Tree of Life 2025

Twelve Kids. Twelve Stories of Courage. One Community That Showed Up.

A look back at the 2025 Tree of Life — and the twelve transplant kids whose resilience inspired a season of extraordinary generosity.

American Transplant Foundation  •  February 2026

A baby born at 22 weeks, fighting liver cancer from a hospital bed. A teenager with a rare liver disease who has lost both his father and grandfather, afraid he won’t see the world beyond his room. A 10-year-old who performed CPR to save her own mother’s life. These are the children of the 2025 Tree of Life.

Every holiday season, the American Transplant Foundation’s Tree of Life program supports children who have received a life-saving organ transplant or are still waiting for one — children whose families face staggering medical expenses, displacement, and the emotional toll of caring for a critically ill child.

In 2025, our community came together to support twelve remarkable kids and their families. One hundred percent of every donation went directly to these families — helping with medical bills, travel for treatment, rent, groceries, and the everyday necessities that become impossible when your world revolves around keeping your child alive.

Here are their stories.

100% Of donations go directly to families 12 Children supported in 2025 15+ Years of Tree of Life giving

Meet the 2025 Tree of Life Kids

Each of these children has faced challenges that most of us can barely imagine. What unites them is a courage far beyond their years — and families who never stop fighting for them.

Quinn Heart • Waiting for Transplant Quinn was born with a serious heart condition and has lived in the ICU since birth, relying on a device to keep her heart going while waiting for a life-saving transplant. Her family is living apart — juggling hospital life, high medical costs, and caring for her twin sister. Zoe Heart • Waiting for Transplant Zoe is bravely fighting a serious heart condition while waiting for a life-saving transplant. Her family has spent months far from home so she can receive the care she needs. Samuel Liver • Partial Transplant Recipient Born at 22 weeks, Samuel has survived liver cancer, months of chemotherapy, major surgeries, and a partial liver transplant after his cancer returned. His family is currently homeless, living in an extended-stay hotel while struggling with food, transportation, and ongoing medical costs. Benjamin Kidney • Transplant Recipient Born with a serious kidney condition, Benjamin has endured a lifetime of surgeries, infections, and hospital stays. He received a kidney transplant in 2023, but recent tests revealed complications and another transplant is now likely. Sanaa Liver • Transplant Recipient • Age 4 Sanaa is a courageous 4-year-old who received a life-saving liver transplant. Her single mom is out of work while caring for her full-time, leaving the family behind on rent and basic needs. Sanaa loves everything unicorn-themed and dreams of returning to gymnastics. Jake Liver • Transplant Recipient Jake was diagnosed with a rare liver disease and underwent a life-saving liver transplant after months of medical complications. His family faces extremely high rent and large medical-related debts. Mateus Liver • Transplant Recipient • Age 2 Mateus was just 2½ when he was diagnosed with liver cancer that had spread to his lungs. When other treatments failed, transplant became his only hope. Since January, he hasn’t gone more than two weeks without hospitalization, pushing his family deep into debt. Hannah Heart • Transplant Recipient Hannah inherited the same serious heart condition that nearly killed her brother. After two years on the transplant waitlist — nine months of them in the ICU — she finally received her new heart. But years of crisis have drained her family’s savings, leaving them living paycheck to paycheck. Callie Liver • Transplant Recipient Diagnosed with a serious liver condition at just 6 weeks old, Callie’s liver was in complete failure by 3 months. A life-saving transplant saved her, but the medical costs destroyed her family’s stability. They lost their home and spent two years without stable housing. Zaine Liver • Age 16 Zaine has battled a rare and painful liver disease for all 16 years of his life. After losing both his father and grandfather, he now lives with his grandmother, who struggles to afford his medical costs. He’s missed critical appointments, isn’t in school, and spends most days isolated and afraid. Bryanna Transplant Family • Age 10 At just 10 years old, Bryanna has had to manage her own medical care after she and her younger sister saved their mom’s life with CPR. Her mom is still recovering and unable to work, and the family relies on expensive ride-shares and delivery services just to get by. Wyatt Liver • In Treatment • Born at 26 Weeks Born at 26 weeks weighing just 1 lb 9 oz, Wyatt was diagnosed with liver cancer this year. He has spent weeks in intensive care and continues treatment while on a trach and ventilator. His family has no reliable vehicle to get to his many medical appointments.

These are not just stories. They are children who show up every day with more bravery than most of us will ever be asked for. And behind each of them is a family holding everything together with love, determination, and not nearly enough support — until you showed up.

What Your Support Made Possible

When you donated to the 2025 Tree of Life, your gift didn’t disappear into overhead costs or administrative fees. One hundred percent of every dollar went directly to these families. For some, that meant catching up on rent after months of missed work. For others, it meant reliable transportation to medical appointments, groceries for a holiday meal, or a gift under the tree for a child who has spent more of their life in a hospital room than out of it.

More Than a Gift

For these families, a Tree of Life donation is a signal that someone out there sees them. That their child’s fight matters to people they’ve never met. It’s the weight of one less bill, one less impossible choice between medicine and groceries. It’s a child unwrapping a toy on Christmas morning and feeling, for a moment, like any other kid.

Why Programs Like This Matter

The American Transplant Foundation is the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the country that provides three tiers of support — educational, emotional, and financial — for living donors, transplant recipients, and their families. The Tree of Life is one of the most direct expressions of that mission: meeting families in their most vulnerable moments with real, tangible help.

Organ transplantation doesn’t just affect the patient. Quinn’s twin sister is growing up apart from her. Samuel’s family lost their home. Hannah’s parents spent two years watching their daughter fight for survival in the ICU. Callie’s family spent two years without stable housing after the medical costs from her infant transplant. These ripple effects are real, and they’re exactly what Tree of Life addresses.

A Growing Legacy

What started years ago with a physical tree in a Denver office lobby has grown into a nationwide program reaching families across the country. Every year, supporters return to make a difference — and every year, the stories remind us why this work is so urgent.

Thank You — and Looking Ahead

To every person who donated to the 2025 Tree of Life: thank you. You didn’t just brighten a holiday — you told twelve families that their community has their back. That in the middle of one of life’s hardest journeys, they are not alone.

Want to make sure next year’s Tree of Life is even bigger? You can designate your gift to Tree of Life 2026 right now. Simply make a donation and include a note that your gift is for Tree of Life 2026. Every dollar will go directly to supporting transplant kids and their families this coming holiday season.

To read more about each child’s journey and see all of the 2025 testimonials, visit the Tree of Life program page on our website.

Give Early to Tree of Life 2026

Make a donation today and note that it’s for Tree of Life 2026. Your generosity will help us reach even more transplant families this holiday season.

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