Hi, I’m RICHARD Smith Sr.
Better known as Ryk, I was born and raised in Lancaster, PA and currently reside in York, PA with my wife, Patty.
I am the proud father of three wonderful children, who have now grown to foster families of their own. I’m grateful to be called “Pappy” by my five beautiful grandchildren: Legend, Klaus, Vera, Atlas, and Junior.
God has blessed me with these incredible gifts and I cherish each of them dearly.
My family means everything to me. Spending time with them is my ultimate reward.
Patty and I love to host, so naturally, our house has been the gathering spot for friends and family over the years.
Outside of my family life, I do still work throughout the week as an estimator for a commercial roofing company. I have been at the same company for 40+ years and I take pride in my contributions to my employer.
My condition often drains me, but I do enjoy fishing with my youngest son, spending time out in the yard, and attending ball games. Now that my eldest grandsons are getting old enough for sports, I love to go watch them play.
All of the efforts behind my liver donor search would not be possible without the love of my life, Patty. She has been there for me every step of the way through this unfortunate liver progression. She is my rock.
I have so much to live for. I just pray the right person is out there and will come forth to grant me more precious time.
The journey that brought me here has been a trying one, but I am not discouraged. I am motivated more than ever to find that special person willing to save my life.
MORE ON MY HEALTH JOURNEY:
I was diagnosed with fatty liver disease back in 2017. This is a condition that runs in our family. My condition progressed over the years and I was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in 2022.
This was scary news for our family, as this is a chronic and irreversible condition that can lead to liver failure. Symptoms that I experience include extreme fatigue, jaundice, nausea, ascites (painful fluid buildup in the abdomen), easy bruising/bleeding, portal hypertension, and more.
Over the past few years, I’ve had several procedures to drain my abdomen and endoscopy surgeries to band off my esophageal varices (swollen veins in my esophagus that can bleed internally and be life-threatening).
In the past year, my condition has notably worsened. In June, I was taken to the ER and admitted to the hospital for a scary condition called hepatic encephalopathy — A dangerous buildup of toxins had accumulated in my brain because my liver could not filter them out. I was very confused, disoriented, and not myself. Following this incident, I have been taking some leaves of absence from work to care for myself.
As I mentioned previously, I have SO much to live for and a successful donor would save my life. I pray that person could be you.
There is no greater gift than life itself. My appreciation for someone willing to grant me that is beyond measure.
Thank you for reading my story and may God bless you.