That is how Anna Anderson described receiving a kidney and pancreas double transplant 18 years ago in June 1997. Anderson suffered from juvenile diabetes since a child and needed new organs to survive and thrive.
“My mother always called me her little butterfly, because I was always in a cocoon, in a bubble. But when I received the transplant, I received my wings and began to fly,” Anderson said. “I was always trapped. I couldn’t do this, and I couldn’t do that. That’s when my life began, at age 27.”
While her new pancreas is still fighting off the diabetes, Anderson’s body has rejected the transplanted kidney. She must go to dialysis to function, and she is on the organ transplant waiting list again.
The last time she was on the waiting list for three years before she received a donation from a cadaver. She wrote a letter to the donor family to thank them for making the decision to donate their son’s organs.
“I thanked them for giving me the chance of life. On my side, I did cry for a while because I knew that somebody would have to pass in order for me to live,” she said. “It was hard for a while, but I thank God.”
Anderson said that without that first transplant, she would never have been able to see her nieces and nephews grow up. This time, Anderson has been on the waiting list for two years. For a moment, Anderson thought she would receive a transplant from a living donor. A high school classmate offered up her own kidney to save Anderson’s life, but unfortunately, the kidney was not a match. Anderson said she knows that everything – from her diagnosis, to her first transplant, to the failed kidney match – is making her a better person.
“Everything is on God’s plan, and I just go with whatever He’s ready to do. Just like now, I’m giving my testimony to whoever will listen, because ultimately it’s His story,” she said.
In his short life, 10-month-old Briggs Elliser has also been on the transplant waiting list multiple times. His mother Brittany Elliser said shortly after he was born, he was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare liver disease. Briggs got on the transplant waiting list on May 20, and had his first transplant on June 25. Almost immediately, Briggs rejected the new liver.
“We went to sleep that night thinking that we would have to do everything to make him comfortable. We were in complete shock,” Brittany said. “They then told us early that morning that they would relist him.”
Briggs received his second transplant six days later. Again, he rejected the organ.
“We didn’t get the third transplant until July 17. As soon as he got that one, everything clicked,” Brittany said.
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| Briggs Elliser received his third liver transplant on July 17, 2015. Photo via Blessings for Briggs |
Brittany said she felt she could finally stop holding her breath once her son successfully adapted to his new liver. He is behind his peers in reaching milestones, but Brittany said the doctors believe he will catch up.
“He’s recovering as good as he can be,” she said. “He’s normal in every other aspect.”
Both Brittany and Anderson said they could not have gotten through the transplant without faith in God, and the helpfulness of family, friends, nurses and doctors. Brittany created a Facebook page called “Blessings for Briggs” to ask for prayer requests. One post even reached 85 thousand people.
“It’s reassuring to know that that many people are praying for you,” she said.
Joey Boudreaux, Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency chief clinical officer, said that on the other side of the transplant, faith is also important. LOPA organizes all the logistics of transplants, and the staff also helps donor families in any way necessary. Many times, that includes calling donor families’ clergy to provide emotional and spiritual support. Boudreaux said that all major religions support organ donation.
“Our staff works closely with these different entities to make sure everyone is on the same page and that the family is supported,” Boudreaux said. “Even if they have not said yes to the opportunity to donate, we still provide support in any way we can.”
A person can only be an organ donor if a brain death occurs, Boudreaux said. At that point, the hospital’s doctor will inform the patient’s family of the brain death. After giving the family time to absorb the news, LOPA staff will then talk to the family about the opportunity of organ donation. Boudreaux said that besides saving other people’s lives, people should consider becoming organ donors because it helps families grieve properly.
“They become extended family to these recipients and their family, so that is to me just as impactful as saving lives. When you say ‘yes’ and that time comes, you’ll be able to extend a recipient’s life 20 or beyond years. Obviously, you can’t put a price tag on that,” he said.
For this reason, Boudreaux said education and awareness are some of the most important priorities LOPA has. While it is important for people to register to be organ donors, it is equally important for families to be aware of that decision. Ultimately, the family makes the donation decision. Families should not have to reach through their grief and try to remember if they think organ donation is a good thing. If the public is educated enough, organ donation should be an easy decision, Boudreaux said.
LOPA Community Educator Lori Steele specifically reaches out to churches, schools and civic groups to inform the public about the benefits of organ donation. Formerly a television news reporter, she got involved in LOPA because of a story she covered about an organ donor’s celebration of life.
“He died, but he saved lives. That’s when I signed up to be an organ donor,” Steele said. “I had tears in my eyes. You’re not supposed to be emotionally involved when you’re covering a story, but I couldn’t help it… Death will happen with or without organ donation. With organ donation, lives will be saved and a legacy will be left.”
The United Network for Organ Sharing is responsible for matching donors with recipients. According to UNOS.org, there are currently 122,658 patients on the national transplant waiting list. Just fewer than 2,000 of those patients are Louisianans. Most of the time, a Louisiana donor will be matched with a Louisiana recipient because of time constraints. However, if a donor has a rare blood type or organ size, a better match might be found outside of the state.
“The ultimate goal is less deaths on the waiting list,” Boudreaux said. “We have a very giving state. We have a different culture than other places. They say ‘yes’ here more often than other states.”
Brittany is especially thankful for the multiple donors and their families who gave her son a second chance at life.
“It’s the most selfless thing you could do,” she said. “Our only chance for Briggs to grow up to be a normal little boy was through organ donation.”
Anyone interested in becoming an organ donor can register at his or her local Office of Motor Vehicles or at donatelife.net.
By Danielle Kelley
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