Midlothian man gives again as double living organ donor

One plus two equals three and, yet, so much more!

Chris Beck is a rarity. He’s a two-time living organ donor. One of roughly only 50, in the last 25 years, who has donated more than one organ to two different people.

Beck, a high school biology teacher, a father and husband, brother and son, has shared the gift of life with two different recipients. Neither recipient was known to him. Most recently, the Virginian gave a kidney to a woman across the country, in Chicago, Illinois.

Already a living donor, giving of a part of this liver to a young girl outside of Virginia in 2020, Chris originally reached out offering encouragement to the would-be-recipient in Illinois. Her story had been widely shared on social media and on television with a local Chicago affiliate. The hopeful recipient was shown on-screen on the jumbo-tron during a televised professional baseball game while wearing a t-shirt, custom printed with a QR code, imploring potential donors to register with the National Kidney Registry. The woman was in desperate need of a kidney. Chris’ mother, who encountered the story on social media, shared it with Chris, in turn motivating him to share words of encouragement with the recipient-in-need across the country – support she truly appreciated.

Significant time had passed and no potential donors had stepped forward, prompting the women in need of donation to reach back out to Chris with a significant ‘ask’ – would he be willing to register to see if he was a potential match?

Chris who says, “[he] likes the idea of doing what you can for others and [setting] a good example for [his] children”, talked the idea over with his wife and made the call to the Virginia Transplant Center at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital to explore. 

Melissa Van Syckle, RN, BSN is the living donor coordinator with Virginia Transplant Center. She says, “Anyone interested in donation need only to pick up the phone and give me a call…I walk you through the entire process from meeting with you to discuss[ing] all the ins and outs of donation, through testing, preparing for surgery, the hospitalization and a couple years of follow up afterward.” Virginia Transplant Center also offers an online donor portal and a microsite program with a comprehensive overview for prospective donors.    

Once the process was underway, Chris learned quickly he was, in fact, a perfect match for donation for the to-be-recipient in Chicago. Logistics were put into motion connecting Chris with Dr. Amanda Bailey, transplant surgeon with Virginia Transplant Center.

Chris said he had been concerned about the process, having previously donated a portion of his liver. How would the experience of donating a kidney be, in comparison? Dr. Bailey, who performs these life-saving transplants and donation procedures weekly, shares, “I tell my patients it is normal for them to be nervous because they don’t do this every week. Donating a kidney is a big decision and comes with worries and questions. I take time to answer all my patients questions even if that means multiple visits to help guide them through making a decision to donate or not donate a kidney.”

Chris, a James River High School biology teacher professedly “love[s] biomedical advances and think[s] organ donation is fantastic”. Having already made a living donation of portion of his liver, he was eager to donate again – not only for giving the gift of life but also so he could document his journey as a lesson for his students. He appreciates “[people] working in the medical field and [those] who ‘dig biology’”. Chris says he was ready to do “anything to spice up a lesson plan”. This made him a perfect match for Dr. Bailey, as well, who has “only encountered a double donor once [in her career so far]”. Bailey says she is “…a transplant surgeon because [she] enjoy[s] the surgery and the longevity of care…This surgery requires a long-term relationship with patients. I can’t imagine using my surgical skill to do anything other than transplants, which saves lives.”

Today, Chris is doing well and back in the classroom and is quick to share that each donation he has made, he chose to do so, so others may be encouraged to donate. Van Syckle with Virginia Transplant Center offers, “The surgery to donate is done robotically and requires about 3 days in the hospital with an expected 3 to 6 week recovery.  There are no out of pocket medical costs to any donor and [there are] programs that will also cover things like lost wages or travel expenses.”

Next up for Chris is encouraging guest speakers from his transplant team to visit his James River High School biology classroom. He is excited to offer his practical experience to his students as an advocate for organ donation. This process is “an incredible lesson for all of us”, says Chris.