Stranger Donates Part of Her Liver to Dad Battling Stage 4 Cancer So He Can See His Kids Grow Up

A stranger donates part of her liver to a dad battling stage 4 cancer so he can see his kids grow up. Before Abby Conley ever met Kyler Hess, she carried words from another father close to her heart. Her dad died in 2021 after battling leukemia while awaiting a transplant. In his final days, he left his family a letter.

“When my dad was in his final days, he wrote his family a letter, and in that letter he said I have lived a fairy tale life ... keep it going,” Abby said.

Years later, those words would help lead her to a father of four in Polk City, Iowa, who desperately wanted more time.

Dad of Four Faces Stage 4 Cancer and Needs a Transplant

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Kyler was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer in July 2025. A scan revealed more than 15 tumors in his liver. He and his wife, Emilie, sought care at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, after facing limited options closer to home.

Treatment began shrinking the tumors. Eventually, doctors told Kyler he was eligible for a liver transplant from a living donor.

His brother underwent testing, eager to help. But his liver anatomy prevented him from donating.

A Stranger Feels Called to Become His Living Liver Donor

Abby had followed Kyler’s journey online because their children attended the same school. Though they had never met, she understood what waiting for a donor could mean.

“I felt awful for them, but then it was that moment where I was like it's meant to be me,” Abby said.

Two Families Learn a Donor Has Been Found

Quietly, she traveled to Mayo Clinic for three days of testing. She was a match. The Hess family first learned that a donor had been found without knowing who it was. After Emilie posted a heartfelt thank-you online, Abby sent them a letter revealing her identity.

Two families who had been strangers now shared hope for the same future.

Kyler’s seventh-grade son even sent a message to Abby’s daughter, thanking her mother and promising prayers for the surgery and transplant. A boy who had watched his dad suffer finally had something hopeful to write about.

Abby’s Gift Gives One Dad More Hope for the Future

Both families later reported that Abby and Kyler were out of surgery and doing well. Abby’s yes was an enormous act of faith. She stepped toward a family she barely knew, willing to undergo surgery and give part of herself so their children might have more years with their dad. She couldn’t promise how everything would turn out. Still, she believed this was hers to do.

That kind of kindness asks something of us. It asks us to trust, to accept uncertainty, and to let another person’s future matter enough to change our own plans. Abby answered with a gift that brings Jesus’ call to love our neighbors achingly close.

Abby’s gift carries the kind of costly, generous love Jesus calls us to offer. For Kyler, it means a chance at graduations, walking his daughter down the aisle, and more afternoons throwing a football in the yard.

Her father’s words have found a tender new purpose: helping another dad keep his family’s story going.

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“My little children, let's not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.” 1 John 3:18

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h/t: KCCI News

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Heather Riggleman is a believer, wife, mom, author, social media consultant, and full-time writer. She lives in Minden, Nebraska with her kids, high school sweetheart, and three cats who are her entourage around the homestead. She is a former award-winning journalist with over 2,000 articles published. She is full of grace and grit, raw honesty, and truly believes tacos can solve just about any situation. You can find her on GodUpdates, iBelieve, Crosswalk, Hello Darling, Focus On The Family, and in Brio Magazine. Connect with her at www.HeatherRiggleman.com or on Facebook.