Granddaughter Donates Part Of liver, Saves Grandfather In Christmas Living-Donor Transplant
USA: Brian Walls, diagnosed more than two years ago with NASH, a form of liver disease, received a second chance when his 25-year-old granddaughter, Michaela Hayes, became a living donor and gave a portion of her liver. Walls had been on the transplant list for years with no match, and a sudden decline in December left him fighting for his life in the hospital until a compatible donor emerged on standby.
The family recounts a rapid turn of events: after years of waiting, Michaela moved forward with a living-donor liver transplantation on December 23rd and donated part of her liver to her grandfather. The operation and recovery have been framed as a dramatic reversal for Walls, who experienced immediate improvements in health following the procedure. The transplant centered the medical and emotional story, highlighting both the surgical lifesaving intervention and the rare, intimate courage of a living donor within a family.
This episode also arrives against the backdrop of recent family sorrow; about a year before the surgery the household suffered the loss of a close family figure to cancer. That prior grief deepened the significance of the transplant, turning the operation into a defining moment of hope for the family. As Walls convalesces, he emphasizes the life-altering impact the transplantation has had on him and his loved ones, describing the donor’s sacrifice as giving him a renewed, meaningful future.
Walls is urging others to consider living donation and to explore options for those in need of organs, mentioning liver and kidney transplants as critical needs. The story underscores the logistical and human realities of living-donor transplantation: long waits on transplant lists, sudden clinical declines, the availability of a willing familial donor, and the potential for rapid improvement after a compatible organ portion is transferred. The family’s experience serves as both testament and appeal for broader awareness of living-donor transplantation.
Video originally published on 2026-02-16 11:47:37
