Some people get their lightbulb moment of inspiration in art galleries, on top of mountains, or in woodland cabins. Brad Dugai got his at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in North Henrico. “I have a strong spiritual foundation,” Brad was quick to explain when asked about the inspiration for his kidney donation. “So from a human…

Dr. Minesh Patel is an accomplished figure in the Richmond area. The co-founder of Ariya Family Chiropractic Center, he owns six offices, scuba dives, bikes, runs, teaches and parents. And he does it all thanks to a pair of new eyes. Going blind at 22 “In 1998, I noticed that my vision was failing,” he…

This year will mark the tenth since the passing of Cindy Harris’ son Paul, an organ donor whose gifts would go on to improve or even save the lives of 69 other people. It’s both easy and difficult for Cindy to think of Paul, who died at age 18 from head trauma caused when his…

A conversation with Rich Eitzel, director of Team Virginia: When Rich Eitzel was a teenager, he spent about eight seconds considering before marking the “organ donor” checkbox on his driver’s license form. That was the last he’d think about organ donation until many years later when his father became ill. Even then, he only learned…

It’s one thing to donate an organ – it’s another thing entirely to share one. That’s what Tammy Blackwell and her brother, Chuck Parsons, are doing – sharing the same liver. The liver is the only human organ that can regenerate from just a piece, so when Tammy needed a new liver, transplant doctors at…