PETERSBURG, Va. β A former Petersburg police officer who spent nearly four decades protecting and helping others is now on the receiving end of the gift of life, thanks to a stranger who saw a Facebook post and decided to help.
Floyd Hall, who walked the beat in downtown Petersburg for years, has been battling liver failure for the past two years. His health had been steadily declining, and he was placed on a lengthy transplant waiting list.
"I continued to go downhill," Hall said. "It was hard, I mean you think back and you go, you know, I'm fighting, I'm fighting now, more than I ever have in my life and it seems like nothing is going good."
His wife Peggy watched helplessly as her husband's condition worsened.
"It's hard because you're watching them change everyday and not for the good," Peggy Hall said.
What Floyd needed was just a part of a living donor's liver. Many people from work, friends and family got tested, but none were a good match.
"A lot of people from work, a lot of friends and family tested but they never would come back a good match," Hall said.
Then, a couple months ago, while with a doctor, Peggy's cellphone rang.
"I looked and it said, VCU Living Donor Coordinator and I was like, that's her now," Peggy Hall said.
The call would change everything. It would be a stranger named Patti Presson who saw Floyd's stepdaughter's plea on Facebook.
"It was kind of one of those things the algorithm shared, it kept popping up," Presson said.
Presson checked out the requirements for liver donation and realized she was a perfect candidate.
"Everything on the requirements I hit the nail on the head, I just matched all those things," Presson said.
After talking with her daughters, her employer, and praying about the decision for a couple weeks, Presson decided to move forward. The process wasn't quick β it took five and a half months of extensive testing.
"They checked everything from my feet to my head," Presson said.
For the Hall family, Patti is an angel on earth.
"I'm still blown away by a total stranger who's willing to undergo an eight to 10 hour procedure basically," Peggy Hall said.
Presson's surgery was performed using robotic technology, which is very new for VCU. The hospital performed 80 transplants in June alone.
The liver's remarkable ability to regenerate was evident in Presson's recovery.
"My four week check up last week, it had already grown back to 95 percent," Presson said.
The transplant has given Floyd his life back.
"It's given Floyd his life back. He has a future now," Peggy Hall said.
Now, 26 years since walking a police beat in Petersburg, Floyd knows his ability to walk today is due to a gift from a stranger who has become a close personal friend.
"Everyday is better," Hall said. "I'm very thankful my donor got tested and came forward especially from a complete stranger."
The Hall family and Presson have a message for everyone: consider becoming a living donor.
"People watching this, pray on it, go get tested," Hall said.
"If you can help, help. If you're in a position because it could save someone's life," Peggy Hall said.
"I think if you are healthy and you have an opportunity to help someone, then I think if it's on your heart or God puts that on your heart or you hear this, then do it. Try. It doesn't hurt to try," Presson said.
Currently, about 10,000 adults and children are waiting for a liver transplant. Since there are not enough deceased donors to fill those numbers, some potential recipients die every year due to the shortage.
If you'd like to get tested to see if you are a match, call 804-828-2762 to speak to a living donor patient representative.
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