Email 
Bookmark 
Print Isabella's Hope: A life-changing transplant
by Melanie HarrisI am a capable, strong woman and even as a little girl I loved to calculate, map and plan everything in my life. I had things working for me until I was faced with my biggest life-changing situation.
When my third daughter, Isabella, was born full term at 9.5 lbs, we were thrilled. Her older sisters had both been born prematurely, so we thought Isabella would be our first child to achieve optimal health. But how wrong we were.
Isabella became very sick within weeks of her birth. One day I took my other two girls to see a doctor for sinus infections and brought Bellie with me. The doctor paid special attention to her. She sent me away telling me Isabella needed to be admitted to the hospital for tests and to report there immediately. Once in the hospital I quickly found a computer and began deciphering the problem and researching the fix for Isabella.
That next night we received the news that eight-week-old Isabella had a rare liver disease called biliary atresia. This is a condition where bile cannot flow out of the liver, causing it to back up throughout her entire body, acting as poison. We were told that there wasn’t a cure but possibly a short-term patch.
Within the next 24 hours it became clear: I wasn’t going to be able to fix my baby.
In desperation I went to the hospital chapel with several friends. We all began to pray that the Lord’s hands would cover Isabella. I became overwhelmed with grief. I fell to my knees and began to pray for strength. Opening my eyes, I could see a cross with Christ nailed on it. I cried to the Lord, I know You know my pain, Your Son suffered great pain. Please God help me, I know I can’t do this alone. I need Your strength to be mine, Your peace to overcome me. And, Lord, protect my marriage and family as we embark on this journey."
It was in this moment that I knew I had to surrender to the Lord my child as well as my own life. I had no plan, no map. I needed to be carried. Although I had accepted Christ at an early age I never sought the Lord’s will in my life. That moment became the first step in surrendering my life to God’s will.
Following a surgery called a kasia, which created bile drainage from the liver to the intestines, Isabella developed two life-threatening infections and remained hospitalized for 2.5 months. Once she was well enough to travel, we set out for University of California San Francisco Medical Center, where she could be evaluated for a transplant. The doctor suggested that we pursue a both a cadaveric and a living related donation. My husband, Wade, was our donor of choice but the doctors found reasons why this wouldn’t be best for either him or Isabella. So I began tests to see if I might be able to give Isabella a second chance at life. Once the transplant doctors determined that I was a good match they encouraged us to go through with the surgeries as quickly as possible. They feared that if Isabella contacted another infection she would not make it.
As we got each piece of the news, fear would try to slip into my heart. But I gave those fears, my desires and my heart back to the Lord. I leaned hard on the words of Deuteronomy 6:5-6: "Trust the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." I could see the hand of God; the more I trusted the more answers there were to our prayers...
The Lord provided financially by raising $100,000 for the transplant in three short months.
The Lord provided emotionally for me. God brought people closer to my life, and taught me to accept the help of others and to be served through the body of Christ. Friends stood watch over my precious child while I was in ICU and unable to care for her. They provided childcare for my other kids, endless meals, endless hours of prayer and shared our tears and joy. Several couples flew to San Francisco to be with us during the 20 hours of surgeries.
The Lord also provided spiritually. He surrounded us with godly men and women who prayed endless hours at our bedsides. They read Scripture to me when I was too weak to find it myself. Thousands of people around the world came along side us as spiritual warriors. During our first surgery we entered the ICU and there was a doctor on the phone. He hung up quickly and asked if I was Melanie. He stretched his hand out to me and said he was a fellow brother of the body of Christ and he had received our news through our church's prayer line, He asked if he could lay hands on Isabella and pray for each of us. This man, Dr. Taisse, our ICU doctor, became one of the many spiritual warriors who carried us through our battle by praying with us at every shift change, morning and night.
Results of surrendering
Through the process of surrendering to God’s will I came to better know a God who is…
my Pillar: trustworthy and faithful,
my Jehovah-Jireh, my provider
my Jehovah-Rapha, my healer
my Prince of Peace,
… and most of all, my strength.
Through Isabella's illness, I began to experience God. I felt an immense amount of peace even the night before the surgeries. On that night I wrote each one of my little girls a letter. In that letter I told each one how special she is and that I would sacrifice anything for any of their lives. I wrote to them that my sacrifice amounts to nothing if they never know the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus Christ has made for them personally. I ended my letter with my daily prayer for each of them, and that is that they will know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and the gifts of eternal life would be theirs.
This is my precious gift from God today.We just celebrated our three-year anniversary with Isabella’s second chance at life.
Every day I have to commit my child’s uncertain future to His will, knowing that her life may be gone at any time. Twice, her body has rejected my liver and her immune system is suppressed to prevent that from happening again. As for a prognosis… there really isn’t that much research and history on living-related pediatric liver transplant. We pray that she will live a full life no matter how long that is.
I am reminded daily that I must die to myself and live in the will of the Lord. John 15 tells us that Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, and that we must abide and remain in Him. We do this by surrendering our thoughts, fears, worries and will to do it “our way." So what are you struggling with surrendering to our Almighty God? Is it your finances, your husband's job, a difficult person, an illness? Our struggles and stories are different. But the command is the same for each of us: Surrender it to the Lord.
The minute you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, God's Spirit took up residence in your life. He longs to fill you and to empower you. Hand Him the reins of your life today. He will give you moment-by-moment wisdom and peace. Below is a suggested prayer. As you pray, remember that God cares not so much about your words as the intent of your heart.
Dear Father, I need You. I acknowledge that I have sinned against You by directing my own life. I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ's death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled, and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus. As an expression of my faith, I thank You for directing my life and for filling me with the Holy Spirit. Amen.
~ Melanie Harris advocates for thousands of children waiting for transplants through her volunteer work with COTA, Children's Organ Transplant Association. If you haven't registered your desire to be an organ donor, you can do it online at www.donatelife.net or pick up an organ donor card at your local department of motor vehicles. Click to e-mail Melanie.
