Would You Donate Part of Your Liver to Save a Stranger? Here’s Why She Did

She didn’t know the baby’s family. But when Christina Miller heard that a baby desperately needed a liver in order to live, the call went straight to her heart. So Christina became a living liver donor.

Fewer than 7,000 people a year agree to be living donors, and almost all are donating to close family or friends. Even though the transplant saved the baby’s life, Christina doesn’t see herself as a hero. 

Growing up in Elkton, Virginia, Christina’s family valued spirituality. “Compassion for others was always modeled for me,” she explains. “My mom very much had a servant's heart. And so I think maybe some of that translated.”

What's It Like to Be a Living Donor?

The experience gave her a depth of meaning she can’t quite explain.

“As a living donor, you're in a really unique position to come alongside the recipient and say, I'm going to bear this with you. And it's just really special to play a role in bringing renewed life to somebody. It's kind of hard to put into words, really.”

Not all of us are willing to become a living organ donor to someone we know, let alone a stranger. A living donor liver transplant involves a major operation and weeks of recovery. 

Christina regrets nothing. “If living liver donation is on someone's heart, I would just say to follow that pull and see where it goes. Because it's just a really special experience.”

Saving Josie's Life With a Living Donation

Josie Curvin has a new chance at life thanks to Christina's living donation. One of Christina's first questions after surgery was “How's Josie?” Thanks to the transplant, Josie's condition improved immediately. See Josie and Christina's transplant story at UVA Health.