JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Shannon and Rivean Riley are an example of unconditional love and a testament to how organ donation can save lives and keep families whole.
Rivean Riley faced kidney issues as a teenager, spending about three months in the hospital. At the time, he was prepared to start dialysis, a treatment that cleans the blood when the kidneys fail; however, his health improved without the need for dialysis.
Twenty years later, Riley was diagnosed with heart failure.
“I came to Mayo,” Rivean said. “To hear the first word, transplant, we didn’t know that was coming.”
In 2024, he received a heart transplant at the Mayo Clinic.
The donor was a 23-year-old man who died in a traffic crash. His mother wanted his organs donated locally. The Rileys have stayed in touch with the donor’s family.
Later, Rivean’s kidney health declined again. His wife, Shannon, was ready to donate her kidney to save him.
“We went through the process of being evaluated to become a donor and we were the same blood type,” Shannon said. “One of the first things we found out was that we couldn’t be a direct match due to antibodies.”
But Shannon didn’t stop there. In 2025, she donated a kidney to another person, creating a voucher that allowed her husband to receive a kidney from someone else.
“July 10th — I am a Bahamian, so that’s our independence day — I got an independence day kidney,” Rivean said.
When asked how he felt about his wife’s sacrifice, Rivean said, “Just the idea if you could give, it’s the world to me, too, because I definitely know that the love is there... and that someone else could have a healthy life too.”
Now that both have donated organs, they have cared for each other at different times. Beyond their love for each other, they want to stay alive for their four children. Their love continues through their family for decades to come.
The Rileys say donating is important because it doesn’t just save one life — it keeps families together.