A Maryland woman has given the gift of a fresh start to the mother of her late son's best friend through a groundbreaking robotic surgical procedure at Johns Hopkins.
Anjanette Lynchard and Mary Ann Carroll raised their boys, Jared and Phillip, in a Howard County neighborhood where the two became fast friends.
"The friendship between them was like they instantly became best friends," Lynchard told CBN News. "They'd go fishing or they would go bike riding...they were just constantly together."
Three years later, the Lynchards moved, and the families lost touch.
However, a simple act of kindness amid a tragedy would later lay the groundwork for a miraculous answer to prayer.
Honoring the Life of Their Son
Last spring, the Lynchards' world turned upside down at the sudden death of their 23-year-old son, Jared.
Jared, who was a Lance Corporal in the United States Marines, died by suicide, the family told CBN News.
It was devastating news.
"After my son died, I just knew that I couldn't stay home. I just knew that if I stayed home, I would fall into such a deep depression that I would just not be able to survive," Anjanette, better known as Anjie, told CBN News.
So she and her husband Steve decided to go on their first mission trip to honor their son's life.
Miles away, Mary Ann prayed about how to best support the family.
"I really like went back-and-forth as to what would be the appropriate thing to do because I knew that they could have been hurting," Carroll told CBN News, adding that she landed on the idea of giving the family a prayer shawl.
"I was like, 'I'm just gonna drop by.' I wasn't even expecting them to be home. I just wanted them to know I was thinking of them and praying for them during this difficult time," she continued.
Liver Disease Diagnosis
Anjie opened the door, happy to see an old friend, but she noticed Mary Ann did not look the same.
She was suffering from end-stage liver disease.
"I first found out that I had a rare disease called secondary sclerosing cholangitis, which requires a transplant," Carroll told CBN News. "My team kept on saying you know you need to try and find a live donor, and I'm like, who's gonna wanna be a live donor for a stranger?"
Unbeknownst to Carroll, God would soon start moving on Anjie's heart to help.
Months later, Anjie and Steve went on that first mission trip. The couple shared that keeping their focus on God and His Kingdom helped them to heal.
And once they returned from that trip, Anjie began to pray about the next opportunity to further advance the gospel.
Meanwhile, Carroll's condition was getting worse, and no one in her family was a donor match.
"By that point, I pretty much [had] come to terms that I might not get find a match or liver and I was OK with that," she shared. "I believe in God, and I know he has a purpose for everyone, and we don't know what that is. I was kind of accepting (it) and putting it in God's hands."
But Carroll felt a nudge from the Lord to share with people outside her family that she needed a donor.
"I really didn't expect anyone outside the family to want to do such a thing, and none of my family was a match," she explained. "[But] there was somebody on Next-Door [app], [a]complete stranger, who posted that he was considering becoming a liver donor or kidney donor and wanted to find out more information. And that post made me think, 'Oh my God, there are people out there willing to do this.'"
"I had created my donor story earlier in the year, but I never posted it on Facebook or anything. And so his post prompted me to put that on Facebook."
That was the first post Anjie saw when she came back from her mission trip and had asked God for another opportunity to share the love of Christ.
Lynchard did some research and soon began the process to see if she was a match.
"I said, 'This is still in my son's honor and, of course, to further the Kingdom of God," she shared.
Through the Living Donor Liver Transplant Program, part of the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center (CTC), Lynchard began a few months of testing to see if she was a viable liver donor for Carroll.
"When the results showed that Anjie was a match for me, I realized that I was going to get a second chance at life, and it was an amazing feeling," Carroll shared.
Not a Simple Decision
Even after learning Anjie was a match, both women had their doubts. Mary Ann felt like Anjie had been through enough already.
"I didn't wanna put her through anything more because going through donating a liver, it's not an easy thing for anybody, let alone somebody that just lost their son," Carroll told CBN News.
Doubt began to plague Anjie, and she began to question if she had made an impulsive decision. "My surgery was coming up in a couple of weeks, and I was like, 'Oh gosh, I hope I didn't make the wrong decision.'"
But God intervened and laid their fears to rest after Anjie and Steve attended a seminar for military families who lose their loved ones.
The couple was assigned a mentor in the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or TAPS. As they were meeting with their mentor, Anjie began to share her doubts about going through with the surgery.
"[The mentor] said I want you to meet my friend Sue. Sue is the recipient of a deceased liver donor.' And Sue looked at me and she said, 'You are doing such a wonderful thing.' And she gave me a big hug."
"The fleeting moment of doubt went out the window like what are the odds of that?" Anjie asked. "I said this is God. This is all God."
"That was beyond coincidence," Steve Lynchard told CBN News. "We like to call that Godly providence and intervention."
The two friends moved forward with a first-of-its-kind procedure at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Beauty for Ashes
Four months later, both women have recovered, and Mary Ann says she has gotten a fresh start and agrees that God used a childhood friendship to write a remarkable story.
She encouraged others facing hard battles to give their burdens to Jesus.
"He will look after you," Carroll expressed. "Even when things don't turn out as we (expect) it's really in God's plan. We just have to be open to that and not shut him out."
For the Lynchards, they believe God is giving them beauty for ashes.
"All the pain that I've experienced has not gone wasted," Anjie expressed. "I know that God is revealing to me little bits of the big picture."
"I miss my son so much, but I know he's with the Lord, and I know he's better than ever. He's not suffering anymore," she continued.
Steve shares that this story is more than just saving a life here on earth and he wants people to hear their story and consider "more than just an earthly perspective."
"There is also an eternal perspective that people need to consider. Some radical, crazy things have happened that are beyond explanation other than God orchestrated it, and it's beyond coincidence. It's nothing short of a miracle."
"And hopefully people will realize, 'Hey, I do need to think about my eternal life and you know I need to think about God and Jesus and...get saved'," he said.
If you're dealing with mental health issues like suicidal thoughts, you can call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or 988.
Did you know?
God is everywhere—even in the news. That’s why we view every news story through the lens of faith. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1.
Support CBN News
