06/02/2026
Jody Dietert said he was only months from death before receiving a through the nation’s first seven-pair living donor liver transplant exchange, performed at University Health Transplant Institute. During a recent ceremony, he met his donor, 39-year-old Robert McDonald, for the first time.
McDonald originally planned to donate to a friend who later received a through another process, but ultimately chose to move forward as a non-directed . His decision helped make the seven-pair liver exchange possible, connecting seven donors with seven recipients.
The exchange included donors who agreed to donate portions of their livers after learning they were not medically compatible with their intended recipients. During the event, each donor and recipient learned one another’s identities, recognizing the connection created through the transplant process.
https://www.universityhealth.com/news/organ-donors-meet-the-patients-whose-livers-they-saved
In a ceremony filled with tears of gratitude, embraces of joy and the recognition of a remarkable first-of-its-kind accomplishment, seven liver transplant patients met the organ donors who saved their lives.
