Save A Life Society Member – Colleen

You asked why I chose to be a part of the [Save A Life] Society. It is because I am a 14-year post-liver transplant patient. I am so grateful to God for the past 14 years and I want to “payback” my blessing.

I was diagnosed with auto-immune hepatitis (NASH) and given about 3 months to live in October of 2006. At that time I was put on the waiting list for a transplant. My daughter had just learned she was pregnant, so it did not look like I would live to see my grandchild without a transplant. Unbelievably, a liver became available three weeks later. I was going to St. Louis University hospital at the time and that was where I received my transplant.

It was very successful. The first few months had some issues, mostly with the medication and one episode of rejection. But I have been healthy since then. I take a very low dose of Cyclosporin twice a day and that is all. My lovely granddaughter, Bailey, is now going on 13. I have loved every minute that I’ve had with her. I thank God every morning that I wake up and feel a tremendous responsibility to make my “second” life count. I am ever grateful to the family that made the hard decision to donate my liver and I will always feel sad that someone had to die for me to live. Transplants are miracles!! Mine gave me a whole new life, hopefully for many more years.

We also wanted to share how friends and family and hospital employees and friends of friends all were praying for me. And God certainly answered their prayers! My husband was a VP at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, IL at the time and they would actually open the meetings he was in with prayer for me. It was a humbling experience. My daughter cried when she heard my prognosis because she wouldn’t have me around to have the baby and to have a grandma for it. But thankfully, God had other plans. Thank you for getting to know the people and their stories and hearts.

If you would like to become a Save A Life Society member, click here.