(slow music)
- When she was born, she was perfect.
The only problem was her bilirubin levels.
It just kept rising.
At her pediatric appointment,
they referred us to Children's Hospital,
and she was four days old when we first went there.
The doctor came out and told us,
that she had bilirubin agenesis.
And the only option is a liver transplant.
They that, it had to happen or else
she wouldn't live to see her first birthday.
She was in pain.
Her skin was yellow and bronzed.
Her eyes were yellow, her belly was getting enlarged.
As new parents, we didn't know anything else.
- We are sometimes meeting patients and families,
when they're in crisis mode.
We're sometimes delivering might be
the worst news that they've ever heard.
I give everyone of them the same promise,
and I don't take it lightly, and that is,
that I will always, always, tell them the truth,
and that we'll be with them every single step of the way.
- First question that I try to answer,
as part of the transplant evaluation,
do I think technically the child is,
well enough to have a liver transplant?
If the answer to that question is yes, then,
really my job is to try to figure out
how best to make that happen,
and discuss with the family
what those transplant options are.
- The best option was, to have a full liver.
Because there was nothing to work with for her system.
- So there's a certain point, that,
you want to be placed on the list,
because they think you have the best chance,
of receiving an organ.
- It's a national list, and organs are allocated
based on a score, which is supposed to reflect
how sick a patient is.
Sickest patients get organs first.
Because of the very specifics of her disease,
Olivia was going to need a liver transplant
sooner rather than later.
We listed her for transplant,
and transplanted her relatively quickly.
- It's liver day.
I put Olivia to bed, it was around 8:15 that,
my phone started ringing.
And I picked it up and it was our transplant coordinator.
She was like,
"We have a liver for Olivia."
It's the news we've been praying for, and waiting for.
It's such a mix of emotions,
because you know that somebody had to,
to die because of that, to make that decision.
- But when I saw Megan answer,
and I could tell what it was.
I think time froze for a split second,
cause I knew exactly what that call was about.
(gentle music)
- Right around eight or nine hours,
the surgeon came out and said she did amazing.
Within maybe 30 or 40 minutes, you know from our view,
we could see her bed come in.
And the biggest thing for us,
was looking through that window
and just seeing her legs just kicking on that bed.
- Yeah.
- It's been a blessing for me to be part of it.
To see them go from being sick,
to being healthy and well.
Trying to treat them,
as if they were part of your family
and then watch them get better,
is kind of why we do what we do.
(buoyant guitar music)
- She's almost four and a half years post transplant
and she has been such a blessing.
- She's a very thoughtful little girl.
She has her own, big personality.
- I'm Dr. Sundaram.
- Being with Children's, was, life changing.
They saved our baby.
And there's no other place that,
I would even dream of where this journey has taken us.
- We went to a hospital, but we found a family.
- She fills the space with her smile.
I hope that, as she goes forward,
she will honor her donor,
by spreading that kind of joy in the world.
And if who she is, as a little girl today,
is any indication of who she's gonna be as a grown up,
then I think the world is a pretty great place,
because when I get to spend a few minutes with Olivia,
I feel better about where the world is today.