Liver

I can do everything, mostly!
Walter: Since I’m not in the hospital (most times) for too long, I get to see my friends most of the time. Like, at school I can see them…After my transplant, I could do whatever I want. I remember having my best friend over for like eight hours, that was kind of exhausting! But I just really hang out with my friends, run around outside, play my Wii – so I can do everything now.

Walter, 11

 

How it felt to be home
It was awesome. I had missed my dog, and my family obviously, but I saw them a lot. And just not being at the hospital with IVs in you and nurses checking on you!
I was still on precautions, I couldn’t go upstairs. When I first got home I was walking on a walker, so I still couldn’t do some things. I’m not sure how long it took to recover – it was awhile still though.

David, 15

 

Growing up post-transplant
It’s not that much different. I had to take a lot of medication, I had to be a lot more careful about germs and stuff, and I also tired easily and was sick a lot…it was always like that, up until the last three or four years, because my first transplant I was a baby.

I’d really just get anything – common viruses were really easy to pick up, and just other things would happen. I couldn’t build up immunity to chicken pox even though I had had it once, and all that stuff.

David, 15