SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital transplant team follows the success of these two young children as they grow and enjoy their childhood.
Liam
At birth, Liam’s parents were told their baby would need a new heart to survive. They prayed every single day for God to be with Liam and protect him. After several months of waiting, Liam received his new heart transplant on Christmas Day. He worked really hard to recover from not only his surgery, but a stroke (that preceded his transplant). Through occupational, speech and physical therapy, Liam had to completely relearn how to walk and talk.
Today, he’s an energetic 8 year old with a heart of gold. He loves to make people laugh and smile. Liam is in the second grade and enjoys playing with his brothers, video games, sports, math and his cats (especially his cat Captain Hook). His family appreciates every day with Liam, his siblings and the joy they continually bring.
Kaylin
At only six months old, Kaylin was diagnosed with a life-threatening liver disease. While living donors can donate a kidney, bone marrow or a partial liver, Kaylin needed a full liver transplant to survive. When she was just 18 months old, Kaylin received a new liver from a donor. Her family is grateful to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, the SLUCare physicians and the transplant care team for giving Kaylin her lifesaving transplant.
Today, she’s nine years post-transplant and a happy and healthy 11 year old. Kaylin loves math, is an honor roll student and enjoys TikTok. She enjoys hanging out with her friends and playing basketball and volleyball. Her family is excited to see her continued growth and success with little to no sickness. They want other families to have hope, and make sure they advocate for their child, because children are much stronger than we think.
