by Jackie Nunnery
October 8, will become a birthday of sorts for Tiffany Taylor when she undergoes a liver transplant at UVA Health University Medical Center in Charlottesville. After several years of declining health, a living donor will give Taylor a new life, free of the constant fatigue and other symptoms brought on by liver failure.
Taylor, who lives in Hayes and is a nursing instructor at Rappahannock Community College (RCC), was diagnosed with primary sclerosing colangitis (PSC) in 2013. The autoimmune disease causes inflammation and scarring of the liver. There is no known treatment other than an eventual transplant, which doctors said was necessary in 2024.
Taylor knew it was a big ask, which is why it took so long for word to get out. “I didn’t want to say anything because then I would be disrupting their lives and I’m not the type to ask people for anything. So having the faith just to ask for the liver, it took me a long time and a lot of courage,” she said.
A March 2026 social media post by Tiffany’s husband DJ asking for living donors caught the attention of Meaghan Koehler, who happened to be a former nursing student of Taylor’s.
“Tiffany had such an impact on me, she’s such a kind person. How can I not try?” she said. What followed were months of tests and physician evaluations, all without Taylor’s knowledge, before Koehler was given the approval to donate in mid-September.
“I originally did not want to tell her until after the surgery because I was terrified something would go wrong and she would be upset with me, or if something didn’t work out, I was just terrified that that she would be disappointed in some way. So I kept it to myself through the whole process,” Koehler said.
Koehler, who lives in Urbanna, surprised Taylor with the news after one of her classes at RCC. “It feels more personal and it feels more led by God,” Taylor said of finding out not only was she getting a liver, but it was from someone she knew. “I graduated high school with her husband Derek and Meaghan’s mother-in-law is the dean of the health sciences program that I’ve been part of. “Even when I went to RCC, her mother-in-law was one of my teachers, so it’s like seeing the full circle of people who have always been there.”
As the big day approaches, Koehler is “very excited. I’m not going to lie, I do have nerves, but I’m more nervous about my family, my husband, my three kids. I have a career. Those are the things I’m worried about. Not the surgery. Not myself. Not the recovery. I have total faith in God that he has provided this entire process.”
“I have always wanted to be a donor in some way. If I can give blood, I give blood. I’ve always wanted to be an organ donor. It’s been on my license since I could drive. Just being able to give somebody a second chance at anything—it’s just a blessing to be able to do that,” she said. During this living-donor transplant, Koehler will donate anywhere from 40 to 70% of her liver to Taylor. Following the operation, the liver will regrow, giving both women a full-size liver in a few months. “It’s the only organ that regenerates,” Koehler said.
For Taylor, there had been a lot of preparation and planning, but at the same time she is looking forward to feeling better. Constant itchy skin has been one of the more frustrating symptoms of her failing liver. “I’m not going to scratch anymore. I’m not going to have scabs all over my body from scratching too much. I’m taking extra medication just to sleep because most of the time I don’t sleep very well,” she said.
Following the surgery both women will need to stay in Charlottesville for about two weeks to ensure their recovery is going according to plan. Their recovery also means being out or work for at least six weeks without paid sick days. Koehler’s mother-in-law, Ellen, created a GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/f/two-nurses-one-unbelievable-gift-of-life) to help with care and family support while they both heal.
Both women are touched by the fundraiser and the response.
“Seeing the outpouring of community support for both of us,” Koehler said. “You never know the impact that you make on other people until you need them, and then it’s like, wow, maybe I do make a little bit of a difference. It’s nice to see that there are people that do want to help and support.”
