a nonprofit that is commemorating National Donate Life Month to encourage awareness of organ donation and registrations, and UPMC.
CORE is holding a series of flag-raising events in partnership with hospitals, volunteers and officials in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia throughout the month.
Sitko’s prognosis was grim, and the father of two was referred to UPMC Montefiore’s transplant team.
Doctors there placed Sitko on the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network waiting list.
He was on the waiting list for nearly three years, a period he called “a roller coaster.”
He wondered what milestone he might miss – watching his son, Travis, and daughter, Sierra, graduate from high school and college, attending their weddings, and celebrating anniversaries with Renee.
“My life went from spending time with my hobbies, working around the house, work and family, to doing almost nothing, being unable to do anything, and eventually having to quit driving. All of this took a very big toll on myself, my wife and our kids and family, and my wife became the sole supporter in the house. She was responsible for just about everything,” said Sitko.
Sitko’s health continued to deteriorate. But at 1:45 a.m. Aug. 14, 2017, he got a phone call that was good news for him, but heartbreaking for another family.
He underwent surgery at UPMC Montefiore, and, because of the generosity of his donor and donor family, he has been able to be a part of all the significant events in his children’s lives, and recently celebrated his and Renee’s 25th wedding anniversary. Next year, he will walk Sierra down the aisle at her wedding, and will watch Travis get married.
“Without my donor, I would have never been here for any of that. I will never forget my donor for the choice that she made, and her family, to become an organ donor,” said Sitko. “I know it was a difficult time for them, to lose their loved one and the loss and the feelings they were dealing with at the time. My heart, my wife’s heart, and my family’s hearts all go out to her family for the loss they suffered, that gave me a second chance at life. I will never forget my donor and her family. As far as I’m concerned, my donor will always be the true hero in my life. I just hope what I do with my life from here on out … lives up to that, and that she is proud of what I do after giving me that second chance.”
Bridgett Trump, Chief Nursing Officer and Director of Patient Care at UPMC Greene, said more than 100,000 people across the United States are waiting for a life-saving transplant, including nearly 500 in West Virginia and more than 7,000 in Pennsylvania.
Every day, 17 people die waiting to receive an organ transplant.
“Even with the incredible generosity we witness, the need for donation remains significant,” said Trump. “Behind every one of those numbers is a person, a family, a story, still waiting for hope.”
Michael Flack, Organ Donation Resource Manager for CORE, said that in 2025, CORE increased the number of lives saved and healed through organ, tissue, and cornea transplants for the seventh consecutive year.
The selfless contributions of 484 organ donors from CORE’s service area – spanning Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Chemung County, New York – resulted in 1,191 organs donated for life-saving transplants, a 23% increase in organs transplanted from the previous year.
In addition to organ donations, CORE reported 985 cornea donors, a 9% increase over 2024, and 1,885 tissue donors, reflecting a 14% rise, which returned sight to 990 people and provided healing through tissue transplants – including bone repairs, skin grafts, and heart valve replacements — for more than 140,000 others.
Each donor has the potential to save eight lives and help more than 75 people through organ, tissue and cornea donation.
“Those are remarkable numbers, but those are more than numbers: Those are people enjoying their futures that were not sure that they would have had. They are everyday moments that after transplant became a priceless walk outside, a birthday, a clear view of a loved one’s face,” said Flack. “We lift the lives of donors and the generosity of donor families, and we recognize the recipients, whose lives have been changed through transplantation.”
Since his organ transplant, Sitko – who had never considered becoming an organ donor – has become an advocate for organ donation.
“Having that second chance has changed my perspective of organ donation,” said Sitko. “I know those of you here today probably are organ donors but if you’re not, become one,” said Sitko, who on April 14 marks eight years and eight months since his transplant. “If you know someone who isn’t, talk to them, tell them the benefits of it, and tell them you know someone now that benefitted from that process. It will make a big difference in a lot of lives.”
He also thanked the doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and staff who helped along the way.
To sign up as an organ donor, visit UPMC.com/DonateLife, and to find out more about CORE, visit www.core.org.