“Hunter was born with cysts on his kidneys which caused him to have a transplant at the age of two,” said Olivia. Over the years, Harley remained close with the Robison family. “Hunter even used to send me Valentines when he was younger - when that was still cool,” said Harley. “Anytime Hunter would get sick, I always said, ‘If he needs another kidney, he can have mine.’ Boy, did the Lord look down and say, ‘Hold that thought.’” While Hunter’s first transplant was successful in 2013, the span of the donated kidney had run its course. Therefore, Hunter required a second transplant. Now, more than a decade later, he would end up with Harley’s. For Harley, this decision was an easy one. Though some did try to talk her out of it, even Olivia wasn’t sure about it. “I was initially against it but was honored that she would volunteer. It had already been a running joke but we never thought that it would be an option,” said Olivia. Though, Harley describes herself as “a little stubborn”. “I am not sure anyone could have talked me out of it. I knew I had to at least try,” said Harley. “I was also reminded by my sweet aunt that once I put my mind to something, and I have poured my whole heart into it, there simply is no changing my mind. This situation was no different because it was something I felt so strongly about, and I truly feel like I was making the best decision for me. I still feel that way.” The process of navigating the hospital and transplant system is a process itself. One that takes time, patience, and a lot of hope. So much time, that Harley’s direct coordinator went on maternity leave during her testing timeline. “One of her messages to me prior to leaving was, ‘Today is my last day before this baby gets here, and I hope we won’t see each other when I return.’ To anyone not involved, it would sound awful - to me it sounded like she was as hopeful as I was that we could get this thing tied up like a bow: quick, fast, and in a hurry,” said Harley. “Though due to the holidays, we did in fact ‘meet’ again. She even got to be the one to pack my kidney from the general hospital to the children’s hospital.” The hardest part of the decision that Harley hates to admit, was the thought that if she failed a test, that she would be letting them down. “I was in no way obligated, but I wanted Hunter to get to be a normal little kid again. I could see in a situation where you are Donor Friend,to Anytime Hunter would get sick, I always said, ‘If he needs another kidney, he can have mine.’ Boy, did the Lord look down and say, ‘Hold that thought.’” agreeing to donate to a stranger how this may not be as much of a direct impact, but knowing Hunter for the majority of his life, and all the hurdles he has had to overcome in such a short time, I just wanted to be able to give him that break,” said Harley. After the initial blood test to determine Harley was a blood and genetic match, she and Olivia went for the two-day long testing Olympics, or that is kind of what it felt like, to see if she in fact was healthy enough to undergo the surgery and that her organs anatomy would be compatible. “During this, they did an MRI that indicated I had an extra artery as well as a small cyst. Olivia has been reading all the kidney things since Hunter was like a year old, so I knew she knew what these things could mean,” said Harley. “The immediate change in her voice when she read those things broke my heart because I thought it was game over, and we had spent all this time and accomplished nothing. That was a hard moment as well, to have to keep going and hope that everything was still gonna work out as intended.” Thankfully, things worked out just as they hoped. When Harley found out she was a match for Hunter, explaining all the emotions came hard to her. There were so many, and all good. 36 SEPTEMBER 2025 | INTHEVUE.COM
