This is Leo, short for Leonidas “The Lion Hearted” Fonseca <3

He is a two year old boy who loves all things Spider man, puppies, and apple juice. Just like any other boy his age! 

From the outside you would never be able to tell that he hides a pretty cool secret 😉 His big belly scar. 

You see Leo is a superhero, having fought an incredible battle with a disease called Biliary Atresia and winning! He is a liver transplant warrior who fears no obstacle! But he doesn’t let that get to his head 😉

If you’re curious, I’d love to tell you his story, that you might be encouraged to fight your own battles with the courage of Leonidas. 

Once upon a time, in a quaint little Kentucky town, a beautiful tiny baby was born. He was perfect and he made his family complete. His mom and dad were overjoyed to see the big brown eyes of this baby they had prayed for. He was finally in their arms! All was well with the world.

Weeks passed and the baby did not grow much. He had a yellow hue to his skin and eyes, and it would appear that he was in some unusual discomfort. 

His parents took him to the doctor and after many tests he was diagnosed with a terrible disease- Biliary Atresia. 

What did this mean? Why was this happening? How would he get through this? 

Although his mom and dad had many questions spinning in their heads, there was One who already knew Leo’s path, for He had set it before him before the baby was even born. God knew Leo, and God held his little precious life in His hands. Little did mom and dad know that there was NOTHING their tiny baby could not overcome. He would be given strength from the Almighty God of the universe! 

Leonidas would spend six months of his life in a hospital bed, while all of his baby friends were at home getting snuggles, going on walks, meeting family, and learning to play. He did not feel the sun’s warmth on his skin. He did not hear the birds. No, this baby was confined to a small room, listening to the beeping and alarming sounds of monitors. There was rarely a day when he was not hooked up with wires on his chest or in his arms. He was poked with needles daily. 

All the while his belly grew, filled with ascites from his progressing liver disease. His skin, more yellow than ever before, displayed the bruises from countless lab draws and IVs. That sweet, precious life was being taken day by day. 

Until one early morning, his parents received a call… “A liver has been found for your son!”, the transplant coordinator said. He would undergo surgery that very day. 

After much waiting, many tears, anxiety, and fear, Leo was taken down to the operating room where he would go through a 12 hour liver transplant performed by a practical angel surgeon from God. 

He survived. 

Glory to God! 

His days post transplant were difficult, but he began to recover in leaps and bounds. Then he was struck again with another disease- Graft vs Host. The donor liver’s immune cells were attacking his body, and this meant that he was not fit to go home. 

The odds of him conquering this sickness were not great, but after months of aggressive treatment he overcame. In the spring he was finally at home, sleeping in his own bed, going on walks, meeting family and friends, and learning to play with his brother and puppy. Finally living a somewhat normal life. 

Leo might have won the battles with BA and GVHD, but the road would still be rough. He would get sick often and be admitted to the hospital for days and sometimes weeks. He would still have to get poked with needles, take daily medicine, and would have a long road of catching up to his peers in moving and in speech. Yes, life would still be hard for this boy, but this would not stop him from enjoying it! 

This is the story of Leonidas Fonseca, transplant warrior. 

Remember that you can do anything, overcome any obstacle, no matter how daunting or terrible. Leo is a true testament of this: he walked when they said he wouldn’t, he speaks when they said he would have lasting mental delays, he eats when they said he would be in speech therapy for years before he would do that. These may be simple everyday tasks for you, but for him they were mountains that had to be moved. 

He moved them.

Will you?