On January 31, 2024, we made the decision to move forward with Kennedy’s transplant. Everything seemed to happen so quickly after that. By the end of March, she was officially on the transplant list and we were anxiously waiting for an organ to become available. It was a mix of uncertainty and anticipation, never knowing when the call would come, but feeling like it could happen any day.

In early May, I decided to throw Kennedy an early birthday party. I wanted her to have some fun with her friends, enjoy sleepovers, and just have a good time with loved ones. Surprisingly, the weekend right after her party, we received the call we had been waiting for.

Unfortunately, when Kennedy’s actual birthday arrived, we were still in the hospital dealing with some post-transplant complications. Despite the circumstances, we wanted to make sure her day was special. We got her a bunch of presents and arranged for us to visit Ronald McDonald House, hoping for a 2-hour pass so she could play with her new things.

When Kennedy woke up, her amazing nurses at Cincinnati Children’s had decorated her door and everyone was wishing her a happy birthday. Child life brought her gifts and everyone went out of their way to make her feel extra special, even though it wasn’t the birthday we had originally planned. We did end up getting that 2-hour pass, and when we got to Ronald McDonald, her door was decorated again, and she was given a ticket to the toy closet to pick out whatever she wanted.

Seeing how everyone came together to ensure Kennedy had a memorable birthday filled my heart with joy. It was a birthday we will never forget – her first birthday with her new liver and the first birthday without any itching.

XoXo Lindsay