Genevieve

Genevieve is a thriving, happy eight-year-old who loves gymnastics, swimming and dancing – thanks to the life-changing gift she received from someone she will never meet.

Genevieve, of Arundel, was born with the rare genetic disease alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD), an incurable condition which limits the body’s production of a protein that protects the lungs and liver from damage.

When she was six-months-old, doctors gave Genevieve’s family the heartbreaking news that her liver function would continue to deteriorate over time, and that her only option was a transplant. She was put on the transplant waiting list but spent most of her first two years in hospital due to her condition.

Then in June 2012, her family received the call they had been waiting for – Genevieve, then two, had been matched with a donor and she was to be admitted immediately for surgery.

“The feeling was of hopeful fear. Fear that she would now have a 10-hour complex operation and no matter how positive we tried to be, we couldn’t ignore the possibility of an adverse outcome. But we had hope that she would have a new and functioning liver,” Genevieve’s Mum, Victoria, said.

Six years after the transplant surgery, Genevieve has blossomed into an active, happy child who is doing well at school and participates in gymnastics, dance class and swimming.

These days, she only visits the hospital for blood tests every six months to check her liver is still functioning well, and attends an outpatient clinic once a year for a full physical assessment.

“Words cannot express how lucky we are that someone out there decided to save at least one precious life, when they knew someone else was about to lose theirs. I believe this is truly the circle of life.”