INTHEVUE.COM | AUGUST 2025 37 “When I got the call, I was at work and, well, I cried! I was so excited because I had worked so hard to just keep pushing. All of the things feeling in my gut that I was gonna be the one, because I so badly wanted to be. I wanted to be able to help him,” said Harley. Harley found out the week before Thanksgiving that she was a match. So to break the news, she made a Canva presentation to send to the family. Eight slides, beginning with a “Happy Thanksgiving!”, and ending with letting the Robison family know the hospital would be calling them by the end of the following week, and that she’s praying for the family every day. “I knew that they themselves would need time to process the news. Since it was a holiday soon, Olivia and I cooked up a plan. She’d let me know when everyone was together so I could send it,” said Harley. “Long story short, there were just a lot of tears - on all sides of the equation.” For Olivia, watching her best friend and her brother begin this journey was a new experience, of course. “Balancing my emotions very much looked like trusting that God cared for these two people way more than I ever could,” said Olivia. “He had all parts of this process in His hands.” Thankfully, every person Harley encountered, from doctors, nurses, even just people in the halls of Vanderbilt, were nothing but kind. It was a major relief, especially since Harley had never had surgery prior to this. “It definitely helped me feel more comfortable and relaxed. Between Dr. Benari and the transplant coordinator, every step was explained in a way ‘normal’ people could understand,” said Harley. “During my pre-op appointment, she took extra time to answer all of my family’s questions and help them know how they could best help me during recovery.” Preparing emotionally and mentally for a major surgery is different for everyone. For Harley? She admits most of her prep- aration was consistent of Google searches and phoning a friend. “Fortunately, I knew I had a whole village to support me, regardless of what I needed. While I knew of one person who had undergone the procedure, I actually ended up connecting with another girl I went to high school with who had ironically undergone this process as well,” said Harley. “Now, I am so thankful for them both! While the circumstances were a little different, they never failed to assure me that I would be okay and that I could do it!” On the morning of the surgery, Harley was ready to go. After all of the waiting, she was ready to do it and get Hunter back up on his feet. When I got the call, I was at work and, well, I cried! I was so excited because I had worked so hard to just keep pushing. All of the things feeling in my gut that I was gonna be the one, because I so badly wanted to be. I wanted to be able to help him,”
