The Australian government is now operating in accordance with the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions, pending the outcome of the 2025 federal election.
Lara was only 2 months old when she had her very first operation. Diagnosed with biliary atresia – a rare genetic condition affecting the liver – at just 6 weeks old, Lara was severely jaundiced. She suffered from fluid retention, bleeds and a host of illnesses, and needed constant top-ups of the vitamins her liver wasn’t producing.
Lara’s family knew that it was only a matter of time until she would need a liver transplant, so they weren’t surprised when doctors finally decided that Lara needed to go on the waitlist for a transplant.
“We spent more time at the hospital than we did at our own home. Her belly was triple the size it should have been, and although the doctors were good at preventing her from getting a major illness, she was sick more often than not,” Lara’s mum Holly said. “While it was scary and upsetting to think about, it was also a relief that she may get better and have a better quality of life.”
Luckily for Lara, she was only waitlisted for a month when Holly received a phone call from the hospital, informing her that Lara had been matched with a donor liver.
“I was at work when I got the call. It was a massive shock – she hadn’t been listed that long. While on the phone to our coordinator I experienced every single emotion: happy, scared and also sad knowing what this meant for another family as well,” she said.
Lara’s transplant operation took 10 hours and was a remarkable success. She went from taking over 10 daily medications down to 2 and was bursting with energy.
Now a happy and energetic 10-year-old, Lara and her family travelled to the US recently, where her dance troupe performed at Disneyland. They then spent a magical Christmas together in New York.
Holly said she is incredibly grateful to Lara’s donor family. “Their generosity has given Lara and our family a new life. We will never be able to thank them enough.”
