The White Sox Fan Who Met Her Kidney Donor at the Ballpark Where Her Plea Began

Published · Researched 2026-09-22

What happened (dated facts)

NBC Chicago's Regina Waldroup first shared Christine Todd's story two years earlier: the Plainfield resident was living with polycystic kidney disease and needed a living donor. Todd took her search to the home of the White Sox, Rate Field, with a plea on t-shirts and a banner. After the story aired, a couple of potential donors came forward — and one was a perfect match: Chris Beck, a biology teacher from Virginia. Beck's mother had shared the social media post with him; Beck had already donated a portion of his liver in 2020. He completed donor evaluation at a donor center near his home, and the surgery happened in Richmond — "my kidney took a flight here to Chicago." On Saturday, 2026-09-19, Todd and Beck attended a White Sox game together, back at the ballpark where the story began, meeting in person for the first time (NBC Chicago, 2026-09-21).

Why it is genuinely positive

A stranger — already a liver donor — saw a social media plea, volunteered his body again, and flew a kidney across the country for someone he'd never met. Then they met where it all started. A life saved by pure generosity.

Social pulse

Beck's mother found Todd's plea on social media and shared it with him — the social layer that made the donation happen. NBC Chicago reported the reunion on 2026-09-21.

Verified quotes

• Chris Beck, via NBC Chicago (2026-09-21): "If I can do something to help another person, I definitely will do it. It is what I would want done for me or any of my kids."
• Chris Beck, via NBC Chicago (2026-09-21): "My mom, she shared the social media post with me. I had donated a portion of [my] liver in 2020. She was really excited about that. She was like, 'Hey, here's someone else who needs help.' I went to their donor center near where I live and said, 'I would like to become a donor, and here's who I would like to donate to.' The surgery happened in Richmond, and my kidney took a flight here to Chicago."

Verification

• Tier: 2
• Primary source: NBC Chicago, "White Sox fan meets kidney donor who saved her life" (2026-09-21, reported by Regina Waldroup) — https://nbcchicago.app.link/nm9YsECRD6b (deep link; article verified via search-indexed text)
• Social sources: Social media plea at Rate Field (t-shirts and banner); Beck's mother found and shared the post.
• Positivity check: passed — a life-saving living donation from a complete stranger.

Key facts

UNVERIFIED points

• The nbcchicago.app.link URL is a mobile deep link; the article text was verified via the search-indexed snippet, not a direct page read.
• Exact transplant date not published in sources found.

Sources

• Primary source: NBC Chicago, "White Sox fan meets kidney donor who saved her life" (2026-09-21, reported by Regina Waldroup) — retrieval date not recorded