We received the call we had been waiting for on Monday night 8/14/23 – They had found a liver for Harley. It was the most surreal moment – everything we had been hoping for was coming true. Our excitement was overshadowed by our sorrow for the 14-year-old girl who had lost her life to give Harley the gift of life. Harley went into surgery at about 1:00 a.m. on August 16th. Harley’s transplant coincided with her great-grandmother and namesake’s birthday. Sophia and her “Nanie” are very close and it was very fortuitous that Harley’s new life would begin on her great-grandmother’s 90th birthday.
None of us were worried or concerned during Harley’s surgery. We looked at it as if someone was in labor and we would be getting a new baby at the end of surgery. One of Harley’s surgeons, with 30 years of experience, said that Harley’s liver was the worst he had ever seen, it was rock hard. This would explain why Harley was feeling so sick for so long. This little girl rarely smiled before the transplant and cried very easily. Every time the nurses came in to do stats we knew there would be crying, even the gentle device they used to take her temperature would cause tears. She did not like any of the nurses despite their efforts. She just didn’t feel good.
Surgery went great!