“That morning, I had gotten all checked in and was being admitted when an older woman was also put into my pre-op room with me. She was a hoot! Honestly, I think listening to her talk to the nurses about all of her prescriptions and daily routines (including her one glass of wine) kind of distracted me from everything else for a little bit,” said Harley. “We were getting ready to go when the doctor came in to tell me that Hunter had a cough and they wanted to rerun his viral testing that he had to have done the day prior. That being said, surgery did get delayed by about an hour and that made me feel a little uneasy just not knowing. Once everything came back okay we were rocking and rolling.” During the surgery itself, the hardest part for Olivia was the waiting process after the surgery, and the recovery process as well. For Harley, she says the recovery portion was pretty easy. After being released from the hospital, by lunch the next day, she was able to go stay with her aunt and uncle. And as for Hunter? Olivia tells us that he is recovering as planned. “So far, fingers crossed, he is recovering well. Everything is functioning as it should. This is transplant number two for Hunter, so transitioning back to life with a functional kidney is always a process,” said Olivia. Harley was actually able to return to work two and a half weeks after surgery. Being able to get back to her routine, while keeping her positive mindset, probably helped her the most to recover. As far as her purpose goes, she believes she was allowed to be in this position by a power higher than any of us. “At the end of the day, God got us through this thing! He gave me the opportunity to be the light in this situation and equipped me with a whole army of supporters and medical professionals to get me and Hunter to the other side of this,” said Harley. “To say my purpose continues to grow is an understatement. If nothing else came out of this, I wanted someone to see the miracle for what it was and be aware of the need that some face. Awareness for living donor transplants has never been more important to me than they are now.” As part of the process, you have to speak with a clinical psychologist to be cleared for surgery. “The particular doctor who I had spoken with even came to visit me after surgery. My favorite comment to him and anyone else who asks how things went is, ‘I’d do it over a million times if I had the spares to do it!’, and I truly mean that,” said Harley. “While Olivia is not a blood relative, she is family. Which makes Hunter family too. This was something I was willing to do for people who have been so dear to my heart for so many years.” Now, Harley finds it cool to look at Hunter and just wonder, Donor Friend,to how would their lives have looked if they didn’t know each other? “Would someone else have given him this opportunity,” said Harley. “Or was this always supposed to be my purpose?” This seems to just be who Harley is. Giving, and more. “We have walked through a lot of different seasons since we became friends in high school. Being a supporting and selfless person has always been part of who Harley is,” said Olivia. If someone has ever thought about being a living donor, Harley encourages them to do it. “While the days getting to the finish line may creep by, and the path could be a little bumpy, the impact it will have on your life will be worth every second spent, every vial of blood drawn, and even every blood pressure reading involved to get there,” said Harley. Olivia also encourages those to get tested for being a live donor. “If you are waiting for a cadaver donor, there is no planning or guarantee. Being willing to get tested for live donorship allows the process to be more in a scheduled timeframe, which takes a lot of stress and worry of the “when will we get the call” off of the recipient and the family. It’s really a bonding thing to get 38 SEPTEMBER 2025 | INTHEVUE.COM Harley Stephens
