WANT
WANT A
WANT A BOY OR A GIRL, I JUST WANT A HEALTHY KID. AND HE WAS
HEALTHY, HE WAS A
FANTASTIC NEWBORN,
AND TO HAVE THAT
TAKEN WAS JUST GUT
WRENCHING...THERE WAS
NOTHING WE COULD DO,
WE COULDN'T SAVE HIM,
AND THEN WHEN WE
TRIED TO SAVE HIM, THEY
SAID NO, YOU'RE NOT A
MATCH.
MATCH.
JOSH
JOSH AND
JOSH AND JESS CARTER FELT HELPLESS. THE MERIDIAN COUPLE'S
NEW BABY BOY COLE
NEEDED A LIVER
TRANSPLANT, AND THEY
ASSUMED ONE OF THEM
WOULD BE THE DONOR. IT
JUST MADE SENSE.
BUT, THEY QUICKLY
FOUND OUT THAT WOULD
NOT BE THE CASE.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT -
IS NOTHING SHORT OF A
MIRACLE.
MAGGIE O'MARA HAS THE
STORY OF THE HERO WHO
STEPPED IN TO SAVE BABY
COLE.
I THINK EVERY MOM
WORRIES ABOUT THEIR
BABIES,
BABIES, AND I HAD SEEN A LITTLE YELLOW IN HIS EYES.
COLE CARTER WAS JUST
SIX WEEKS OLD WHEN HIS
MOM NOTICED
SOMETHING WAS
DIFFERENT ABOUT HER
NEW BABY.
WE JUST LOOKED AT HIM
IN THIS LIGHT, AND HE'S
YELLOW.
THE DOCTOR KNEW WHAT
IT WAS RIGHT AWAY. IT
WAS COLE'S LIVER.
JESS COMES HOME WITH
THIS NEWS / AND MOST
LIKELY HE HAS BILIARY
ATRESIA.
BILIARY ATRESIA IS A RARE
DISEASE OF THE LIVER
AND
AND BILE
AND BILE DUCTS. FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE
JOURNEY
JOURNEY WITH BILLIARY ATRESIA, TRANSPLANT IS ALWAYS ON THE TABLE.
JESS IMMEDIATELY
THOUGHT SHE OR HER
HUSBAND JOSH WOULD
BE THE OBVIOUS DONOR
CHOICES. BUT, SHE GOT
SOME TERRIBLE NEWS ON
THE
THE WAY
THE WAY TO A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT. THAT'S WHERE ST LUKE'S
PEDIATRIC G-I NURSE
SARAH HARRIS COMES
INTO THE PICTURE.
EMOTIONAL OF COURSE
BECAUSE SHE HAD
GOTTEN SOME LAB
RESULTS THAT WEREN'T
VERY PROMISING FOR HER
AND DAD TO BE
DONORS...AND SO SHE
WAS UPSET.
AND SHE DIDN'T KNOW IF
SHE'D HAVE ANOTHER
DONOR, SHE DIDN'T
KNOW IF SHE'D HAVE
SOMEBODY ELSE.
THAT WAS THE FIRST DAY
SARAH HAD EVER MET
BABY COLE.
HE WAS ADORABLE,
SMILEY... HE WAS CUTE...
SO WHEN I GOT HER ALL
ROOMED, I WENT BACK TO
TALK TO DR BURPEE,
WHICH IS HIS DOCTOR,
AND ASKED HIM WHAT IT
TAKES TO BE A DONOR,
CAUSE YEAH I CAN DO
THAT! I'M HEALTHY!
SO I WENT BACK WITH A
STICKY NOTE AND
HANDED MOM A STICKY
NOTE WITH MY NAME
AND PHONE NUMBER
AND SAID I WOULD
ABSOLUTELY DO THIS.
CAUSE I KNEW COLE AND I
HAD THE SAME BLOOD
TYPE.
