Elise – liver recipient, QLD

Young girl in a peach coloured polka dot shirt with Mini Mouse in the centre. She is holding her hands in the shape of a heart.
Looking back, it’s hard for Elise’s family to remember her being so acutely unwell.

At just 2 years of age, Elise was enduring the hardest part of the transplant journey – the waiting game.

She’d been born full-term but underweight, weighing just 1.83kg. Tests showed her little liver was full of cirrhosis, which meant she urgently needed a liver transplant to survive. 

Looking back, it’s hard for Elise’s family to remember her being so acutely unwell. Elise is now 9 years old and living her best life. 

Elise and her family spent most of last year traveling around Australia. Her highlights include walking to the tip of Cape York Peninsula, snorkeling, mountain biking, camel-riding along Broome Beach at sunset, and tackling highest-difficulty-rating hikes into the gorges of Western Australia. 

Now back at school, Elise loves catching up with her best friends, training at gymnastics and doting on her new puppy. She was even awarded the class award for ‘being kind and respectful’.

None of this would’ve been possible without a family saying yes to donation in hospital. Elise and her family will always be grateful to her donor and their family for saving her life. 

We want all Australians to talk about organ and tissue donation. If you want to be a donor, make sure you tell your family and friends.

Registering is easy and only takes one minute. All you need is your phone, Medicare card and one minute to register.

It doesn’t matter how old you are, your medical history, your lifestyle, what country you’re from or how healthy you are — you can still register as an organ and tissue donor.

The Organ and Tissue Authority acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to elders both past and present.

Freedom of information, Privacy, Social media guidelines, Terms and conditions and Accessibility