Former MLB pitcher finds liver donor in high-school classmate he hadn't seen in 20 years

A man's Facebook plea for a liver donor attracted the attraction of a high-school acquaintance helium hadn't spoken to successful 20 years.

In April 2024, aft experiencing appetite nonaccomplishment and losing 15 pounds successful a month, Steven Register, 42, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, according to SWNS.

Doctors told the erstwhile MLB pitcher — who played for the Colorado Rockies successful 2008 and the Philadelphia Phillies successful 2009 — that a liver transplant was apt his champion accidental of survival.

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"When we archetypal met with the doctors, they gave maine a twelvemonth to a year-and-a-half to live," Register said, adding that helium and his wife, Beth, instantly started researching options.

The mates traveled from Auburn, Alabama, to the MD Anderson Cancer Center successful Houston, Texas, wherever Register underwent surgery for a impermanent ostomy container and began chemotherapy, per the SWNS report.

"When we archetypal met with the doctors, they gave maine a twelvemonth to a year-and-a-half to live," said Steven Register (pictured supra with his wife, Beth). (SWNS)

Plans for the liver resection were canceled erstwhile doctors discovered the tumors were excessively large, which led the mates to see a transplant.

Register's woman created a Facebook radical to hunt for a living liver donor, hoping idiosyncratic would travel guardant successful time.

An unexpected volunteer

Kristin Johnston, a 40-year-old preschool teacher from Roswell, Georgia, saw the station and recognized Register arsenic a erstwhile high-school classmate.

The 2 had met successful 1999 astatine Shaw High School successful Columbus, Georgia, but hadn’t spoken successful implicit 2 decades, SWNS reported.

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"It was conscionable truthful acold retired of near field," said Register, who couldn’t judge it erstwhile Johnston volunteered to donate portion of her liver.

He added, "I haven't seen oregon talked to her successful implicit 20 years, and for her to scope retired similar that, it was conscionable meant to be."

Kristin Johnston (pictured above), a 40-year-old preschool teacher from Roswell, Georgia, saw Register's Facebook station and recognized him arsenic a erstwhile high-school classmate. (SWNS)

Johnston said she started by doing a speedy online hunt for live liver donation and discovered that humor benignant compatibility was the archetypal step.

"I conscionable sent him a message," she said. "I said 'hey, what's your humor type?' and helium said, 'I'm B positive.'"

She responded, "Wait, that’s excavation too," and offered, "I’ll happily donate a lobe if I’m a match."

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Johnston was aboriginal cleared arsenic a lucifer and received the confirmation connected a meaningful day.

"I got the quality connected Good Friday, of each days, that I was officially cleared arsenic his liver donor," she said.

Surgery and 2nd chances

The surgery, which is expected to instrumentality 12 to 14 hours, volition impact removing 70% of Johnston’s liver and transplanting it into Register, according to SWNS.

Both her remaining liver and the donated information volition regenerate implicit time, giving some a second accidental astatine health.

"I got the quality connected Good Friday, of each days."

"For her, she is yet giving him the acquisition of beingness — for him, a truly caller commencement successful this journey," said Beth Register.

Steven Register added, "Hopefully, erstwhile I get my liver with each the tumor and crab out, I’ll beryllium cancer-free from there."

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The Register household — including children McKenzie (16), Blakely (14) and Brooks (8) — launched a fundraiser connected SupportNow to assistance with travel, nutrient and aesculapian expenses.

Johnston and her hubby Cody, 38, a existent property developer, person 3 kids of their ain — Sawyer (9), Teddy (7) and Dahlia (4).

Raising consciousness and faith

Beth Register said she hopes their family's communicative raises consciousness astir the interaction of surviving organ donation.

"A batch of radical don’t recognize that unrecorded donations, whether it beryllium for livers oregon kidneys, are adjacent an option," she said.

The Register household — Steven, Beth and their 3 children, McKenzie (middle-left), Blakely (middle-right) and Brooks (front and center) — launched a fundraiser connected SupportNow to assistance with travel, nutrient and aesculapian expenses. (SWNS)

She added that Johnston has been selfless from the start.

The families judge destiny had a manus successful reconnecting them, per SWNS.

"We conscionable commune that God is opening each the close doors and that Kristin is the cleanable donor for him."

"We conscionable commune that God is opening each the close doors and that Kristin is the cleanable donor for him," Beth Register said.

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She continued, "We conscionable admit her being consenting to enactment her beingness connected intermission to hopefully lengthen his life by many, many, galore years."