Donor’s daughter meets recipient of her mother’s liver in an emotional meeting

On May 11, 2018, Sulphur Springs, Texas, resident Rebecca Roper met Denise Ely, who received the liver of Geraldine Hodges, Roper’s mother in 1997. Although Ely received her transplant at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, Hodges was from Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC) in Dallas.

Ely and her son Evan Ely flew to Dallas for this special meeting. Ely received the liver 20 years ago when Hodges was 75, so Ely’s liver has the chronological age of 95.

The coincidences between the donor and the recipient are uncanny. The recipient grew up in a foster home, and the donor grew up in an orphanage. Both Ely and Hodges earned a Bachelor of Nursing degree when they were both 52 years of age; Ely views it as a way to give back after her transplant. According to Ely, Hodges is the mother who gave her life.

The two families met at the Home2 Suites by Hilton Hotel in Dallas. And while Roper and Ely had been in contact by mail, text and email, they had never even spoken on the phone, let alone met in person...until today. Southwest Transplant Alliance, one of the largest organ procurement organizations in the United States, arranged the meeting to honor the special relationship between donor families and recipients. Several extended family members from the donor family were present, as well as Denise Ely and her son Evan Ely.