Beautiful baby girl Hannah was born prematurely, arriving into the world much earlier than her parents expected. She was tiny, fragile, weighing 1.5 pounds, and needed immediate hospitalization to survive. Her parents were hopeful, optimistic, and even worried at times, but they knew they had to be strong and keep the faith that her life was ordained by God.
Hannah’s first few weeks of life were full of ups and downs. She struggled to breathe, and her little body was fragile. Every day was a battle, but Hannah was a fighter. Her parents visited her every day, holding her tiny hand and whispering Bible scriptures and words of encouragement into her ear.
As the weeks passed, Hannah’s condition began to improve. Her breathing became steadier, and her tiny body grew stronger. She seemed to be on the right track and over most of her health hurdles. Then on January 25, 2022, Hannah was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer called hepatoblastoma that extended to her liver, lower intestine, and pancreas. Her parents did everything they could to keep her healthy, but they knew that a transplant would be necessary for her to survive long-term.
This was such a complicated surgery that several medical institutions stepped away from the conversation. None of the referrals from Hannah’s oncology doctor felt 100 percent confident with performing the transplant after viewing the imaging and seeing the way the tumor was wrapped around the main artery vein. All three hospital teams felt that it was too risky and gracefully mentioned palliative care options. However, Mom, Dad, and family would not give up.
Mom found a Facebook group of mothers with children who had similar challenges and was referred to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She gave the information to Hannah’s hometown oncology team and the rest was history. The medical team and surgeon from CCH were so happy to meet Hannah and learn more about her condition. The family flew out to Cincinnati where she was evaluated for 2 weeks. After evaluations, great news came in that she was a candidate and healthy enough for the transplant. She was then added to the list. After waiting for what felt like forever, the call finally came – organs had become available for Hannah’s transplant surgery. Her parents were overjoyed, but their excitement quickly faded when the surgeon revealed that they had rejected the organs due to compatibility issues.
Nevertheless, the family refused to give up hope. They began tirelessly researching and continuing her regimen of healthy and holistic foods until a compatible organ donor came through. Her father developed a strong love for juicing vegetables and giving her natural herbs due to the positive effect it was having on her. The medical team could clearly see and commended the dedication. After each chemo treatment, the parents were right beside her with healthy foods juiced for her such as beets, kale, cucumbers, watercress, and even ginger roots to name a few.
Months went by, and her parents were stressed at times, but they refused to give up on their little girl and saw this as ministry since they are the Pastors of a local church in their hometown. So, after countless efforts to find the right donor, a miracle happened – a compatible donor came in for Hannah’s transplant.
Hannah underwent complicated surgery for her liver, lower intestinal tract, and pancreas, and it was a complete success. The family saw the decline of the first two organs to have been a sign from God that they had to wait for the right donor and the right time to perform the surgery.
On her road to recovery, it will take some time for her body to heal, but day by day, her health is steadily improving. Her family is beyond grateful for the incredible gift of life that has been given to their little girl. Hannah has a bright future ahead of her, and her parents are beyond proud of their little powerhouse. This family story shows that a miracle can happen when you never give up hope and keep working toward your goal. Mom and Dad are so humbled and grateful for the donor that blessed Hannah with the gift of life. Now she’s on the road to recovery as the family transitions to Cincinnati to live under the care of the doctor’s post-transplant recommendations.
The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.