Stranger Gives Dying Woman His Liver, Then She Gives Him a Son — Story of the Day

A man whose son's teacher fell ill offered to donate a part of his liver to her — not once did he suspect that the woman he saved would give him another son.

Margaret Morris was a teacher at a secondary school in her town, and she loved her job. Her life was a calm, measured one, even if a bit lonely.

Her husband, John Morris, had been an infertile man, and they had been discussing the possibility of adopting a child when he passed away from a stroke he suffered in his sleep.

The morning when she tried to wake him without success had been one of the most painful moments of her life. John had been her other half, and they had loved one another fiercely.

It was ten years after his death, but Margaret still thought about him. It was not that she couldn't move on; she had; she simply could not bear the thought of falling in love again after losing her husband.

So she remained single and threw herself into her work and relationship with her students. She loved her life, and the kids she tutored were a lifeline for her.

They adored her because of her easy-going demeanor and were always on their best behavior around her because they yearned for her respect.

Margaret even had closer relationships with some of them, often getting gifts from their parents as a form of gratitude for their well-behaved child. In school, students in her class were known to be the most polite, and it was a point of pride for her.

One afternoon, after the bell signifying the end of class rang, Margaret felt a sharp pain in her belly. After it faded, she tried to ignore it as she packed her things to head home for the day, but it returned again.

She cried out the second time and gripped the table to balance herself as she endured the pain. Then it was gone, as though it never started.

"Are you okay?" A boy she hadn't seen earlier stood staring at her from the doorway. He had been walking the hallway when he heard her painful cry and had peeked in to see why.

"I'm fine," she said. "Thank you."

Margaret knew that the sudden pain should give her concern, but she did not want to go to a doctor. Her husband had gone to see one for years before his death, and it had changed nothing.

"Whatever will be will be," she told herself as she walked the short distance home.

Over the next couple of weeks, Margaret started experiencing the debilitating pain in her abdomen more frequently. It got her more worried each day and her resolve not to visit a doctor weakened.

One day, she was in the middle of a history lesson when everything suddenly went black. When next she opened her eyes, she was in a hospital. The smell of antiseptic and bleach was what woke her.

"So I really did lose consciousness," she said to herself as a nurse walked into her room.

"Good evening, Miss Morris," the plump-looking nurse greeted cheerily.

"Good day… Cherry," Margaret answered after squinting at the woman's name tag. "I hope you have good news for me."

The nurse looked a little sad at that, and Margaret already knew there would be no good news.

"I'm sorry Miss Morris, but I'm afraid the news is not good," Cherry began. "You have a problem with your liver and it needs to be replaced."

"How do I go about that?" she asked after a pause. "How long do I have?"

"You have two months before things get totally out of hand but the waitlist is long which means you might have to wait longer."

In other words, she had two months left to live. Margaret knew only the rich could afford to deal with the waitlist. The woman was lost in thought for several minutes, thinking about her life and how much she thought she still had left to do with it.

By the time she remembered to say "Thank you nurse," Cherry was long gone. Margaret's tears came then.

When she returned home, she started to receive letters and gifts from her students who had seen her collapse. They wanted to know how she was doing and passed their good wishes along.

The thoughtful messages she received went a long way in helping Margaret deal with what she learned at the hospital. She felt happy that she had touched so many lives.

A week later, she returned to her job, ready as ever to work more while making lasting memories with her students and colleagues.

When questions were thrown her way, she blamed her collapse on different things, including the heatwave in the country. Margaret was not ready for the school to know her predicament.

It took another week before she revealed it to her fellow staff and another week before she gathered enough courage to explain her situation to her younger students.

When Mark Peters, a man whose son was a student in Margaret's class, found out about her predicament from his son, he felt heartbroken.

His son had been very rude and wayward before, but since he was transferred to Margaret's class, the boy had grown more mature, leading to them spending more time together. Mark had always meant to visit her to show his gratitude, but it always slipped his mind.

After giving it some thought, he decided to help Margaret by donating part of his liver to her. Having decided, he went to the hospital to get tested, and after he was certified healthy and a match, he visited Margaret.

"Hi, I'm Todd's dad," he told her when she opened her door to him one evening.

"Mr. Peters? What are you doing here?" she asked, alarmed.

"I heard about your medical… problems," he said when she ushered him in, then he presented her with test results that revealed his liver was healthy and compatible with hers.

Margaret's hand flew to her mouth as she read it.

"I–I can't accept this," she stammered. "Your son needs you."

"I'm not giving up my life for yours Miss Morris, I'm just trying to help out. I'll be here for my son as well," he assured her.

Margaret would not listen, though, and she rejected the gesture as politely as she could. It took Mark a month of spending time with her to convince her to accept it.

The weeks they spent with each other were memorable for them both, so when the time came when Margaret needed a liver badly, she finally agreed to accept Mark's liver.

She partly did it because she had grown fond of Mark and could see herself enjoying life even more by his side. He also shared the same feelings; the more time he spent with her, the more passionate he became about making sure she survived.

Margaret and Mark eventually had the operation, and it went without complications. After the procedure, they both tried to return to their past lives, but it was too late; they could no longer live without each other.

They fell in love and got married, and a year later, Margaret gave birth to Mark's second son, and they all lived quite the happy life.

What did we learn from this story?

• Doctors are your friends. Margaret did not like doctors too much; She thought them useless since they could not prevent her first husband's death, so she refused to see one even though she was hurting. It turned out to be a big problem, but luckily she managed to live through it and find love while at it.
• There's a silver lining in everything. When Margaret first felt the pain in her abdomen, she never would have guessed where and who it would lead to. The pain was overwhelming for her, but it eventually led to a more precious discovery — a second chance at love.

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This account is inspired by our reader's story but written by a professional writer. All names have been changed to protect identities and ensure privacy. Share your story with us, maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.