Jax S.

I was born with biliary atresia, a liver disease that occurs because there is a blockage in the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder. My parents were told that I would eventually need a liver transplant to live. At 6 weeks of age, I underwent an operation to delay the imminent damage to my liver. After the failure of this operation, my mom, Heather, was tested to see if she could be a living donor, but the doctors said they could only use her liver as a last resort. I was put on the donor list, and, thanks to another family’s heroic decision to donate their loved one’s organs, I received my new liver at Mt. Sinai Hospital when I was 6 months old. While I still need to go to the doctor often and have to be careful, I am healthy and just started 1st grade!