Riley’s parents, Rob and Katrine, shared their heart-wrenching journey, recounting the harrowing moments when their daughter lay unconscious, her fragile life sustained only by machines. They described the profound sense of helplessness as doctors explained that Riley’s life hung precariously in the balance due to sepsis, a life-threatening condition triggered when the body’s response to infection harms its own tissues. Their precious 18-month-old daughter teetered on the edge of death, her young life gripped by this relentless adversary.
The ordeal began during Katrine’s pregnancy, when doctors discovered a cyst-like growth in Riley’s abdomen at just 20 weeks. Despite exhaustive efforts, medical experts remained baffled by the anomaly. Upon Riley’s arrival into the world, she was immediately subjected to a battery of tests, culminating in surgery at a mere one month old. The diagnosis was devastating: Riley suffered from Biliary atresia, a rare disorder obstructing bile ducts around the liver. Though surgeons intervened to mend some of the damage, the prognosis remained grim, with the specter of unsuccessful surgery looming over the family.
Riley’s struggles persisted as she grappled with the inability to swallow, necessitating the use of a feeding tube. She became a frequent visitor to hospitals, battling recurrent infections that further weakened her fragile frame. At 18 months old, she faced her first encounter with sepsis, a perilous infection ravaging her liver. Despite relentless efforts to combat the disease, Riley’s liver eventually succumbed to the strain, prompting doctors to place her on the transplant list.
The family braced themselves for an agonizing wait, but fate intervened just two weeks later with news of a potential match. Rushed into surgery, Riley’s hopes were dashed when her body rejected the new liver, leaving her reliant on life support. In a twist of fate, Rob emerged as a potential donor, offering a selfless gift to save his daughter. With the risky prospect of transplant surgery looming, fate intervened once more as another liver became available from a deceased donor.
Relieved yet apprehensive, Katrine watched anxiously as Riley underwent the second transplant surgery. Two months later, the family finally received the long-awaited news—Riley was deemed fit to return home. Grateful beyond measure for the generosity of both donors, Riley’s parents vowed to honor their memory every year on the anniversary of the transplant. For Katrine, organ donors are true heroes, their selfless acts breathing new life into their precious daughter.