Liver transplant recipient meets woman who saved her life: ‘I knew you were going to be a great person’

Liver transplant saves woman’s life

Two women who are bonded for life through a liver transplant meet in-person for the first time.

TAMPA, Fla. - When Archie Gupta met Stefanie Praytor, the woman she saved with an organ transplant, they shared a hug that they believed would be the start of a life-long bond.

During the reunion, Praytor said, "I'm feeling like I'm about to faint. It's unreal".

Gupta said, "Right after I got out of surgery, I told my coordinator and nurse I wanted to meet who I saved. What's her name?"

The backstory:

In 2020, Gupta donated a kidney and sought out other ways to help.

That's when she found Tampa General Hospital's Transplant Institute and its living donor program. She underwent a series of tests and was a match for Praytor.

"It was completely unrealistic, and I couldn't believe it," Praytor explained. "I thought it was a dream."

Courtesy: Tampa General Hospital

Living Donor Liver Transplant:

Doctors at the TGH Transplant Institute removed a portion of Gupta's liver, and it went to Stefanie. Now, both livers will grow normally and restore normal liver function.

"We can take up to seventy percent of the liver from a healthy person to donate," Dr. Ashish Singhal of the Living Donor Liver Transplant program said, "We can take the right or left lobe and liver regenerating rates happen right after surgery."

The surgery was long and the recovery was tough, but Praytor always had her donor in mind.

Courtesy: Ed Pellettieri

What they're saying:

During their reunion, Praytor said, "I was thinking about you throughout this whole process".

And that was even though she didn't know her name.

Praytor added, "I'm like she could be anybody and I could have met her on the street. I didn't know her name, what she liked, beliefs, anything about her".

Dig deeper:

Nine months after the surgery, that changed. The two got to catch up, learn about each other, and strengthen the bond they already have.

"She immediately started holding my hand," Praytor said. "She was great. She cried when I told my story about being in the hospital. She cried happy tears."

The reunion is something Praytor's fiancé felt grateful to witness.

"Coming from the side of taking care of someone with this condition, I encourage people to open their hearts and save a life," Ed Pellettieri said.

Now, Pellettieri and Praytor are looking forward to a brighter future. It's all thanks to the generous gift of life from a former stranger turned friend.

"She was an angel sent from heaven," Praytor explained. "I'm very grateful."

Gupta was an altruistic donor, which means the donor and recipient didn't know each other. It's very rare. The Transplant Institute has only done two since the program started three years ago, which includes this one.

The Source: FOX 13 gathered this information from TGH's Transplant Institute and from the organ recipient.

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