FOLLOWING GOD’S NUDGES

I learned at an early age I needed to listen to God and not ignore His nudges. So when my dear friend, Joanna, desperately needed a live liver donor in order to save her life, I felt God’s nudge. And I knew I had been called to donate part of my liver to her.

Joanna and I became friends about 15 years ago. We worked together in the preschool department at our church in Birmingham, and saw that we had very similar passions. We started to do a lot of life together and became very close friends.

When I first met Joanna, I heard she had a liver disease. And the closer we got, I learned that her disease would eventually progress to the point where she would likely need a liver transplant.

That point came at the beginning of 2023. Joanna’s condition worsened and doctors determined that she would need a liver transplant in order to live.

And here is where God first showed His providence.

It’s no coincidence that about a decade earlier, God put a certain couple in our small group. Chris, the husband, was in Medical School at UAB. He would eventually do his residency at the Mayo Clinic, and then become one of the country’s leading doctors specializing in liver transplants for cancer patients at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

Johns Hopkins is also one of the few hospitals in the world that did a live donor liver transplant, where a healthy person can donate a portion of their liver to someone in desperate need. I learned that the liver was one of the few organs in the body that can grow back.

When Joanna’s health took a downturn, The Lord laid it on my heart to see if Chris could help.

I called Chris’ wife and gave her an update on Joanna’s condition. Even though Joanna didn’t have liver cancer, I felt Chris might be able to direct us to someone that could review her case. And he did.

Upon review of her case, the Johns Hopkins doctors determined that Joanna may be a candidate for a live liver transplant.

When I heard that, I had a feeling that I would be a perfect match for Joanna. But since I was raising two teenagers, the thought of being a live liver donor was a bit daunting.

But I reflected on my faith journey. I accepted Jesus at 9 but I rebelled about getting baptized. And this disobedience caused me some problems until I did get baptized at 12. Those early childhood years taught me a valuable lesson to be obedient to His nudges, even if I don’t understand them.

As a young woman, I got some powerful nudges that led me to do some out-of-the ordinary things. He led me to be a missionary for 2 ½ years in such places as Africa, the slums of Paris and then Beirut just weeks after the Prime Minister was assassinated. These were scary situations but I was blessed by listening to Him. These previous life experiences underscored the value of being obedient to Him. So I began listening to God’s messages and acting on them early in life.

And now I was getting those same nudges from Him on becoming a live liver donor. Since my big steps of obedience in the past showed me that God would take care of me, I had no doubt that He would have me in the palm of His hands if I became Joanna’s donor.

The doctors tested two other possible live liver donors and determined they were not good matches. The nudges from the Lord grew stronger.

So I flew up to Baltimore and underwent a test.

After my examination, the surgeons felt my liver would be a good match for my friend. After a whole lot of prayer and talking to my family, I agreed to become Joanna’s donor.

We were approved for surgery on August 15 and Joanna and I got to pick the date for our surgery. Since we both had very active kids, we picked a date that was ideal for them and one where we could hopefully be recovered by Christmas. We picked October 3 for the transplant. People throughout our church began praying immediately, and even made “Team DoJo” t-shirts (a combination of our two names) as a way of showing that all of us were united in prayer.

In an eight-hour operation, I donated 2/3 of my liver to Joanna. After the surgery, the doctors said my liver was an ideal match for Joanna and that it had fit perfectly.

God made my liver at birth to be the perfect match for someone I would meet and donate to 43 years later.

Joanna’s body adapted to my liver in a wonderful way. She actually got out of the ICU and the hospital before I did! I was in ICU for two nights, in the hospital for five more nights and then had to stay in a hotel for another week for various tests. I came home two weeks after the surgery.

The outpouring of love from friends all over was overwhelming. We received meals from Joanna’s friends that didn’t even know us but were grateful for me being her donor. We received gift cards in the mail to help us with expenses. And cards for restaurants so we didn’t have to cook.

Joanna is fine now and on the road to a healthy life. And I have also recovered well. Livers grow back and after three months, mine was 95% of its original size. God blessed us both!

This whole experience has truly strengthened my faith. The biggest thing it taught me was the value of corporate prayer. A gift the Lord gives us is to be part of His work. And by praying, the Lord has allowed people to be part of this story. I don’t think it would have gone as smoothly if it wasn’t for all those corporate prayers.

We as humans tend to worry and have anxiety over things. Now, when I look down at my scar, I am reassured that He will take care of all the things that I used to worry about. God is good and can make anything happen according to His plan.

Some people say this is a story of my obedience. But I just saw it as the next step in my faith journey. I am amazed how this story is encouraging others to listen to God and be obedient to His nudges.

After all, God calls us all to be obedient. What obedience looks like is different for you than for me. But all of us can be obedient, and should be, to His voice.