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Kate was born in February 2008. She was a tiny little baby with big blue eyes and a button nose. We brought her home from the hospital and enjoyed 7 weeks of newborn happiness. After a check up at the doctor we were sent for some blood work. Kate was growing but our doctor wanted to be sure that she wasn't developing extra fluid on her belly, a potential sign of liver failure. The blood work was abnormal and she was a little bit jaundiced. After many tests, it was finally determined that Kate was in fact born with Biliary Atresia, the most common reason for paediatric liver transplant. She underwent a surgery to help prolong the life of her liver. But according to the surgeon, the liver did not look good. We knew that she could eventually need a liver transplant. At the age of 4 months, Kate was placed on the transplant list. Two weeks later, she received her liver from me, through the Living Related Donor program.

Organ Donation Saves Lives

I was fortunate knowing that I could be a donor and give Kate the gift of life before she became too sick. We later met patients whose family members did not match and spent several months in the hospital waiting for an organ to become available. Most people don't know that there is no age limit to organ donation and that the next of kin have to consent to donate their loved one's organs. By registering as a donor, you are communicating your wishes if you were to have a tragic event and have no chance of survival. We hope and pray that Kate will never need another transplant although the possibility does exist due to the risk of various complications of having a transplant. Kate is an active and healthy 6 year old who enjoys biking, skipping, hula hooping and playing with her 4 year old sister, Megan, and her baby brother, Thomas. Organ donation made this possible!