Told She Had Days To Live, Mom Gets Miracle Second Chance

February 27, 2026

When Monica McFarlan said goodbye to her children, she truly believed it was the end.

Monica McFarlan / 11 Alive News

After 15 years of living with heart failure, nine daily medications, multiple hospitalizations, two LVAD placements, and even emergency brain surgery following a heart attack, the odds had finally caught up with her. Diagnosed at just 37 years old, Monica had fought relentlessly. But by 2023, after being evaluated at multiple transplant centers across the country, her family received devastating news: there were no options left.

“I had two days to two weeks to live to say my goodbyes,” Monica told 11 Alive.

Because of high levels of antibodies in her body, she wasn’t eligible for a traditional heart transplant. Hospice care was being discussed. Her family was preparing for the unimaginable.

And then, everything changed with one unexpected question.

“Have you ever heard of the HALT procedure?”

HALT — which stands for Heart After Liver Transplant — is an innovative surgical strategy where a patient first receives a liver transplant, followed by a heart from the same donor. The liver essentially acts like a protective shield, absorbing harmful antibodies and reducing the risk that the new heart will be rejected.

For Monica, it was hope at a moment when hope no longer seemed possible.

Dr. Victor Pretorius, surgical director for heart transplant at Emory, explained the high stakes.

“We had an excellent cross-match, but we knew the heart would be rejected if we didn't follow this strategy,” he said. “It was a big undertaking. The operation was extraordinary, and it took 16 hours to complete. The biology is beautiful. A combined heart and liver transplant has protective properties in the long term and ultimately gives the patient hope and a future.”

The HALT approach had only been developed in 2023. Monica had already been denied at every other center her doctors contacted.

“Despite sending her to multiple centers across the country, she was denied transplant at every one,” Dr. Pretorius said. “Our only option was to send her to hospice care for end-of-life measures. She was mentally preparing for this when the team came together and said, ‘Let’s do this.’”

The 16-hour surgery was a success — marking the first time the HALT procedure was performed in Georgia and only the second time in the United States.

Just three months later, Monica is not only alive — she’s thriving.

“It feels good to laugh again, to feel like myself again,” she said.

She describes the emotional turnaround as nothing short of miraculous.

“Oh my gosh, it was just from the lowest point of my life, telling my boys goodbye and my husband and my mom, to the highest of highs,” she shared. “I had a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance! I am just so grateful. I thank God every day. My faith has grown so strong, and my trust in Him, because without God, I wouldn't be here right now.”

In an incredible twist, Monica’s own liver — structurally healthy — was able to be donated to another patient with heart failure, potentially saving a second life in the process.