97-Year-Old Pennsylvania Donor Defies Age Limits, Donates Liver To Florida Recipient

97-Year-Old Pennsylvania Volunteer Becomes State’s Oldest Organ Donor; liver Goes To Florida Recipient

USA: Peggy Fields, a 97-year-old lifelong volunteer from western Pennsylvania, has become the oldest organ donor in Pennsylvania history and the third-oldest in U.S. history after her liver was recovered and transplanted to a woman in Florida. The donation occurred after Fields’ passing and included additional tissue procurements that can aid other patients.

Fields’ daughter, Linda Kirk, said her mother chose donor registration later in life as one more way to give back, reflecting decades of service in the Pittsburgh area, through church work, historical societies and as a girl Scout leader in Plum. Family members initially questioned whether organs from someone in their late 90s would be usable, and were surprised when clinicians confirmed the liver met transplantation needs.

Transplant specialists and organ donation advocates say the case highlights a common misconception: advanced age alone does not automatically rule someone out as a donor. The liver transplantation in this case demonstrates that even very elderly donors can provide life-saving organs, while tissue and cornea donation can restore or improve many more lives.

Coming during National Donate Life Month, Fields’ story is being shared to encourage people of all ages to consider donor registration. One organ donor can save up to eight lives, and donor registries and transplant programs can provide guidance about eligibility and how a final gift can benefit patients and families.

Video originally published on 2026-04-14 10:38:29