The Power of Gratitude: Ocean City’s Dan Koch Establishes Project to Aid Fellow Transplant Recipients

The experience of receiving a second chance at life has inspired Dan Koch, a local business owner and Ocean City resident, to give back by supporting others on their transplant journey. Following a life-saving liver transplant at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, Koch established “The Recipient Project,” a powerful initiative focused on ensuring comprehensive care for transplant patients.

At age 44, Koch was fortunate enough to receive a liver donation from a generous woman named Magie. He credits her selfless act with allowing him to continue being a father to his two daughters. This profound experience ignited a passion in him to connect with fellow recipients and turn his immense gratitude into meaningful action.

Through his outreach, Koch quickly recognized a shared, often overlooked challenge among the nearly 55,000 annual transplant recipients nationwide: the emotional and psychological toll. Many recipients grapple with complicated emotions, including what’s often referred to as “survivor’s guilt,” and find the prospect of lifelong medical management daunting.

Koch is now spearheading a significant effort to address this crucial gap in medical services. “As medical professionals increasingly recognize how mental health impacts physical recovery,” Koch states, “there is a great opportunity to expand the support we provide.”

To this end, The Recipient Project has partnered with Virtua Health to champion the new Psychiatry Support for Transplant Care initiative. This vital program will deliver specialized psychiatry services to care for the emotional well-being of patients during the entire transplant process—before, during, and after their operation.

Dan’s efforts are ensuring that the emotional and physical recovery of transplant patients is treated with equal importance, turning his personal triumph into a lasting resource for the community.