We love living in the country.
Always something beautiful to look at and experience
the open space and fresh air
and peacefulness.
So in 2016,
I was diagnosed with a tumor in my pancreas
that metastasized to my liver and I had lots of tumors in my liver.
2019, my symptoms got worse,
and so I was referred to MedStar Georgetown.
They said I needed a transplant, and they put me on the donor list.
But after being on the list for a year,
it wasn't working for me to get a deceased liver,
so they were encouraging me to put the word out for a living donor.
So, we went through social media and word of mouth, and my church.
Pastor Matt Gregory was the first person that tried to donate to me
and I was floored that he was willing to donate.
He didn't end up being a match, but 34 people applied
to be living donors and they couldn't find a perfect match.
So, they were saying it needed to be done.
I needed a liver now.
Bonnie's case was very complex.
We had removed the tumor from her pancreas,
but she needed a new liver and she needed it soon.
Also, within her treatment plan,
there was only a short window of opportunity to do the transplant.
A liver coming from a living donor
was a big advantage because it could be scheduled.
Fortunately for Bonnie, the donor ended up
being right under her nose.
And so my youngest daughter, Samantha, heard that conversation
and said that she would like to try to be my donor.
Hi there.
I was living with them at the time,
so I was supposed to be her secondary caretaker.
I had sort of written it off to be a donor for her
until things got a little more dire and I decided to go for it.
My liver was a match.
I didn't realize that you could donate half of your liver.
It's the only organ in the body that will regenerate. So, half of my liver went to my mom.
My surgeon was Dr. Fishbein. He was very good.
As hard as it's been,
it's a great blessing.
Through this whole process,
our church family helped us get through this with a lot of their support.
We knew that there were a lot of people praying.
And our pastor, when he found out that he was not a match, he was disappointed.
But because of his gracious heart, he says,
Why won't I donate to somebody else?
I start having this nagging thought that I just
maybe I should reconsider
staying in the process for someone else.
And then I was told that
there is a child that I was a match for.
Unbeknownst to me, they were making a public appeal
and I had no idea that they had gone on television.
But it came together and
I actually did not even know the identity until after the surgery.
Say hello.
Where do you want to start off
by thanking you for saving our son's life? Yes.
I was very emotional.
So my wife, Elaina and I were there.
We just had this connection now, my liver buddy.
So that was pretty amazing.
So obviously, god was just writing a story that was better than what
we would have initially even prayed for.
Living donors like Samantha and Matt are true heroes.
They are literally giving the gift of life.
I've just been very grateful to get to know these remarkable
and incredibly generous donors who make such a huge difference.
Before our surgery, Samantha gave me a necklace
that says Faith over fear, and she has one to match it.
I never dreamed I'd grow up to be a super cool living donor.
But here I am, crushing it and we are crushing it together.
You know, I'm just
thankful to my daughter and to MedStar Georgetown
and for a second chance.
So, hopefully my story just might inspire someone else
to be a living donor and save someone else's life.