Fellow Tri-Valley employee answers Brian Merce's prayers God told Betsy Ritchie she was a match after months of prayer Or rather, the match found him.┬а Brian Merce, who teaches agricultural studies, was diagnosed with kidney disease four years ago. It's since progressed to stage 5, and last year he quickly learned he'd need a living donor. His donor is Tri-Valley coworker┬аBetsy Ritchie, a speech pathologist at Dresden Elementary. She visited him after school this week┬аto reveal the good news. But it came as a complete surprise to Brian and his wife Courtney, who had been urged to drive to the school that afternoon.┬аThey had no idea this woman whom they┬аdidn't know had been planning for months to become Brian's donor.