I THOUGHT THIS LADY
WAS CRAZY! I WAS LIKE
WHO IS THIS WOMAN
THAT WE'VE NEVER MET
BEFORE, MET COLE, FALLS
IN LOVE WITH HIM
INSTANTLY AND SAYS OH
YEAH, PLEASE TAKE HALF
OF MY ORGAN.
AND IT JUST HAPPENED
TO WORK OUT THAT I
PASSED EVERYTHING, ALL
THE TESTINGS.
AND IT JUST KIND OF
WENT FROM THERE!
NURSE SARAH WAS A
PERFECT MATCH. WHEN
SHE TOLD HER HUSBAND
CHRIS...
"HE GOES... WELL, DON'T
YOU NEED YOUR LIVER?
I'M LIKE, YES. HOWEVER
THIS IS HOW IT WORKS,
THEY ONLY TAKE A SMALL
PORTION OF MINE AND
GIVE IT TO HIM AND IT ALL
REGENERATES."
THE TRANSPLANT TOOK
PLACE IN SEATTLE ON THE
DAY COLE TURNED 7
MONTHS OLD. IT
COULDN'T HAVE COME
SOON ENOUGH.
HE WAS VERY SICK...
THE 14-HOUR LONG
SURGERY FELT LIKE AN
ETERNITY FOR THE
CARTERS...
SO FOR ADULT TO BABY,
THEY TOOK 20 PERCENT
OF MY LEFT LOBE OF THE
LIVER.
BUT AFTER, TINY COLE
WAS STRUGGLING...
COLE HAD A BUMPIER
RECOVERY THAN WHAT I
DID.
WE WERE IN THE ICU FOR
MOST AN ENTIRE
MONTH.
WE LIVED IN SEATTLE FOR
FOUR MONTHS TOTAL.
IT WAS A BUMPY ROAD
FOR COLE AND HIS
PARENTS... THEY DECIDED
TO START A FACEBOOK
PAGE CALLED "COLE'S
LIVER ADVENTURES".
IT ALSO BECAME A PLACE
FOR ME TO REALLY
PROCESS ACTUALLY WHAT
HAD HAPPENED THAT DAY
OR THAT COUPLE DAYS OR
WEEK.
THE CARTERS WERE
SHOCKED BY THE
RESPONSE.
SUCH KIND PEOPLE... LIKE
REALLY KIND LOVING
PEOPLE.
SEEING THE MESSAGES OF
ENCOURAGEMENT AND
LOVE AND PRAYER, IT
REALLY MADE THIS WHOLE
JOURNEY POSSIBLE.
HI BUDDY, HI MISTER!
TODAY, COLE IS HOME
WITH HIS BIG SISTER
EVERLY
EVERLY AND HE'S DOING WELL. WE LOVE HIM WE'RE
HONORARY AUNT AND
UNCLE NOW...
THEY RECENTLY
CELEBRATED COLE'S FIRST
BIRTHDAY.
WE'RE GLAD HE'S
HEALTHY AND WE CAN'T
WAIT TO CELEBRATE MORE
BIRTHDAYS WITH HIM.
THE CARTERS SAY SARAH
IS THEIR HERO.
I DON'T FEEL LIKE A HERO,
I FEEL LIKE I WAS IN A
SITUATION TO HELP HIM,
WE COULD, WE DID... AND
HE'S DOING GREAT.
SARAH HARRIS...
SHE IS AN ANGEL SENT
FROM GOD! THERE IS NO
OTHER WAY TO DESCRIBE
HER.
7'S HERO.
7'S HERO.
COLE
COLE IS
COLE IS BEING CLOSELY MONITORED BY HIS DOCTORS TO MAKE SURE
HIS BODY DOESN'T REJECT
THE NEW LIVER.
YOU CAN FOLLOW COLE'S
JOURNEY TOO, JUST GO
TO THIS STORY ON
KTVB.COM AND WE'LL
CONNECT YOU WITH HIS