For Hannah Fleming, the call that saved her life came just in time. Now, nearly three decades after receiving a liver transplant as a baby, she is caring for transplant patients as a nurse and preparing to run the New York City Marathon for the American Liver Foundation.

Fleming, 28, told PEOPLE she was “very sick” as an infant and was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a condition in which a baby’s bile ducts are blocked. She said her family rallied support from the Greater Akron community as she waited for a transplant.

“During some of the hardest moments, when it felt like my time might be running out, my parents and family stayed strong and hopeful,” Fleming says. “They worked tirelessly with members of the Greater Akron community, raising thousands of dollars for my transplant from activities such as car washes, spaghetti dinners, a silent auction and movie nights, and doing everything they could for me while I was living on borrowed time.”

As the window for a transplant was nearly over, Fleming said her parents asked doctors at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to let her stay “one more night in the hospital before the long drive home with a sick child.”

“The doctors agreed, and good news soon followed,” she says. “A call came through saying they found a liver for me! The next morning, I was taken to surgery and received my liver transplant at just 8 months old.”

Fleming said she recovered “quickly” and grew up learning about her medical history, her medication schedule and the support her family received during that period.

“Growing up, my parents were always open about what I had gone through, sharing their experiences and the role our family and friends played in supporting us,” she explains. “From a very young age, I learned my medical history, understood my medication schedule, and recognized the importance of consistency. My transplant was an incredibly stressful time, not only for my parents, but also for my sister, who was just 5 years old. While caring for me during my illness, my parents were also raising and supporting my sister through it all.”

That experience led Fleming into nursing. She started on the post-operative surgical floor at Cleveland Clinic’s Akron General Hospital, then moved into the operating room.

She said surgery was “fascinating and truly believed I had found my specialty.”

After later transferring her own post-transplant care to Cleveland Clinic, Fleming began getting emails about the liver transplant team and open roles at its main campus in Cleveland.

“Shortly after transferring my own post-transplant care to Cleveland Clinic, I began receiving emails about the liver transplant team and open positions at their main campus in Cleveland. I decided to pursue the opportunity, not realizing at the time that it would become one of the most meaningful decisions of my life,” Fleming says.

She now works as a registered nurse, RN, BSN, MSN, caring for liver transplant patients. She said the job can feel “very personal” and “challenging,” but her experience helps her support patients facing surgery.

“Caring for transplant patients naturally brings me back to my own experiences, especially on difficult days. What helps me move through those moments is remembering the perspective I’ve gained from having been on the other side. I try to ground myself in the fact that I can use that experience to better support my patients,” she says.

After more than a year with the team, Fleming decided to tell one patient about her own transplant before that patient’s surgery.

“They were feeling a mix of emotions, happy, stressed, overwhelmed, all the things you would expect before a major surgery. I spent some time talking with them, trying to ease their mind, but I felt compelled to share my own experience,” she explains.

“When I told them that I had also received a liver transplant, their face instantly lit up. You could see a sense of relief and comfort come over them, even if just for a moment. In that instant, I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be, doing exactly what I was meant to do.”

Outside work, Fleming volunteers with LifeBanc and advocates for organ donation. In November, she plans to run the New York City Marathon for the American Liver Foundation.

“This race is about so much more than miles for me. It’s about pushing past fear, challenging myself, and honoring the strength of those still waiting for their second chance,” Fleming says. “When I think about the families waiting for that life-changing call every day, running 26.2 miles doesn’t feel so scary after all.”

“The race weekend will also mark a deeply meaningful milestone for me, celebrating 28 strong years post–liver transplant. I’m endlessly grateful for the life and opportunities I’ve been given, all because of my incredible donor hero and their family.”

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