Pinellas County man gets second chance at life thanks to sister's living liver donation

Pinellas County man gets second chance after liver donation

After quitting drinking, one man needed a liver transplant. After his sister gave a kidney, the siblings want to bring awareness to live donors. FOX 13's Jen Epstein talked to them about their story.

TAMPA, Fla. - Sergio Moraton is proof that miracles do happen. He got a second chance at life. First, by finding freedom in sobriety.

What they're saying:

"It was constantly a battle, constantly telling myself, okay, 'tomorrow I'm gonna stop. Tomorrow I'm going to stop'. I hated it," said Sergio when talking about his battle with alcoholism.

By the time he put down the drink, he had already developed cirrhosis and needed a liver transplant. 

"No pain but fatigue for sure and I wasn't as quick," said Sergio. "My parents would always tell me my speech was just slowed down. I wasn't t as bright as I was used to being."

Living Donor Match

After waiting one year on the transplant list, the next miracle came from his sister. Jessica Moraton secretly got tested to be a living donor and she was a match.

"My brother is at this point where he really needs it. I don't want my parents doing this. I would feel so guilty if I didn't at least try," said Jessica. "But I knew that I didn't want to tell anybody because I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up."

Once she made the announcement to her family, doctors at the Tampa General Hospital Transplant Institute set the date, and they both went in for surgery. It was Jessica’s first time under the knife. She calls it zero to hero. 

The surgery was a success. They both healed quickly and were back to their normal routines a few weeks later. Now they’re spreading awareness about living donors. 

"You're helping someone out, but also you can still live a full, healthy life and go back to normal," said Jessica. "Today, if you didn't see that I had a scar, you would never know that I donated 68 percent of my liver to my brother. So, I’m actually healthier now than before the surgery. I feel better and look at the outcome."

Another Miracle

The result was yet another miracle. Sergio and his wife welcomed their baby girl Maddox into the world almost a year after his transplant.

"I hang Maddox over his head. I said, ‘you're welcome. That's my baby’," joked Jessica.

"She knows I can't say no to anything that she might ask," said Sergio. 

Today, the Moratons are happy and healthy. And the siblings are proud of their scars.

"If I'm at the beach and I have my bathing suit on and someone looks at my scar, and they ask me about it, that's an opportunity for me to spread the word," said Jessica.