Kayla

December 9 2023, at the age of 28, I received the most wonderful gift anyone could ever ask for. The gift of LIFE.

I have hesitated to share my story with people because I was an alcoholic. I was always so scared I would be judged & if you’re judging, that’s okay. I was a full time mom with a full time job and life can get hard. The devil tried hard to pull me down & he finally did. However, the higher up had so many more plans for me.

I went into the hospital the day after Thanksgiving in 2023. I was very sick. I was transferred to Louisville 4 days later because my local hospital did everything in their power to help me. The doctors in Louisville knew there was a slim chance of survival if I kept the liver that I had poisoned and killed.  Within a week, I was being prepped for surgery because they had found a donor for me.

I went into surgery on December 9th, 10 hour later, I was alive again, but I wasn’t out of the woods yet. After surgery I had quite a few complications. I spent a total of 58 days in ICU. I started to come to around mid-January. I had to re-learn so much. Walking, talking (because of my trach in my throat), even down to swallowing. I had to relearn it all.

Today I look back and I think “of course the recovery was difficult. You were just born again!”

February 22, 2024 I was released from Frazier Rehabilitation to come home. I am so grateful for this new life. I am so excited to be on this new journey that I never imagined I would be on. Thank you to my donor and their family. Without them, I would not be where I am today.

To everyone who is reading my story, please register to be a donor. You have no idea who you could save with your gift!