PITTSBURGH — A retired mailman made a special delivery Thursday for organ donor families at the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, known as CORE.
While Saturday is Valentine’s Day, it’s also National Organ Donor Day.
So, Kevin Molchan put on his old mail carrier uniform and delivered Valentine’s Day cards to those families.
“I feel so lucky that I received, and it’s only because of families like you that I’m still here,” he told one group of families.
Molchan told Channel 11 he was sick for years and needed both a new heart and kidney.
One day early last year, he got a call that changed his life.
“Approximately a month later, I got the call to go to the hospital. Got a call at 2 a.m., I got to Allegheny General (Hospital), and they had a heart and kidney for me,” he said."
On Thursday, he said he’s feeling good.
“Heart and kidney-wise, I feel strong, with no rejection,” he said. “Everything is going great.”
All of those cards he delivered on Thursday were made by students at Dorseyville Middle School.
“They made these cards in their afternoon day of service, and just to know that they dedicated their time towards this important topic, it means a lot,” said Molchan’s wife, Ida Molchan.
The couple hopes sharing his story brings more awareness to the importance of being an organ donor.
He also had a message for those still on a transplant list.
“(To) the people that are still waiting? It’s worth the wait,” he said.
Molchan said his main goal was to get back on the golf course with his wife. But now, he said he wants to be there for his new six-month-old grandson, and hopes to teach him how to swing a baseball bat when he grows up.
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