Eighteen months ago, one week shy of her first wedding anniversary, Jennifer Moore, 27, checked into Huntington Hospital in Pasadena. She hadn't felt well for six weeks, and her coworkers were alarmed at the sudden appearance of a yellowish cast to her skin.

"I went in on a Friday night thinking I'd get an I.V. and go home," said Jennifer. By Monday, she and her husband, Tim, 35, learned she was dying and wouldn't survive without a liver transplant in the next 48 hours.

What transpired during the next few days, according to the Catholic couple, was nothing short of a series of miracles.

The first miracle occurred when Tim was prompted to switch his wife's medical insurance from her HMO to his PPO during the week before she entered the hospital. Only five days later, after Jennifer had been transferred to UCLA Medical Center where she was correctly diagnosed with liver failure due to a rare genetic disorder, did the couple realize the providence of Tim's sudden decision to add Jennifer to his insurance policy.

Only the new insurance carrier would pay for a liver transplant --- if a perfect match could be found within the two-day timeframe. While terminal patients go to the top of the list of people waiting for transplants, averaging 83,000 names nationwide, "I was almost too sick to be transplanted," said Jennifer, who estimated her chances of survival at that point as "slim to none."

Miraculously, a perfect match for Jennifer's O negative blood type was found locally due to the sudden death of a 19-year-old man. There was a complication, however. Because the teenager had inadvertently used the razor of an HIV-infected relative, there was a chance that his liver was infected with the AIDS virus.

Feeling "kicked when I was down," Tim prayed and asked the lead surgeon what he would do if his wife were in the same situation. The doctor said he'd take the risk. Jennifer was 100 percent behind the transplant and, according to Tim, was "overwhelmingly calm." Numerous family members, friends and parishioners from Tim's former parish of St. Bede the Venerable in La Caņada and their present parish of Immaculate Conception in Monrovia were praying for Jennifer's survival.

"I grabbed onto God," said Jennifer. "I felt a presence. I knew I would be taken care of and that Jesus was with me." She described herself as being at peace with God's will for her. In the operating room moments before surgery, she said aloud: "Let Go, Let God."

The transplant operation, taking a surprisingly short five-and-a-half hours in contrast to the usual eight, was a success. According to Jennifer, her recovery requiring a three-week stay in the hospital and an initial regimen of 42-anti-rejection pills a day was "as smooth and miraculous as something like this can be." She is down to just one anti-rejection medication a day now.

"I think we truly witnessed a miracle," said Tim. "The experience strengthened my faith 100 percent." Tim and Jennifer, who recently bought a home in Monrovia and hope to start a family soon, both serve as ambassadors for OneLegacy, an organ procurement agency for the Southern California area.

Jennifer has arranged Wednesdays off from her work as a property assistant for Morlin Management Corporation to participate in a support group for transplant candidates and patients at UCLA. She also volunteers for TRIO, Transplant Recipient International Organization, raising awareness about the need for organ donors worldwide. While donor awareness is growing, the list of patients requiring transplants is increasing at a faster rate than available donors.

"We need people to talk to their families before someone (a potential donor) becomes ill," said Jennifer. A deceased donor's organs can potentially help nine people. "You can make blind people see and make burn victims well," declared Jennifer. Organs that can be donated include heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, corneas, skin, bone and tissue. Also, contrary to myth, donors can have open casket funerals.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church declares "the free gift of organs after death is legitimate and can be meritorious." Writing in "Evangelium Vitae," Pope John Paul II called organ donation "everyday heroism," which helps to build up an authentic culture of life.

"Ever since my transplant, my relationship with God and Jesus is amazing," said Jennifer. "I never feel alone."

For donor information, call OneLegacy at (800) 786-4077 or log on to www.onelegacy.org