MTN Ambassador Spotlight: Amanda (Hux) Wright, liver transplant recipient

Do you believe in coincidence or things happening for a reason? Amanda (Hux) Wright and her family understand the power of coincidence and how the timing of events can change a life. They have a strong faith and believe God has a big part in how our lives happen.

Amanda grew up in a close-knit family who dealt with the struggle of her father’s Type 1 diabetes at home and in hospitals. The family was always caring and supportive with health scares and Amanda was especially close to her dad.

A life-changing diagnosis

It was during an exam for bruises on her legs that Amanda’s life would change in February 2016. She was admitted to the hospital in St. Joseph, Missouri, where she lived. A biopsy would reveal she had two autoimmune diseases. She was 26.

At the time of her diagnosis, doctors in St. Joe thought her autoimmune diseases could be controlled with medication. As fate would have it, she began transplant evaluations in December 2016 and her first liver transplant surgery was at KU Health System on June 17, 2017. A Father’s Day to remember.

“When I came out of surgery my dad was so happy,” Amanda said. “He said, ‘This is the best Father’s Day present I could have.’” He wondered how Amanda would top this gift the next year. Her mom said, “We’re not even going to try.”

Amanda’s recovery process went well for a year. “Everything was amazing, and the doctors were happy with how my numbers looked. My recovery was phenomenal with that liver.”

She was out of the hospital in a week and back to work in four months at her job with the Missouri State Highway Patrol Driver Testing Program. Her doctors were surprised at how fast she healed from the surgery. Her life returned to normal; but then things changed.

Signs of rejection

It was nearly a year to the date that Amanda started experiencing rejection with her transplanted liver. She spent the next few months in and out of the hospital with biopsies and treatment while the signs of rejection continued.

Amanda and her family didn’t sit back and wait for what was next. They took the initiative and researched the best places in the U.S. for a liver transplant. They narrowed it down to hospitals in Arizona and Nebraska.

On July 12, 2021, Amanda received the call that she could have a liver transplant in Omaha, Nebraska. By coincidence her dad was also in an Omaha hospital with his own health challenges.

“The second liver transplant was really hard,” Amanda said. “I had false expectations going into this. My first one was so easy, and I thought it was not a big deal, I can do this again.”

She quickly learned this time was quite different. She was older, COVID-19 was a global pandemic, she was in an unfamiliar place and couldn’t have anyone she knew with her.

The special video call

One day Amanda decided to have a video call with her parents. Her dad wasn’t talking much from his hospital bed, but when she called, he grabbed the phone and said, “How are you?”

This was the last time she ever spoke to her dad. Four days after Amanda was released from the hospital, he passed away.

Amanda and her mom believe he was holding on to know his daughter was going to be all right. Once he knew, it was all the comfort and peace he needed.

Giving back

“I am 100% better now,” Amanda said. “It took a long time to get here, but I’m doing really good.”

After her transplant experience, she wanted to do something that would make a difference. “I decided to go back to school at Missouri Western State University for nursing. I want to do something where I could have an impact on people that would potentially be in a situation like mine. I want to have an impact on transplant nursing.”

She has volunteered as an MTN Ambassador since August 2024 and receives the highest level of college credit for her time because the work is related to her major.

“Being an MTN Ambassador has been informational and educational. My favorite thing is interacting with the other Ambassadors and hearing their stories, especially with people who have been in my shoes. I also like talking to the donor families and hearing their perspectives. Understanding different points of view is fascinating to me. I really appreciate that.”