By Michelle Babcock

While the world was gripped by COVID-19, Chandler Brown faced a health crisis of his own — a failing liver that required an emergency transplant. What began as unexplained illness quickly escalated into a life-or-death race against time. “I was scared. I was overwhelmed. I was lost,” he remembers.

(Chandler Brown)

He spent months of restless nights wondering about his future. Then came the call he’d been waiting for. “I have a liver for you,” Emory transplant surgeon Bill Kitchens said. “You’re going to make it.”

The next day, Brown put his trust in the Emory transplant team and received a second chance at life in the form of a new liver from a 24-year-old donor in Florida. “Dr. Kitchens was an angel to me,” Brown says. “He saved my life.”

His connection didn’t end in the operating room. “I had really an overwhelming sense of gratitude,” he explains.

How could he possibly give back, he asked himself, after receiving so much from others?

The answer was legacy giving. He created a bequest in his estate that will establish an endowed scholarship to train transplant surgeons. “I wanted to help educate the very types of people who saved my life.”

The Chandler McLane Brown Scholarship Fund at Emory University School of Medicine will be a lifeline for future patients. If the gift “saves one patient, gives one patient another day, another hour, another second on this earth, then all of it is worth it.” Brown hopes his gift will equip surgeons with the tools and training they need to perform miracles, just as his transplant surgeon did for him.

By planning his gift now, Brown ensures that his legacy will live on in perpetuity, helping patients, advancing medicine, and shining a light on the often-overlooked world of transplant care.

Brown’s gratitude and generosity will save lives for generations.

“Creating a legacy can happen at any age. You don’t have to be a millionaire or billionaire. All you need is a heart and the desire to help others,” he says.

Today, Brown is thriving. He’s grateful for the care that saved his life and proud to be part of Emory’s 1836 Society, a community of donors committed to making a lasting impact. His story is an inspiration for anyone wondering how to make a difference. “When I go, I will leave this earth knowing that somebody is going to be healthier, somebody’s going to be safer, and somebody’s going to be happier because of a small legacy gift that I made.”

Just as an extraordinary transplant team saved his life, Brown’s gift is a promise that Emory will continue to save others for generations to come.

Emory's Advancement & Alumni Engagement team spotlights members of the Emory community who embody the university's mission and honors the supporters whose generosity makes it possible. Know someone we should write about? Tell us.