Leslie Waller: It felt as if I literally got punched in the abdominal area. Narrator: Abdominal pain, Leslie Waller knew something was wrong. Waller: It impacted the way that I walked. I almost had to hunch over to feel comfortable. Narrator: She visited her doctor but couldn't get any real answers, only warnings. Waller: He said, make sure you don't leave this alone. Please make sure you take the time to continue, to have more tests done. Don't leave this alone. Narrator: Leslie's questions about the source of her deteriorating health were answered in April of 2013 by a new doctor. Shawn Pelletier, MD: She was diagnosed with hepatic epithelial hemangioendothelioma. Narrator: That's a cancer that affects only one in one million people. Waller: It's almost like an out-of-body experience. It feels surreal. You just take that moment, and you pause, because it's definitely not something you expected. And that word can be a very scary word. Narrator: She had to get past her fear. Waller: You know what, Leslie? It's cancer. But we need to move forward. What are we going to do about it? Narrator: According to her doctors, there was only one way the then 33-year-old could move forward. Waller: In terms of prolonging life, he said, you need to consider having a transplant. Pelletier: The tough decision was for her, if she did nothing, she might live for 20 years and then have problems with the tumor down the road. Or if she gets a liver transplant, she might be cured. But on the other hand, she could have a complication from the surgery and die within the next year. Narrator: UVA Medical Center's Transplant Department guides patients in making that decision. Pelletier: Right now, we have a little over 120 patients on our waiting list, and we transplant about 60 per year. Melissa Donovan,RN: Your rank on the list depends on your acuity of your illness. So essentially, the sicker you are, the higher on the list you're going to be. Narrator: Another option is to find a living donor who's organ can patch up failing ones. Pelletier: The operation is a lot harder, and then also that the person who's donating is also taking the risk of having complications from the surgery as well. Donovan: You actually take a piece of the liver out, and you put it into the recipient. And both of those regenerate. Both of those livers regenerate within weeks to months. Narrator: Either path patients choose, donors have to be vetted. Pelletier: For the most part, all we need is a blood type that's compatible with the recipient. Size does matter a little bit, if the liver is too big or too small. Narrator: Depending on someone's diagnosis, the waiting game of transplant can have a harsh reality. Donovan: We can get them so far, but if that organ doesn't become available for them in the time that they need it, then they end up dying. Narrator: In Leslie Waller's case, she was a universal accepter, which meant her blood type was compatible with any type of donor. Waller: Not only do I have a rare diagnosis, but I have a rare blood type. And in most cases, most people are universal donors. I was a universal accepter. What are the chances? Narrator: A full liver transplant required Waller to prepare for weeks. Pelletier: People come in, and they think they're going to have a doctor's visit for 30 minutes, get put on the list, and go from there. And really, the process, we start out with a two full days of evaluation. Donovan: They meet all the members initially. They meet the surgeon. They meet their transplant coordinator. They meet a nutritionist, a pharmacist. They meet our specialized financial coordinators. Quincy: We had a plan, just like you have a fire route. Narrator: Quincy and Leslie prepared as much at home as in the hospital. Waller: I meticulously organized it and had it ready to go. Narrator: Then waited. Good news came in September 2013. Waller: I couldn't believe I was getting this call. Donovan: It never gets old to be able to call a patient and say that we have an organ available for them. It always gives me a chill down my spine before I pick up that phone to call them. Narrator: Almost two months after being listed, a new liver was on its way to Leslie. Pelletier: On average, the liver is out of the body without blood flow sitting on ice for about eight hours. Narrator: A few hours of surgery later, and the first thing to come to Leslie's mind was bittersweet. Waller: I felt blessed because I've been given an opportunity to extend my life. But at the same time, I knew a family was grieving. And so I woke up, and that was one of my first thoughts. I was thinking about the family. Narrator: At UVA, the identity of the organ donor is confidential. Doctors say the five months from diagnosis to surgery in Leslie's case is not common. But wait time on any organ transplant list depends on each individual patient's condition. Pelletier: For people who have cancer, kind of the routine is that we can actually get extra points to move them off the list. Because even though they might not die from their liver failure in the near future, if their cancer grows and spreads, then they lose the potential to get a transplant. Waller: Well, it wasn't that long of a wait in the grand scheme of things. But while you're going through it, it feels like it's an eternity. No, no, no, no. Narrator: Now, a year and a half after surgery, Waller knows her life will never be the same. Waller: I have to take medication every 12 hours on the hour. Narrator: But she's determined to live the life her donor gave her to the fullest. Waller: Yes, I have to take medicine. But the fact that I can wake up each day, I'll take that medicine twice a day, three times a day, four times a day. You want me to run a mile? I'm going to run a mile. Don't sweat the small things in life and enjoy the small things that you probably wouldn't have enjoyed before. Narrator: [INAUDIBLE] Amber, NBC 29, HD News.