Born on Oct. 20th, 2022, no one in my family, especially my dad and mom, would have thought I would be going on such a journey that I am now.  When I was born, everything about me seemed perfectly normal from my blue eyes to my ten little toes other than me needing to be under blue lights as my bilirubin was a touch high, which the doctors and nurses said was normal for newborns.  Going home, everything seemed normal for us until friends and family said I looked a little tan and everyone thought it was my normal skin tone.

On December 14th, a couple of days before I was 2 months old, I went to see my pediatrician for a normal checkup but I ended up going to Brenner Children’s Hospital due to jaundice.  The doctor that day explained to my mom and dad that I may have a rare liver disease called Biliary Atresia and some tests would need to be done to fully determine if I did or not.  Bloodwork, ultrasounds, and scans were done to narrow down the possibilities.  On December 20th, at just 2 months old I underwent what was called a Kasai procedure and it was found out I did in fact have Biliary Atresia, that I was born without a gallbladder and my bile ducts were nothing but scar tissue.  I did well with the procedure, surprising the doctors and staff by how well I bounced back from the surgery, and I was able to go home on Christmas Eve.

The procedure I had worked for a few months before my skin became jaundiced again and I was sent to see a liver specialist at Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center who explained that I was in need of a liver transplant now as the Kasai had done all it could for me.  I am my parents’ little fighter as I wait for a liver transplant as doctors have told us some children that have my condition appear sick, but for me, I haven’t been letting my condition slow me down.

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.