West Newton Heart Transplant Recipient Honored at Donate Life Month Ceremony
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Madison resident Darcy Franicola regularly volunteers to help the Madison Volunteer Fire Company. She keeps active with her church, tends her garden and was able to go on vacation to Myrtle Beach in 2021.
She’s been able to stay busy, stay involved, give back to her community — and stay alive — thanks to a heart transplant she received in 2019 at UPMC Presbyterian hospital, following several years of heart issues, including arrhythmia.
Darcy, 54, was one of the first heart recipients in Southwestern Pennsylvania to accept an organ from a donor who had Hepatitis C. A regimen of antiviral medications she was prescribed after the surgery ensured she would not develop Hepatitis C.
Franicola was honored at a flag-raising ceremony at Independence Health System Latrobe Hospital on Friday as part of National Donate Life Month. Representatives from Independence and the Center For Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) spoke about the importance of signing up as an organ donor. Darcy and her sister, Carey, who works as a social worker at Latrobe Hospital, talked about their experience.
