Jul 31, 2025 2 min read

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance is joining Donate Life West Virginia in recognizing West Virginia Donor Day today. The date, Aug. 1, serves as a powerful reminder: Just one organ donor has the potential to save up to eight lives and heal as many as 75 more through tissue donation.

Every year, this statewide awareness day honors organ donors, recipients and the families and health-care professionals who make the gift of life possible. It also serves as a vital opportunity to educate the public on how registering as an organ donor can change and save lives.

For kidney transplant recipient Jeffrey Richards, 65, of Carmichaels, waiting and uncertainty were part of a years-long journey. While on a family vacation, his failing kidneys caused fluid buildup, which ultimately led to congestive heart failure. He underwent emergency dialysis, beginning a difficult chapter in his life.

“Dialysis took over our world,” his wife, Cindy, said. “Three times a week, four hours a day – everything we did had to revolve around that schedule. Even a simple vacation required finding a nearby dialysis clinic and adjusting our plans.”

Richards spent two-and-a-half years on dialysis. Initially on the transplant waiting list in Pittsburgh, he later transferred his care to WVU Medicine’s Transplant Alliance.

In preparation for surgery, Richards made major lifestyle changes and lost 50 pounds to meet eligibility requirements. When the long-awaited call finally came, the surgery went smoothly, and he began his next chapter – life after transplant.

Cindy and Jeffrey credit their supportive medical team to help get through the years of dialysis while on the waiting list, the transplant and recovery, as well as life with the donated kidney. Today, Richards no longer requires dialysis, allowing him to live more freely.

“It’s great not having to deal with dialysis any longer,” he said. “Just medication now, and that’s a piece of cake.”

Richards will be honored by the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) and WVU Medicine with the opportunity to throw out the first pitch for the Washington Wild Things baseball team tonight in recognition of Pennsylvania Donor Day.

“We had a one-year celebration after the transplant,” Cindy said. “Our kids even got him a stuffed kidney. We’re a small family, but a very close one, and we plan to stay that way.”