Wellington mother encourages organ donations
WELLINGTON, Kan. (KSNW) – April is Donate Life Month. Every eight minutes, someone is placed on the transplant list. One donor can save eight lives and enhance 75 others, according to organdonor.gov.
Eliza Conwell is one of those people. She is 12 years old and was born with a congenital heart defect.
“Hers was called a Holme’s Heart,” Eliza’s mom Trish Conwell said. “So essentially she was born without the right side of her heart.”
Eliza had her first surgery at just 6 weeks old, and many others followed. They had to travel to Colorado multiple times each month. She was listed for a heart transplant in August of 2022. Eliza and Trish moved to Colorado so they could be moved up on the list.
“We waited at the hospital, and it is a waiting game,” Trish sai. “You really don’t know when you’re gonna get a heart.”
In March of 2023, Eliza was gifted a new heart.
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“First thought was thank you,” Trish said. “Thank you, Lord. I’m so, so thankful that this is happening. I was worried. It’s a big procedure.”
Trish said she also felt sympathy for the donor family.
“I knew the what we were experiencing was very much a joyous time, but I know that their family was grieving, and I am so incredibly thankful for them, and I’m so incredibly thankful that they made that decision to save others,” Trish said. “It’s a huge gift of generosity. I know that it is a very hard situation to be in, but definitely I hope that they find comfort in knowing what they did and what they were able to provide because it gave us hope.”
Trish says their gift allowed for their daughter to thrive.
“It allowed us to have our daughter and watch her grow and learn and run around and learn to ride a bike. I mean, those are things that she really didn’t have the ability to do before.”
Trish encourages people to register as an organ donor.
“By being a registered donor, it is really your last opportunity to show love and generosity to this world and leave it a better place than when you came here,” Trish said. “And I believe that being a donor, it allows a legacy of love to continue, and that is a very special gift. We’re happy that we we were lucky enough to receive that gift.”
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