A 15-year-old boy tried out for the football team. Andy's dream was to play football. So, he was thrilled to make it. Unfortunately, he had to stop playing when he was diagnosed with primary sclerosing colangitis (PSC), a rare liver disease. It was too risky for him to play, but Andy was unstoppable. Although he could not play on the field, he became a "Certified Athletic Trainer," helping injured players.

His parents were told that he would never graduate, but still he was unstoppable. He graduated from high school in 1995 and continued his education at Dyersburg State before transferring to the University of Tennessee at Martin.

He worked while going to school, was very active in his fraternity and took several trips to the hospital. When he was 18, he was placed on "list 3" for a liver transplant. Later, during college, he moved to "list 2."

Andy planned to graduate in spring 2001 with a degree in agriculture business. His mother, Della Yarbrough, received the call from Memphis on the day before Thanksgiving 2000 that Andy would be number one on the list. She told the transplant coordinator that it was going to have to be put off until the semester was over, because he had worked too hard. Della kept this information from Andy so he would not worry; she always did the best thing for her son.

Although Andy seemed to live a normal life, he was very sick. He took many medications and was extremely jaundiced, and taking naps was a regular part of his day to maintain normal function. During this time, he also met his future wife, Ashley. Through prayers, strength and determination, God carried Andy through the days.

On December 16, 2000, Andy moved up to the number one spot, and Della told Andy and Ashley that he could be paged at any time for his new liver. They made it through Christmas with no call, but at noon on New Year's Day, Andy went to surgery with a halo of prayers surrounding him. He did extremely well and had a wonderful New Year's present . . . The Gift of Life.

That first year was rocky for Andy. He had three surgeries and some medical uncertainties, but is now doing wonderfully. He married Ashley in May 2001, graduated from UT-Martin in August 2001 and received another miracle in April 2003 when their son, John Harris Yarbrough, was born.

God granted this determined, godly man a second chance. And Andy thanks the family members who made the decision to give The Gift of Life to him. Today, Andy works in sales and Ashley is studying to be a nurse. Della, along with the rest of the family, is glad to have her son well, and little John Harris is walking all over the place.