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Morning With Ila

I met two-month-old Ila’s huge blue eyes as Jadon and Dana held her in a sun-soaked room on a late summer morning. Eva, the ever-protective family Golden, placed a sweet paw on Dana’s knee as the doting parents sank into the present moment.  Lawnmowers hummed outside, but the room felt soft and cottony, insulated from the outside world.

Ila was born with biliary atresia, which is liver disease in babies where the bile ducts in the liver become increasingly damaged. It blocks the flow of bile from the liver to the intestine.  Under the exceptional care of the pediatric hepatologist team at AFCH, we knew that a liver transplant was in her future.  But today was about living an ordinary morning: snuggles, books, a neighborhood walk, a beautiful sink bath, more snuggles, and all cradled in immesasureable love.

parents hold baby and dog's paw as baby looks at mother top view of baby in mother's arm with dog's paw on mother's knee

Ila holds onto Jadon’s thumb as she takes a bottle in his arms.

dad feeds baby via bottle

baby smiles and makes eye contact with camera in mother's armsbaby holds mom's hand; black and white

Ila receives supplemental meds and nutrition.

baby receives medicine and looks up at mother while father holds; black and white focus on baby sleeping in the sun and being held by parents on a benchparents share a moment of laughter while newborn sleeps in father's arms top down view of parents holding baby on a park benchfamily of three takes golden retriever for a walk in the park baby sleeps in mother's arm outside, flowers and trees in background; black and white

Eva kisses Ila’s toes.

Golden Retriever licks baby's toes while dad hold baby in arms plant hangs from ceiling in a bedroommom smiles at baby in her armsBaby smiles at dad; mom and dad frame baby. black and whitetomato plants frame parents holding and smiling at baby on a deckdad holds baby getting ready for a sink bathtwo parents lean over kitchen sink in sunlit room

I’m drawn to how deeply Ila watches Dana throughout the morning; her calm, focused attention on her mother is incredibly palpable.

Baby in a sink bath has both parents supporting and washing

Baby held by mother in window light and wrapped in a towel

Outfit change after a warm bath and ready for storytime. Ila sits in Jadon’s lap and listens to the cadence of his voice.

Baby sits on father's lap while he reads a children's board book Baby sits on father's lap while he reads a children's board book Baby gets a bottle while on dad's lapsign that reads sleeping baby outside the house

A quick follow up: Ila received a new liver a couple of days after Christmas 2019 and is full of smiles and energy!

Currently, there are over 114,000 people in the United States on the organ transplant list, and over 2,000 are children. It is crucial to raise awareness about the need for pediatric organ donation. Please share Ila’s story and consider becoming a donor yourself. You can easily sign up through Donate Life Wisconsin.

Follow Ila’s Facebook page to see her remarkable journey!

xo,

Jen

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