A few years back, my brother-in-law, who has been a co-vocational pastor in North Texas, went to the doctor, and it was determined that he had issues with his liver. That began regular tests, doctor’s visits, and a treatment strategy. A few months ago, the lead doctor for his case stated that he needed a liver transplant, and it needed to be done soon. The options were to receive a liver from a recently deceased donor or to receive a portion of a liver from a live donor.
This began a conversation with a multitude of people. The information was first shared with his immediate family and ours. His family and ours went to get tested to see if they were eligible candidates. For them, the answer was no. Then, they shared the information with friends and extended family on Facebook. Reports came in of individuals who filled out forms detailing their blood type, age, and size. Several hundred individuals were in the process. Slowly, the group was narrowed down to one young lady, 22 years old, who, it turned out, was a second cousin to my brother-in-law and my wife. We had not seen her since she was very young.
It was amazing to imagine that a young lady was willing to go through the process. She had to fill out paperwork, go to see the liver specialist, and have sonograms done, all for the purpose of determining that she was a viable candidate. She was told that on the day of the surgery, they would remove 65% of her liver and place it in my brother-in-law’s body. She would need to be in the hospital for at least 5 days. Following that she would need to remain off work for a period. She was assured, though, that her liver would grow back in a minimum of 6 weeks. She agreed to the sacrifice placed before her, and the surgery was scheduled for December 2.
Cathy and I went to Baylor Scott and White Hospital in Dallas that morning for surgery. The young lady’s procedure started in one waiting room at 6:30 am due to a final determination via robotic pictures that everything was as it appeared. Her procedure continued, and they started in another surgery area to get my brother-in-law ready. By late afternoon, they had removed her liver, and her surgery was complete. My brother-in-law had received an incredible gift: her liver that was placed in his body. It was beginning to function. As of the writing of this article, the young sacrificial donor has gone home. My brother-in-law remains in the hospital but is scheduled to get out in a few days.
As I have reflected upon the experience, three distinct thoughts have come to my mind.
1. Isn’t it amazing how God has made our bodies? God created our bodies with two ears, two eyes, two arms, two legs, and two kidneys. If one is removed, we can still function. He gave us a liver that can be regenerated. What a blessing.
2. God has given doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel the knowledge and equipment to perform a successful surgery like this.
3. A young woman who has a lot of life left was willing to sacrifice a portion of her liver, a period for her body to go through surgery, recovery, and time off work. She reflected that she knew this was what God wanted her to do.
May her Holy Spirit driven sacrificial attitude encourage us to serve others this new year in the same way Jesus Christ served all of humanity by coming to this earth as a baby, living a perfect life, dying on a cross to pay for our sins, resurrecting on the third day and residing in heaven to intercede for us.
May you and I practice Christlike sacrifice in 2025 as we care for others and share the gospel with them. As a recently deceased friend, Bob Tomes used to say, “Make it a good Day.” For our purposes we could say, “Make it a good day by being Holy Spirit driven serving others in Jesus’ name.”
