Dan Wilcher’s paired kidney exchange donation created a lifesaving transplant chain for multiple families.
When Teresa Wilcher learned in 2024 that her kidneys were functioning at just 14 percent, her family immediately began searching for answers and hope. That hope ultimately came through a paired organ exchange that allowed both Teresa and her son, Marian University assistant baseball coach Dan Wilcher, to give and receive the gift of life through kidney transplant surgery.
After learning of their mother’s kidney disease, all five of Teresa’s children completed donor testing to determine whether they could donate a kidney. Dan Wilcher emerged as the most likely match. However, while close, the donor compatibility was not strong enough for a direct kidney transplant.
Rather than stopping there, transplant physicians at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recommended a paired kidney exchange program. Paired exchange programs match incompatible kidney donor-recipient pairs with others in similar situations, enabling successful transplant matches across multiple patients and families.
On December 12, 2025, Teresa Wilcher underwent kidney transplant surgery and received a kidney from a 35-year-old anonymous donor. Four days later, Dan Wilcher entered surgery himself, donating one of his kidneys to a 73-year-old patient from Pennsylvania as part of the multi-state paired kidney exchange.
Wilcher said the decision to become a living kidney donor was never in doubt. “People say, ‘Why in the world would I do that?’ And I say, ‘Why not?’
Before the transplant, Teresa’s kidney function had declined to just 10 percent. Today, her kidney function has improved to approximately 90 percent. Both Teresa and Dan Wilcher are recovering well following their transplant procedures.
Unlike her son, Teresa hopes to one day meet her anonymous kidney donor and personally express her gratitude for the life-saving organ donation.
As Dan Wilcher continues his work with Marian University Baseball and prepares to welcome his first child with his wife, Krista, the Wilcher family is celebrating more than the season ahead; they are cherishing more time together, made possible through organ donation and a chain of generosity among strangers.
“She gave me life. If I can help extend hers and still be healthy, there’s no reason not to do it.”