When Carol flew home from Florida in July 2025, she thought she was returning to ordinary life. She had just celebrated her birthday and wedding anniversary and was settling back into work. So, when the phone rang two days later, the news felt almost unreal: a donor liver was available.
“I was floored,” Carol said. “It was such a whirlwind.”
Her transplant journey began the year before. During testing related to uterine fibroids, an ultrasound revealed fluid buildup in her abdomen. Follow-up imaging showed liver damage, sending Carol down an unexpected path of appointments, testing and uncertainty.
It was in March 2025 when she met Dr. Mary Ann Huang, a hepatologist with HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke’s. Carol said the difference was immediate.
“Dr. Huang was very caring,” Carol said. “She listened, and she obviously knew her stuff, which was very comforting to me.”
After more testing, Dr. Huang recommended that Carol complete an evaluation to be placed on the liver transplant list. Carol was hesitant at first. Transplant felt like a major step. But Dr. Huang encouraged her to think of the evaluation as a safety net and explained that getting on the list while she was still healthy enough for surgery was important.
“After her initial evaluation with me, I started medications to help with her symptoms but also counseled her that liver transplant would be her best option for long-term survival and improving her quality of life,” Dr. Huang said. “It was obviously a shock to Carol and her husband … but she trusted our team and the process.”
That guidance proved critical. Carol completed her transplant evaluation in late April, undergoing extensive testing and meeting with members of the transplant team, including a social worker, pharmacist, surgeon and nursing staff. She was placed on the transplant list in May 2025.
She had prepared herself for a long season of waiting, especially since her blood type made finding a match more difficult. Instead, just two months later, a match came.
On Thursday, July 24, around noon, Carol got the call.
Later that afternoon, it was official. If she wanted to accept the organ, she needed to come to the hospital right away. Within hours, she and her husband were headed to the hospital.
“I had thought, ‘This isn’t going to happen anytime soon,’” Carol said. “And then suddenly, we were going to the hospital.”
Carol was admitted to the hospital’s specialized transplant floor, where she immediately felt reassured by the expertise of the team caring for her. From doctors and nurses to technicians and support staff, everyone played a role in her experience.
“The standard of care is just, you can’t ask for anything more,” she said.
Carol remembers not only the clinical care, but the small, meaningful moments such as the ultrasound technicians who took extra time, and the hospital staff who made her room more comfortable during her stay.
The next morning, she was headed into surgery. Despite the intensity of the moment, Carol felt a surprising sense of calm.
Her liver transplant surgery lasted about nine hours. She then recovered under the care of the transplant team. She especially remembers the compassion and consistency of transplant surgeon Dr. Guiseppe D’Amico, from this time.
“Everybody at HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke’s was just amazing,” Carol said. “So caring. I couldn’t complain about one single person.”
Before discharge, she met with social workers, physical and occupational therapists, pharmacists and other members of her care team who helped prepare her and her family for recovery at home. She left with education, monitoring tools and the confidence that she was not navigating the next stage alone.
In the months that followed, she continued her care through the transplant clinic, where she says the support remained just as strong.
“Carol has been a model patient in our program,” Dr. Huang said.
Her husband and daughters became an important part of that support system, along with Tesla, the family’s schnoodle, who stayed close by during her recovery. Recovery has not been easy. Carol still experiences fatigue, sleep disruption and brain fog, and she continues to work on rebuilding her strength and balance. As someone who has always been driven and active, slowing down has been one of the hardest parts. Still, she is deeply grateful for how far she has traveled.
“Looking back, I do not believe Carol understood how ill she was as she had lived with liver disease long before she was diagnosed,” Dr. Huang said. “The gift of a liver transplant has been amazing as she now has two birthdays to celebrate.”
Carol’s story is a reminder that organ donation changes lives in real, deeply personal ways. It gives people more time with their families. More birthdays. More anniversaries. More ordinary moments that no longer feel ordinary. For Carol, that gift means being here for the people and moments she loves most.
“It’s a second chance at life,” she said.