Surrender What My Liver Transplant Taught Me about Control and Self-Acceptance

At the age of twenty-eight she got her life back.
If only she knew, back then, that her world is about to turn upside down.
On June 12th, 2011, at the age of twenty-eight, Jessica received a liver transplant at the University of Cincinnati Health Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. Her donor, Dustin was just 18.
She couldn’t have known that she’d be confronted with the possibility of her death at such a young age, or that all the years she spent striving for physical perfection would end up undermining her wellness to such a devastating degree. But one of the most surprising aspects of this crisis was the unexpected feeling of relief that washed over her as it all unfolded. After a lifetime of trying to be self-sufficient, at the top of her game, as close to perfect as possible, Jessica finally had to admit that she couldn’t control this situation on her own.
She needed a liver transplant to survive, and thanks to Dustin, her donor, and his family, she received the greatest gift — the gift of life.