A Kentucky bride-to-be is tying the knot with the brother of the boy who saved her life over 20 years ago when he donated his liver in a “life-saving” transplant.
Brooklyn Dotson was a little girl when she received a liver transplant from her fiancé Noah’s late brother, Michael, “and their lives were connected from that moment,” according to the couple’s wedding website.
In 2003, Dotson, 24, and her family learned that she was diagnosed with a rare liver condition and would only have three days to live.
“They told my mom to go ahead and call the funeral home and make my arrangements,” Dotson told Lex 18.
She said her mother refused to give up, and after a donor liver was found, Dotson underwent the life-saving transplant surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Dotson’s donor turned out to be Michael Waters, who at a young age was determined to become an organ donor.
Michael Waters, of Dayton, Ohio, was 10 years old when he was struck and killed by a car, the outlet reported.
Michael Waters’ parents, committed to honoring his wish, donated his organs to those who needed them most — including his liver to the dying toddler from Kentucky.
However, his organ donation didn’t just save Dotson’s life all those years ago. It also put her on a path to meet her future husband.
“Even as a kid, he’d do anything for anybody… he was way more mature than he needed to be,” Noah Waters told Lex 18 of his older brother.
After the surgery, a friendship sparked between Dotson and Noah Waters — one that blossomed into something far deeper over the years.
“I realized that I kind of had feelings and it was after my birthday,” Dotson told the outlet.
“My mom had contacted him and was like, ‘I think Brooke likes you’ and that same weekend he came to see me.”
The couple is set to tie the knot on September 26.
“I’d say he probably knew what his purpose was. I had no idea that my brother was gonna save my wife’s life 20 years later,” Noah Waters said of his older brother.
“I get to enjoy life because of him and I get to live and hopefully honor his memory the best way that I can,” Dotson told the outlet.
“You get his last name,” her soon-to-be husband joyfully added.
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