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They were only toddlers when they had to fight for their lives. Now two Australian girls who have undergone liver transplants have a message for the country.
They are sharing their stories to encourage more people to become organ donors, as Australia faces a critical shortage.
Zoe and Riley met in hospital, when they were each undergoing liver transplants.
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Zoe was just 6 months old when she was diagnosed with biliary atresia.
Her mum said they were in hospital a few times a week.
"She had a nasogastric feeding tube, and was feeding 24 hours a day from a tube," she said.
As her liver deteriorated, she ended up hospital-bound, waiting for a donor organ to arrive.
On her first birthday, Zoe was released from ICU with a brand new liver, the best birthday present ever.
Riley is also three years old, and had the same condition.
After her first liver transplant failed, she had to do it again, with an urgent re-transplant.
It saved her life.
Donate Life week has begun, and it's got one mission — to encourage 100,000 people to sign up as organ and tissue donors.
The numbers signing up have dropped by 20 percent during the pandemic
"They've had restricted access to hospital, that means the decision to donate at that difficult time impacted, so consent rates lower as well," Dr Helen Opdam from the Organ and Tissue Authority said.
There are more than 1700 people currently waiting for an organ.
Visit donatelife.gov.au or the Medicare app.
Source: 9News
