Special Christmas gift: TV anchor Rigby prepares for second kidney transplant — from state rep brother
Tim Rigby and his siblings could be the poster family for maintaining strong support systems.
When the well-known WJAC-TV personality needed a kidney transplant in 2005, both of his brothers and all four sisters volunteered to be tested. Three were found to be matches.
His sister, Tammy Brady, of Parkersburg, West Virginia, was selected as the donor because she was deemed the best match.
But his brother Jim Rigby, now the state representative for Pennsylvania’s 71st District, was disappointed he couldn’t give his brother a kidney in 2005.
“I was quite upset that I was not chosen 16 years ago,” Jim Rigby said Tuesday. “I was quite vocal about it.”
When Tim Rigby’s body began to reject his donated kidney a few months ago, Jim Rigby stepped up again.
The transplant operation is scheduled for Thursday at UPMC Montefiore in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section.
“My brother and I have exchanged Christmas gifts as long as I can remember,” Tim Rigby, 63, said Tuesday. “I am never going to be able to top this one.”
Jim Rigby was just grateful he was still an acceptable match at age 61.
“Fortunately, I’m still healthy,” he said.
‘Prayers and support’
Both brothers said they have been uplifted by an outpouring of support from the local community.
“People I don’t even know are sending cards and messages with prayers and support,” Jim Rigby said. “That’s a great thing.”
Tim Rigby said the phone calls and texts have been pouring in since word of his failing kidney began to circulate.
“It’s overwhelming,” he said.
“This is a special community. This is a special place.”
He was far from surprised by the sacrificial generosity his brothers and sisters have shown during his two medical crises.
“We are a close family,” he said. “We are willing to do anything for each other. It is really a legacy of my parents. They were so giving.”
Tim Rigby says he still gets long-distance support from his father, Richard Rigby, of Mobile, Alabama. His mother, Jean, passed away in 1994.
It is not just times of crisis that unite the Rigby family, Jim Rigby said. Tim and his wife Holly, Jim and his wife Kathleen and their children traditionally get together with siblings Tammy, Rick, Kathy, Peggy and Marcy and their families for holidays and weekends at the family cottage in Bedford County.
‘Best’ Christmas ever
Tim Rigby is a graduate of Ferndale Area High School and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.
He first joined WJAC-TV in 1981 in the sports department and was the sports director from 1989 to 2011. He returned to the station in March 2015 as the news anchor for the morning and noon broadcasts.
Until taking a break this week, he has been the news anchor for the 11 p.m. news.
At the end of the telephone interview, The Tribune-Democrat reporter wished Tim Rigby a merry Christmas.
“It’s the best one I’ve ever had,” he responded.