La Plume, Pa. – Keystone College head softball coach Alison Ritter knows all about sacrifices, whether it is laying down the sign for one of her players to execute a sacrifice bunt, congratulating one of her players on bringing home a run with a sacrifice fly, or recognizing the sacrifices her players make day-in and day-out as members of an NCAA Division III softball team.
 
This past October, Ritter found herself executing a sacrifice play of her own that she never thought she would do: becoming a living donor to help save a friend's life.
 
The Background
 
Ritter and RJ Henderson became friends at Salisbury University where Ritter was a standout softball player for the Seagulls, while Henderson was a dedicated supporter of the team and always hung out with the players away from the diamond.  

Following college, Henderson went on to become a teacher after graduating from Salisbury in 2008, while Ritter joined the coaching ranks after her graduation two years later.  Ritter, a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) spent five years as an assistant at East Stroudsburg University before becoming Keystone's head softball coach and Senior Woman Administrator in August of 2016.
 
The two lost touch in the years after their time at Salisbury, but would reconnect in the most unexpected way in 2017.
 
The Diagnosis
 
In the early part of the year, Henderson had been feeling ill and sought help from doctors.  In March, his cardiologist delivered him shocking news.  "Around 8 in the morning, my phone rang," explains Henderson. "I was annoyed at my phone ringing because like most other teachers in my county, I was enjoying some extra sleep thanks to our first and only snow day.  But it was my cardiologist calling to tell me that based on the results from a recent blood test, I was in kidney failure."
 
Henderson said he was in disbelief at the diagnosis.  "I thought maybe my labs had come back slightly elevated and he was overreacting," he said.  "However, after completing two additional rounds of blood work at the emergency room and learning I'd need surgery to place a dialysis access in my chest, I knew this was serious."
 
Searching for a Donor
 
Henderson's condition was so serious that he underwent dialysis three times a week for three and a half hours at a time and more importantly, needed a kidney transplant.
 
With his life at stake, Henderson took to social media to try to find any potential donor.  Ritter says she didn't think twice about trying to help RJ when she saw his Facebook post in the middle of April. "I saw his post and sent him a message giving him my email address to send the paperwork to and said 'Send me all the info. If I'd be a match it's all yours.' But I really didn't think I'd be a match."
 
Little did Ritter and Henderson know at the time just how much that brief exchange would wind up changing their lives.
 
The Testing
 
Shortly after completing her first season as Keystone's head coach, Ritter began the process of being tested for her potential to be a donor match for Henderson.  The first step was to determine if Ritter and Henderson's blood types were a match, which they proved to be. 
 
Several weeks later, additional tests were done to determine whether Ritter's kidneys were healthy enough to be transplanted.  They were. 
 
Extensive physical examinations including EKGs, angiograms, and additional medical testing, followed by sessions with social workers, dieticians, and other experts were conducted to determine Ritter's physical and emotional ability to become a living donor.  All the tests came back positive.
 
"With every step in the process, the possibility became more real," said Ritter.  "I wanted to help RJ if it was possible, but I really thought I'd be told that I wouldn't be a match at some point in all of this testing."
 
Finally, in early September, Ritter was approved as a candidate and asked to make the decision as to whether she would donate her kidney.
 
"I needed a few days to really think about it and decide now that it was real," stated Ritter about her decision. "I had to talk to my family and friends and consider all that this would mean for me both now and in the future.  But, I knew deep down that my decision was already made and I was going to do this to help RJ."
 
Sharing the News
 
Needless to say, no one was happier to find out that Ritter was going to donate her kidney than Henderson. "I remember the day that Ali told me she was a match and that she was actually willing to donate.  I remember just showing the message to my mom and instantly I started to cry.  I finally felt some relief that the end of dialysis was in sight and I'd finally have my life back."
 
Henderson had been receiving so much support and well wishes throughout his illness and social media provided him with an easy way to update all of the people who were asking him how he was doing and share the good news. "I knew I had to post an update on Facebook because so many of my family and friends were so supportive during the process and wanted to be updated whenever I had new information."
 
For Ritter's part, she never wanted her donation to interfere with her coaching and administrative duties at Keystone, nor did she want the focus to be on her instead of her student-athletes.  As such, Ritter's donation was scheduled for October 31, 2017 – Halloween day – after softball's non-traditional season was complete. 
 
She had quietly kept Keystone Director of Athletics, Dr. Matthew Grimaldi, up to date and received permission to take time off from work for the procedure and recovery.
 
Ritter was appreciative of the support she received from Keystone's administration, including from the College's president, Dr. David Coppola. She knew she had to break the news to the softball team, which she waited until two weeks before the procedure to do.
 
"They thought they were in trouble," Ritter stated of her team's reaction when she called a meeting in mid-October. "But when I told them what was happening, they asked a lot of questions and were very supportive, which made me a lot more comfortable going into the surgery."
 
