WILLIAMSBURG — This time last year, Langdon Richardson and his family were in the final weeks of preparation for a double transplant surgery. There was anxiety, stress, and nerves. One year later, Langdon is thriving with his new lease on life.
Richardson was diagnosed with Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease as a newborn, a genetic disorder that causes fluid-filled cysts in the kidneys, making them larger than they should be.
Much of his life had been spent in and out of doctors’ appointments and hospital stays. When his doctors approached his parents about adding him to the transplant list, they immediately took him for the necessary tests, and it was unveiled that he needed two living donors.
After putting out a plea on social media to look for donors, Langdon found his two matches in his former teachers — both from the Williamsburg James City County school system.
In May of last year, Langdon underwent two surgeries and began the long road to recovery. One year later, the family looks back gratefully.
“Overall, he’s doing really well. We’ve had a few minor bumps, but from a kidney and liver perspective, he couldn’t really be doing any better,” Tiffany Richardson, Langdon’s mom, shared.
He will still have to monitor his kidneys and liver for life, but those check-ups will be for longer periods of time as he gets stronger every day.
Langdon, who previously couldn’t attend school for a full day, now finds himself alongside his classmates daily. He’s also found his way back to the baseball diamond.
“He just started playing baseball two weeks ago, and it’s been two years since he’s played a sport. There are so many things that he’s doing now that wouldn’t have been possible if he didn’t have his transplant,” Tiffany said. “Every parent just wants their kid to live life to the fullest, have all the experiences, and he’s now experiencing things again that would not have been possible without that transplant.”
“The first practice, I had to check myself, so that I’m not sitting there on the sidelines with tears falling down my cheeks. For me, it’s beautiful. What is so mundane and ordinary to so many people, is just so beautiful to us, because we may not have had it,” Tiffany continued.
At the end of May, the family is planning a one-year post-transplant vacation to celebrate. On that trip, the family will knock off another first for Langdon: attending his first concert.
“Jelly Roll is his absolute favorite and he has been for a couple of years. He had a song that actually came out the week of his transplant surgery. Langdon had just been moved out of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and I had gone for a walk and saw the song post and came in and showed it to him and that became favorite song. He just feels like Jelly Roll’s music speaks to him and he can relate to it. He’s really, really, excited about this trip,” Tiffany said.
When Langdon was sick, the community came out to support the Richardsons in many ways. The Richardson family is now giving back by hosting a blood and donor drive on May 5 to help another family somewhere else find their own life-saving donor.
“We’re celebrating while others are barely hanging on and waiting. When he was listed in September, I thought it was going to take forever. Everything happened so much faster than I ever imagined it would. He got the liver and the kidney that he was supposed to have. If it’s not happening for another family, I firmly believe it is because they have just not found the right one yet,” Tiffany said.
The blood drive will take place on May 5 at the Williamsburg Premium Outlets from 1 to 6 p.m. To sign up, visit redcrossblood.org and use the sponsor code Langdon.