Sydney Sullivan at age 15 was one of the elite athletes in the world.
In 2015 she won the Reebok CrossFit Games in her age category.
She did this knowing she would eventually need a liver transplant.
At age 12 Sydney was diagnosed with a rare liver disease.
Her doctors told her she would need to go on medication and she'd eventually need a new liver.
All I heard that day was that I was gonna get a chipmunk face, gain weight.
Being a 12-year-old girl that's the last thing I wanted to hear.
Actually that day I had my last burger and fries.
Sydney's dedication to a healthy lifestyle and to CrossFit turned her into a champion.
But soon after her title, Sydney's health got worse.
2016 hit and I just lost weight, got fatigued, I could tell something was wrong.
Sydney and her family who live in Oklahoma decided a
living liver donor transplant was the best route to go.
But they were frustrated after going to multiple transplant centers that turned them down.
Finally a chance meeting with a doctor pointed them to Madison, Wisconsin.
A guy walked in and was talking to her about competitions and stuff.
And she said, well I'm not competing right now and we told her story and he said
you need to go to Madison, Wisconsin.
I didn't want to go, I told my mom, I'm not going.
I'm sick of this, they're just gonna say no.
But when Sydney and her family arrived in Madison,
they felt an instant connection with the UW Health transplant team.
They understood me, they believed me.
Here they understood where I was coming from and really had feelings and felt what I felt.
Sydney's brother Tommy was the best match and didn't hesitate to be a donor.
Living donor liver transplants are more rare and difficult.
But Tommy felt confident in the transplant team.
The nurses we talked to, the receptionists,
the people who were hooking me up to the EKG which is one of the smaller tests,
it all came together it wasn't one specific person.
On March 28, 2017, Dr. Luis Fernandez and his team
transplanted a part of Tommy's liver into Sydney.
Soon after they got to reconnect.
It was the best feeling, it really was, just to see both of them.
It was great. Seeing her was great.
It all just went so fast and smooth.
That we didn't have the time to really think about it.
Of course Sydney couldn't wait to get back to CrossFit
and just three months after her surgery she was cleared for all activities.
Dr. Fernandez said you can do anything. You start to do anything you want as long as it feels good.
It's okay. For some movements I was scared more than others, but I slowly built up.
Now I'm at the point where I have my strength back. .
I'm better than before and it's just the cardio that needs to get better.
Just 13 months after her surgery, Sydney was back in CrossFit competition
competing in a team event with her sister Meredith.
Even if she doesn't win another championship, Sydney's happy to be healthy again.
I'm closer to my siblings I'm closer to my family and God
and it is crazy to think back to all the things I've been through
but I'm just so grateful to be where I am now.