Allie was born with biliary atresia, a rare disease that blocks the flow of bile from the liver to the gallbladder. She had her first surgery at 17 days old, and she endured weekly appointments at Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo and bimonthly appointments at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

“She had absolutely no quality of life,” Allie’s mom, Jenny, said. “It was an emotional rollercoaster.”

Allie used sign language to communicate because liver failure caused developmental delays. At 2 years old, she weighed only 15 pounds, and she would sleep up to 20 hours a day because her energy was nonexistent.

“The hope for a liver diminished, and I was preparing myself to lose a child. Death was literally knocking at our door,” Jenny said. “Every night, we would put her to bed and pray for just one more day with her.”

In November 2005, when Jenny and her husband, Tommy, felt like the end was near, they took their three children on a trip to Disney World. They thought that was the last time they would all be together.

But everything changed when Jenny’s phone rang a little after midnight on January 21, 2006. It was Missy, Allie’s transplant coordinator at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Allie was going to receive a liver transplant!

“Getting that phone call was unreal. It felt like I was in a dream,” Jenny said.

Jenny called her mom, Becky, who rushed over to stay with Tommy and Jenny’s other children, Nathan, 8, and Hannah, 6. The four-hour, middle-of-the-night drive to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital was emotional.

“We realized what was happening on the other side. A family said goodbye to their loved one and yes to organ donation to give the gift of life and a second chance to a complete stranger,” Jenny said.

After one year and nine months on the waiting list, 2-year-old Allie received a life-saving liver transplant.

When Allie woke up after her surgery, the first thing Jenny noticed were the bright whites of Allie’s eyes – they were no longer jaundiced. As Allie recovered, her energy and appetite increased, her distended abdomen became nonexistent, and she started walking and talking.

“It was amazing. It was like life was coming back into her every single day,” Jenny said.

Fast forward 15 years, and Allie’s energy supply is seemingly endless. Allie enjoys playing golf, showing cattle and lambs, and rodeo – barrel racing and pole bending.

“You just want to scream and shout, ‘This is life!’” Jenny said. “My favorite thing about Allie is her ambition and drive for life. It’s her world, and we’re just living in it. Hang out with Allie and she’ll take you places!”

Allie showcases her athleticism at the Donate Life Transplant Games of America, an Olympic-style competition for transplant recipients, where she has earned more than 30 medals.

Jenny has written to Allie’s donor family, but she has not heard back. All she knows is that another child saved Allie’s life.

“The emotion that donor families have to go through tears me up. It’s an emotional toll to know that we have our daughter, and someone else doesn’t have their child,” Jenny said. “There is no other way to thank donor families than to take care of the life we were given and protect it forever.”

Allie is grateful every day for the gift she received.

“It’s unbelievable to see how sick I was back then and how healthy I am today. Without organ donation, I would not be here,” Allie said. “If I met my donor family, I would give them a big hug. Obviously, the words ‘thank you’ are not enough, but my family and I are forever grateful for my second chance at life.”