A rare donor exchange involving strangers saved a San Antonio couple’s lives through a liver transplant.
SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio couple who first shared their love story on Valentine’s Day returned to University Hospital Friday afternoon for a surprise reveal: the liver transplant that saved their lives was part of a rare donor exchange involving strangers.
At 1 p.m., Santiago Robles and his wife, Elena Perez, met the other patients and donors who made their survival possible. Robles had donated 75 percent of his liver earlier this year after doctors diagnosed Perez with liver cancer — but what they learned Friday is that his liver was too large to fit her body. Instead, he donated to a stranger, while another living donor stepped up to save Perez.
“I woke up and I was like, the person that donated to me is somewhere… she could be next to me, or he could be next to me,” Perez said. “And I was like, I don’t have disease or cancer in my liver anymore. There was such relief.”
The couple’s journey was first told on Valentine’s Day, when Robles described his donation as “the ultimate act of love.” They thought their story ended there, but Friday’s “Reveal” event showed how their fight against cancer was tied to a much larger chain of generosity.
Robles, 22 at the time of his surgery, said the process was filled with uncertainty but ultimately worth it.
“It was one of the scariest parts of my life, but one of the most rewarding,” he said. “I’ve never been admitted in the hospital. I don’t like needles. But seeing the outcome, not knowing whose life I saved — I know that God has a purpose over everyone’s life.”
For Perez, the road to transplant had been marked by years of setbacks, cancelled surgeries, and moments of doubt. She admitted there was a point she wanted to give up.
“I was just tired and drained,” she said. “But then the day came and I was like, oh my gosh, it’s happening. Living with the disease is like a roller coaster. Everything hits you at once.”
On Friday, she stood before a crowd of families and staff at University Health and expressed her gratitude.
“Thank you so much. And thank you to my husband for saying yes and also saving my life. I love you.”
University Health officials said the couple exchange is rare but life-saving.
“Together we celebrate the lives forever changed through the gift of living liver donation,” one staff member told the crowd. “I hope that by your experience today that you will share your journeys with the world, because they should definitely hear about it.”
For Robles and Perez, the reveal not only brought closure but also a new beginning.
“Overjoyed… I don’t have words,” Robles said. “It’s a blessing to see, months later, the person that I was able to give 70 percent of my liver to, and for us to meet the couple who gave to her. It’s a beautiful moment.”
The couple said they plan to focus on their future together.
“Our biggest thing is we got married and engaged when she had cancer,” Robles said. “Now that she has her liver, and now that we’re moving forward with our life, it’s just continue to live life and be free. Thank God every day that we have on this earth.”