2004 Donor Stories

Ian Fitch

UPDATE!   Ian is now a freshman in highschool. He is active in the school's marching band. While he is still on the waiting list for a new liver, right now Ian's own liver is functioning well enough so that he can do things that teens his age can do like going to movies and having fun with friends.

Like most 10-year-olds, Lake in the Hills resident Ian Fitch enjoys playing with his friends, reading Harry Potter books and playing Gameboy. The high-spirited fourth-grader also plays the piano and cello.

Ian has big dreams. He wants to grow up to be a baseball player, and play left field for the Chicago White Sox: "I like going to baseball games with my dad. I like to play baseball too, because it's fun. My position is left field. I really like throwing from left field because I like to flex my arm a lot."

But before Ian can achieve his dreams, he must first receive a healthy liver.

Just days after birth, Ian's doctors discovered that he had biliary artesia, a condition that hardens the liver. When he was just 15 days old, Ian underwent surgery to replace damaged bile ducts and remove his scarred gall bladder. When Ian was 4 years old, his parents were told he would eventually need a liver transplant to survive, and he was placed on the national transplant waiting list. Right now, Ian's liver is healthy enough for him to be taken off the waiting list. But chances are, by this time next year he will be back on the list.

Tonisha Daniel

UPDATE!  Tonisha Daniel received her new liver in May 2004 and is doing great!

Tonisha Daniel, a 15-year-old from Dolton, has been waiting for a lifesaving liver transplant since she was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver in January, 2003.

Before she became sick, Tonisha enjoyed dancing, playing volleyball, attending Bible study classes and singing in her high school and church choirs. But now Tonisha is restricted from contact sports, and she had to give up dance and singing in her school's choir because the cirrhosis sapped her energy.

The cirrhosis also affects Tonisha's memory. Although she has always been a straight-A student, Tonisha is struggling to maintain her 4.0 grade point average. It doesn't help that she was hospitalized twice during the last year, causing her to miss nearly a month's worth of classes.

Even though cirrhosis has changed Tonisha's life, she still attends Bible study and sings in her church's youth choir. She still has her dreams. Tonisha would like to become a pediatrician some day. And if that doesn't work out, she's also interested in fashion design.

Tonisha's mother Merinda remains hopeful for her daughter, as well as for all patients awaiting transplants: "I believe God will touch the hearts of millions to become donors, and there will no longer be a waiting list filled with children and other loved ones."

2004 Organ Donor Commercials.