As the nation prepares to observe Veterans Day, Middletown resident and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Ron Walsh is celebrating a deeply personal milestone: the fifth anniversary of the liver transplant that saved his life.
Walsh, a former Sergeant in the Marine Corps and a retired PSE&G executive, faced years of escalating health challenges before receiving his transplant. After initial diagnoses of diabetes and liver cirrhosis, doctors discovered a cancerous tumor on his liver in 2019. By 2020, his condition had deteriorated significantly.
“In 2020, I began to get confused, I had slurred speech, and I was basically unable to function,” Walsh recalled. “My liver was failing.”
After being placed on the organ waitlist, Walsh experienced six false alarms during the summer of 2021 where prospective donor matches fell through. His call finally came on August 23, 2021, when he successfully underwent transplant surgery. He was discharged from the hospital just six days later.
“Right before surgery, I remember whispering to the doctor, ‘Please do your very best – my wife Jean and I have planned for a long life together,'” Walsh said. “Every day is a blessing and a new chance to enjoy life. I owe my organ donor and my family so much.”
In the five years following his recovery, Walsh has dedicated his time to volunteer work across Monmouth County and statewide organizations. As a volunteer with NJ Sharing Network, he advocates for organ and tissue donation awareness to honor his donor.
“I was told my donor was a woman,” Walsh shared. “I believe she must have been an Olympian because I have more energy now than ever. Since my transplanted organ was donated to me, this is one way I can give back. I help families and women in her honor.”
His community involvement spans several local and veteran-focused service groups:
-
American Legion & New Jersey Marine Corps League: Guiding veterans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) application process to help them access healthcare and service benefits.
-
Middlesex & Monmouth Outreach: Volunteering with Middletown Helps Its Own to supply food and basic resources to local residents, and assisting 180 Turning Lives Around, an organization supporting survivors of domestic violence.
Reflecting on his military service, which included 30 months stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, Walsh emphasized the enduring bond among service members. He frequently uses everyday interactions to help fellow veterans navigate available VA support—such as assisting an 80-year-old Vietnam-era Navy veteran in securing VA healthcare and hearing aids.
“Once you’re a Marine, you’re always a Marine,” said Walsh. “The decals on my car have provided many opportunities to speak with other veterans from all branches of the military… Many of those conversations lead to opportunities for me to tell veterans about benefits they may not even realize are available to them.”
Walsh hopes sharing his journey will inspire more individuals to register as organ and tissue donors.
According to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), over 100,000 Americans—including more than 3,000 New Jersey residents—are currently awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant. A single organ donor can save up to eight lives, while a tissue donor can enhance the lives of more than 75 individuals.
“My organ donor lives on in me,” Walsh said. “I tell everyone that the easiest way to become a superhero is with the click of a mouse by registering as an organ and tissue donor. You can save a mom, dad, brother, sister, cousin, grandparent – anyone.”
To learn more about organ donation or to register as a donor, visit the NJ Sharing Network at www.NJSharingNetwork.org.
