Celebrating Sabrina Squire: 'hero' to man who got new liver as a child
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - Sabrina is many things - journalist, anchor, mother, colleague, friend, and of course legend - but there's one man who wants to add another word to that list: hero.
If you watched the NBC12 Digital Dialogue Tuesday night, you may have seen us talking about Jimmy Carter - not the president - who says Sabrina saved his life.
He was Jimmy Snider in 1988, when he needed a life-saving liver transplant. 30 years later, Carter has a special message for Sabrina.
"I found out maybe when I was little older, 10 or 11, started seeing the old news clippings," said Carter.
Carter was two years old and in foster care at the time. The state refused to pay for his operation - it was just too risky, they said.
"It was real important, because if I didn't get a liver transplant, I wouldn't be sitting here today," said Carter.
Sabrina believed Carter deserved a chance. So did NBC12.
"Sabrina did a lot of public service announcements about me and helping me and helping raise money," said Carter. "We raised $170,000 toward my liver transplant, and we had an extra $10,000 that helped another child."
Flash forward 30 years later, Jimmy Snider is now Jimmy Carter.
"Haven't had any complications, don't take any more medicine," said Carter.
He and his siblings were adopted by Anita and Jim Carter, the foster parents who fought so hard for his survival. He remembers Sabrina fought for him too, and Wednesday afternoon, just hours before Sabrina was to anchor her final newscast, Jimmy Carter got to thank her in person.
Carter is 32 years old now and the father of two children. He has not needed to go to the hospital in more than a decade.
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