CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – Eight months after a living liver transplant, Rhonda Whaling says she is feeling more like herself again — with more energy, a brighter outlook and a new appreciation for the donor who made it possible.
Whaling, a longtime employee at LewisGale Montgomery Hospital, received a liver donation from coworker Rebecca Hooper, a registered nurse. The two women now share a connection that goes beyond the workplace — and they’re using their story to encourage others to consider organ donation, including living donation.
“The outlook on life is good. I’m still here,” Whaling said in an interview.
Watch our original story before the transplant here.
Whaling described the months following surgery as a stretch filled with follow-up visits and a few setbacks. She said a recent checkup at Virginia Commonwealth University showed her liver enzymes looked good and that her care team told her “everything was looking great.”
Even with positive news, Whaling said the worry doesn’t completely disappear.
“I think about rejection,” she said, describing it as a constant thought in the back of her mind — and wondering why she was able to receive a transplant when so many others are still waiting.
That mix of gratitude and anxiety has helped shape how she talks about donation now. During National Donate Life Day, Whaling and coworkers wore blue and green and gathered to raise awareness about organ donation.
Watch our previous story about the event here.
“To give back and to support and bring awareness to how important it is to donate life — because without that I wouldn’t be here,” Whaling said.
Hooper said she hopes their story helps clear up common misconceptions about living liver donation — including what it means for the donor.
“It’s grown back,” Hooper said of her liver. She said that within two months, hers “was fully back,” describing regrowth as one reason living liver donation is possible.
Hooper said her recovery was difficult at first but improved quickly over time. She said she felt “pretty bad for two or three weeks,” started to feel better around a month, felt almost fully herself by two months and returned to full-time work after three months.
Asked whether she would do it again, Hooper didn’t hesitate.
“In a heartbeat,” she said.
Both women said they hope their experience encourages others to learn about organ donation and consider signing up. Hooper urged people who are unsure to think it over.
“If you’re on the fence about it, I would definitely say do it,” Hooper said. “You’re changing lives. You’re saving a life, and that is priceless.”
To learn more about becoming a donor visit Donate Life Virginia.
According to Donate Life Virginia approximately 15 people die waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant every day.
The national waiting list is more than 100,000 people and continues to grow by six every hour. Approximately 3,000 of patients in need of these organs are Virginians.