Her birthday present: a new liver
“They called on a Saturday morning. My husband had just gotten off working nights, so I didn’t answer the phone. Then they called him. He didn’t answer his phone. They called my daughter. She didn’t answer her phone. They called my sister. She did answer her phone. She called me and said, ‘Wake up. They found a liver for you.’ She was just hysterical.
“At that point, emotions like you would not believe ran through my body. I was numb. I was scared. I was happy. I was sorrowful for the family that lost somebody that gave me a chance to live. I was so thankful that I was able to get a liver so fast. People are on the list for a long time, but I only had to wait two years.
“Once they call you, you have to be at the hospital within an allotted time or that liver will go to the next person. My husband never drove so fast. We went from Baytown to the medical center in Houston in like 20 minutes tops.
“We got there around 11 o’clock. The transplant procedure started at 3-something in the afternoon, and they finished at like 2 o’clock in the morning. The doctors were amazed at how quickly I recovered. I was doing so well.
“The really cool thing was that while I was in the hospital, it was my birthday. People at the hospital made me a cake. So I always say, I got a new liver for my birthday.”
— RoxAnn Cruz-Martinez
RoxAnn received her new liver in April 2017. Liver disease runs in her family, leading to the deaths of her father, oldest brother and an aunt.
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