Man donates liver to father, gets Whataburger for a year

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Matthew Hawkins calls it a "no-brainer."

"Take a semester off school to save my dad's life? It's nothing, you know," he said. "It's like, I can do that. I'm glad I did it."

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At a ceremony Friday celebrating Hawkins' donation and the recovery of him and his stepfather, Whataburger awarded Hawkins a gift basket of orange and white goodies and free Whataburger for a year.

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"He said something that stuck with me -- that I have end-stage liver disease. End-stage means there's a clock ticking, and when that clock stops, one of two things (happen): You're no longer here, or you need a liver," Rogers said, fighting back tears. "And without him, I would be in a very different spot."

Rogers' mother died of liver disease last year.

"He's been there my entire life. He's done everything for me," Hawkins said. "So I at least owe him to do what I can, at least try. See if I could save his life, you know."

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