3rd grader finds organ donors in family friends and teachers

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — After battling with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, or ARPKD, since birth, eight-year-old Langdon Richardson was in desperate need of a kidney and liver transplant.

The disease left him with cysts on his liver and kidney.

Little did he know his donors were closer than he thought.

“ARPKD has taken a big toll on me,” Langdon told 10 On Your Side. “My legs are weak all the time, but it varies on what’s affected. It could be the arms, legs, or just anything.”

His mom, Tiffany, said it was hard having to see him in and out of the hospital for years.

“He’s had multiple endoscopies to check for viruses in his esophagus,” she said, “And he’s gotten infections from random things like a splinter in his foot, and that kind of blew up more than a normal person would.”

In September, Langdon’s parents put him on the living donors list.

However, doctors told them it could be a while before they heard good news.

But two close friends and Williamsburg teachers took it upon themselves to see if they were a match.

One wants to remain anonymous and the other, Sarah Holland, said she didn’t hesitate to donate her kidney.

“I just, I feel like God is asking me to do this,” Holland said. “So, I feel very confident that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Tiffany told 10 On Your Side it was overwhelming to have this level of support from her friends.

“When we got the call about the liver, I was just — I started crying. So I was floored when I found out four or five days later about Sarah. I just didn’t expect it to all come together.”

Undergoing surgery for two organ transplants is enough to scare anybody, but Langdon said he’s just excited to be a normal kid again.

“Because I’m just going to be able to get rid of this disease,” he said, “After my full recovery I’m probably going to get a bike.”

Their surgeries are set for next month.

The family is holding a fundraiser at Bruster’s Real Ice Cream in Williamsburg all day April 27, with 20% of all sales going to Langdon and his gracious donors.

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