RICHMOND, Va. — While February 14 is Valentine’s Day it is also known across the country as National Donor’s Day.
It’s a day that organizers designed to focus on spreading awareness of the importance of organ donations that help save lives.
Georgia couple Christ Harris and Jessica Garrett know all too well the importance of organ donation after a sudden diagnosis landed them over 500 miles away at VCU Health’s Hume-Lee Transplant Center.
The engaged couple who had been together nearly 10 years never expected to have an extended stay in Virginia.
WTVR “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all, to be honest,” said Harris.
In March 2023, 24-year-old Harris was re-diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer after being in remission for just several months.
The initial diagnosis caught the couple off guard since Harris was seemingly healthy but then later began to experience severe pain where he could barely move or talk.
Doctors told Harris his best chance of survival was finding a living donor for a liver.