Anonymous Living Liver Donor Responds To Social Media Plea, Saves Toddler; UVA Hospital Fields 130+ Inquiries

Anonymous Donor’s liver Saves toddler After Viral Plea; Families Meet At UVA Hospital

USA: A toddler named Rhett received a life-saving liver transplant after doctors at the University of Virginia warned his family that a stranger would most likely be required to save him. The child’s mother, Jenna Powell, had posted a desperate plea on social media when no family member proved a match; the plea set in motion a chain of responses that culminated in surgery and a first meeting between two families.

One woman who answered the call, Courtney Jones, saw Rhett’s story on Facebook and recognized a child close in age to her own son. Within days she began the donor evaluation process, submitted paperwork and made calls, and in December underwent surgery so surgeons could perform the pediatric liver transplantation at UVA. The operation gave Rhett a new chance at life and reunited two families that had not previously known one another.

More than 130 people reached out to the hospital after the family’s post, and UVA staff say the response helped match other patients in need as well as Rhett. Jenna and her husband James Powell connected with Jones virtually around the time of the transplant and later met her at UVA Hospital, describing a profound bond formed by the act of donation.

Medical teams emphasize the impact of living donation and rapid public response in pediatric transplantation, and the Powells say they will carry gratitude for Jones’s decision forward as Rhett recovers and grows.

Video originally published on 2026-04-29 08:42:44