Hailee Carson – Liver Transplant Recipient

April 18, 2017, the day I found out I was sick. I went in for gallbladder surgery and come out to news that I needed a liver transplant and soon because my liver was just not doing its job. I was officially diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease and genetic mutation disorder that caused my body to attack my liver. During this time, I didn’t feel sick. I felt like another normal teenager, but then, I got really sick. My ammonia levels got so high, I had no idea what I was doing or where I was; this was my big awakening. I prayed every day for strength and guidance. The end of my junior year of high school is when I started to give up. Two years had gone by, no organ offers, nothing mentioned of organ offers. I started to question God.

One day, I was looking out the window and a dragonfly showed up and sat there for hours. I knew that was my sign. I knew God never left me. May 8, 2020, after three years of no organ offerings, we received one just for the surgery to be canceled right before going into the OR. August 22, 2020, is the day that changed my life. I received the most precious gift that any human can give to another. I will forever be grateful for the donor that saved me. I am forever thankful for the ones that helped me never lose focus that I am God’s child and everything is in his hands.