# @childrenscolo on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DK6JNicMgnW
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/68564257-childrenscolo-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/501ed6ab9e.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-06-15T04:45:07.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Children's Hospital Colorado (@ChildrensColo) — https://gondola.cc/ChildrensColo

## Caption

Ross isn't just a firefighter and EMT — he’s a dad who donated part of his liver to his daughter to save her life.

MacKenzie was born with biliary atresia: a rare, serious liver disease that, left untreated, can lead to severe illness and death.

MacKenzie had surgery soon after birth, but her liver still wasn’t functioning as it should. This meant MacKenzie needed a new liver as soon as possible. 

When Ross learned he was a match, he didn’t hesitate. “For me, there wasn’t any question about whether to do it or not,” Ross says.

Our transplant team explained what to expect from the laparoscopic surgery: They'd take out a small part of Ross’ liver and give it to MacKenzie, replacing her old liver. It would then grow along with her. Ross’ liver would grow back to its full size in a matter of months.

UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital partners with Children’s Colorado for living donor liver transplants. Both located on Anschutz Medical Campus, the adult transplant team removes the portion of the liver from the donor and transports it us to transplant into the recipient — in this case, making the father-daughter connection. 

Jennah received text updates in her waiting room at Children's Colorado throughout both operations. “We couldn’t have asked for a better team, and we couldn’t have asked to be in a better hospital,” Jennah says. “Everyone answered every question before we could even think about asking it, so we were never left in the dark.” 

After weeks of recovery in the hospital, MacKenzie showed signs that the transplant was a success. She was ready to go home.

“We just want her to have a happy, full life and that’s what we were able to achieve with the surgery,” Ross says. 

At 1 year old, MacKenzie is still too small to understand. But someday, she will learn that her father is a hero on multiple fronts, and that his love for her knows no bounds.

#HereItsDifferent #FathersDay #BiliaryAtresia #LivingDonor #LivingLiverDonor #LiverDonation #DonateLife

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 660
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 2

## Tags

donatelife, liverdonation, livingdonor, fathersday, biliaryatresia, hereitsdifferent, livingliverdonor

---
Copyright (c) Gondola