Welcome to my Team Alabama Fundraising Page for the 2026 Transplant Games of America.
My name is Paige, and if you know me, you know the past year has been quite the wild ride. In 2024 I spent most of the year fighting to get a diagnosis no one wants to receive. My symptoms started in April and I continued to get worse by the day. I had a feeling I knew exactly what was wrong with me, unfortunately, I was correct. My official diagnosis came on Christmas Eve, after having to pack a bag and rush to UAB ER after my GI Doctor called to inform me that not only had my liver enzymes and liver numbers gotten worse from two weeks prior, but now my kidney numbers were at a dangerous level. On Christmas Eve, I was told I had End Stage Liver Disease (Cirrhosis) and now it was causing my kidneys to decided they didn't want to show up for work anymore either. I was informed I would not be leaving the hospital without a liver transplant, and to expect to be there for an extended period of time. My team of many many doctors got to work right away making sure I was going through all the pre-transplant testing to determine if I was a candidate for a liver, and also possibly a kidney as well. I brought in the new year in ICU hooked up to a CRT (24 hour dialysis) machine. It was then I deemed 2025 to be what everyone close to me knows as the year of "New Year New Liver". I was listed for Transplant early January of 2025 and began the waiting process. Due to a number of different factors I was pretty high on the transplant list, and at the end of January, my team informed me they had a match for me, but that they would be only doing the liver for now and then would see if that would encourage my kidneys to come back to work and rejoin the team! I was granted a second chance at life by a selfless donor. Since the transplant, my kidneys have made a full recovery and I am doing extremely well. I am so thankful to my donor and their family for this second chance.
Please consider supporting me as one of the athletes in the Transplant Games by donating to help our team get to the games as we represent the State of Alabama. The Transplant Games bring awareness to Organ Donation and the importance of and the impact that Organ Donation has on so many lives. Everyone loves a good comeback story, and I would love for the Transplant Games to be a part of mine.
Thank you for your support and I can't wait to show off how hard I have worked to reclaim everything Cirrhosis tried to take from me. This is for me, my donor, and their family!
- Paige