The Procedure
 
On October 31, 2017, Ritter and Henderson entered the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore for the kidney transplant.
 
Dr. John LaMattina was in charge of the surgery to remove Ritter's kidney, an operation that took nearly three and a half hours and involved moving her internal organs around to reach the kidney.
 
As soon as the kidney was removed, Dr. Stephen Bartlett took over with the organ and led a nearly five-hour long procedure to successful insert Ritter's kidney into Henderson's body and get it operating successfully.
 
Both Ritter and Henderson spent several days in the hospital recovering immediately following the transplant, but the operations were as a success as the kidney took to Henderson.
 
The two decided to name the kidney "Al" since a part of Ritter will always be in Henderson, who feels that he owes so much to Ritter for willingness to be a living donor.  The Recovery
 
Ritter was able to return to work at Keystone within a week, but her physical capabilities were restricted.  During recovery, her physical activity was very limited and she was not allowed to lift more than 10 pounds, drive a car, and had a reduced appetite.
 
Ritter continues to gain strength, was cleared to drive in the middle of November, and is able to participate in increasing levels of physical activity as the weeks pass.
 
Henderson's recovery is challenging, but is also going well. "Recovery has been a bit painful," he says.  "However, each day gets easier and the staff at the University of Maryland Medical Center has been amazing.  I go back to the Transplant Center weekly for lab work and to update my medications. I look forward to the surgeon clearing me so that I can return to work and see my students for the first time in five weeks."
 
The Support
 
Ritter says she has received tremendous support from her family, friends, and the Keystone community throughout the process, which not only made the decision to be a living donor easier, but also has helped her recover.
 
Throughout the process, Ritter has heard from a lot of people who said they would never be able to make the sacrifice that she was as a living donor.  "They called me crazy, in a good way," she explains, "everyone had my back, supporting me 100 percent."
 
"This journey has been very humbling for me," explains Ritter. "I've had friends, players' parents, and co-workers call me a 'superhero,' 'an inspiration,' and many other very flattering names, but I don't look at this in those terms.  I was just able to help RJ.  People should help others when they can, and that's all I did."
 
Following the procedure, Ritter says that family and friends stuck by her side as she recovered, and her team and co-workers fully respected her need for time without contact, though it was nice to have a few people check in to make sure she was doing okay.
 
When Ritter returned to work, she was thankful that fellow coaches would help her in any way they could, whether it be giving her a ride to or from work, bringing her lunch, helping her move something in her office, or just asking how she was feeling and what they could do to help.
 
The Lessons
 
As any good teacher and coach would do, both Henderson and Ritter are making sure to use this remarkable experience as a teaching moment for their students and players and as a life lesson for anyone who hears their story.
 
Henderson says, "I want to share more of this story with my students as we continue learning about the importance of giving back when we can."  In particular, he will be sharing the importance of living donation for the rest of his life. 
 
"Living donation is the best way to save lives," says Henderson.  "The number of people who need transplants continues to grow, while the number of deceased donations has remained about the same for the past 10 years.  All living potential donors are carefully evaluated to make sure they're healthy enough to donate.  There's even a swap program that can be utilized if the donor and recipient do not have matching blood types.  Donors have the ability to donate to someone in need, even if they don't know the person."
 
While Ritter also spoke to her team specifically about becoming a donor, she also talked about more global lessons. "When I told my players that I was donating my kidney, I wanted them to look internally rather than specifically what I was doing," explained Ritter.  "I told them that the most important thing they can learn from this is to always be kind to each other.  You never know where life will take you 10-15 years down the road, and you might need someone's help, or you might be able to help someone else in a big way."
 
For her family, friends, and peers at Keystone, Ritter has been an inspiration for her willingness to literally sacrifice part of her own body to help someone else out.  She doesn't need to say a word to remind us that we can always give just a little bit to help others out.
 
The Winning Sacrifice
 
As a fan, Henderson saw Ritter lead Salisbury to four straight Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) championships, three NCAA Tournament appearances, and a trip to the NCAA Division III World Series in 2009. 
 
He also watched her collected three Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region Team awards, four CAC All-Conference selections, two ESPN the Magazine All-District honors, and two CoSIDA Academic All-District accolades.
 
But Henderson was the beneficiary of Ritter's greatest play in life, a sacrifice that came more than seven years after she last stepped on a softball field as a player.
 
That sacrifice, which moved "Al" from Ritter to Henderson, saved his life.
 
"My family and I will be forever grateful and thankful for Alison," he says.  "In a time when there's so much division in the country and the world, it is amazing to see that there are still good people.  Alison is the perfect model of giving to those in need.  She has inspired me to do more for others when I can.  She has become an honorary member of my family for life."
 
Living Donation Information
 
Henderson and Ritter encourage everyone to consider becoming a living donor.  More information about donating can be found at the websites listed below.

The National Kidney Foundation
Kidney Living Donor Guide & Questionnaire