Becky Ridgeway

Extraordinary People:
Becky Ridgeway

Becky Ridgeway

Becky Ridgeway
Allegheny County

At 26, I was a full-time mom to a one-year-old daughter, working part-time as a certified public accountant (CPA) and I had just found out that I was pregnant with my second child. Needless to say, my life was busy, normal and happy.

My first pregnancy had gone smoothly and I was leading an active lifestyle; therefore, there was little cause for concern with my second pregnancy. However, I had suffered heart failure as an infant, so my doctors took precautionary measures to check my heart early on and what they discovered was devastating. My heart’s functioning had plummeted and I was given a fifty percent chance of dying within a year. In a short period of time, I went from expecting a second child to ultimately losing the baby and praying I’d live to see my daughter’s second birthday.

My only hope for survival was to have a heart transplant, so in August 1988, my name was added to the national organ transplant waiting list. Shortly thereafter, our family moved from Florida to Pittsburgh in order for me to receive care at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which has one of the best transplantation reputations in the nation.

Every day, as I got progressively worse, I carried a beeper with me, praying that it would go off, signaling that a heart had been found for me. Every day, I thought about my daughter’s future and what it would be like for her to grow up without a mother. Every day, I thought about the fact that another family would have to suffer and grieve in order for me to live. It was an extremely emotional and physically demanding six months of waiting.

In February 1989, I received the greatest gift. My heart came from a young woman in Alabama, who lost her life but saved mine through organ donation. While I don’t know my donor family, I pray for them often and every year on my transplant anniversary, I light a candle in honor of my donor and her family.

Seventeen years have passed since my transplant. My baby daughter is now a sophomore in college and because of my donor’s gift, she has had her mom all these years. I’m so grateful for the fulfilling and healthy life that I lead and I truly do everything that other people do. I am a full-time CPA and am as active as I ever have been -- running, hiking and enjoying the outdoors.

My heart transplant gave me the opportunity to tell everyone I meet about the need for more people to be designated organ donors. I speak at my church and to community groups and healthcare providers, volunteer for the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) in Pittsburgh, participate in the U.S. Transplant games and put bumper stickers on my car. I find that when I talk face-to-face with people about organ donation and tell them my story, they can’t say no to becoming a registered donor. How could you? By being an organ donor, you have the opportunity to save someone’s life. Sign Up Now!