William: Finding New Energy After Liver Transplant

Before William’s liver transplant, he often felt tired and dealt with frequent stomachaches. His teachers said he could seem dazed and had low energy. That was his normal — the result of a condition called biliary atresia.

“I would frequently have times where I'd say, ‘Oh, I don't feel good’ or I would say I wasn't feeling normal. I would say I was more tired, not as energetic,” William, now 10 years old, remembers.

Today, his version of normal looks a whole lot different.

Getting to liver transplant

William was diagnosed at just 3 months old with biliary atresia, which blocks the ducts that drain bile from the liver into the intestines. The condition leads to severe liver injury and is the leading cause of liver transplants in children. Though he had surgery to help support his liver, transplant was always a likelihood.

It became his reality after an infection pushed his body into liver failure. After some time in the hospital, William’s mom, Shelby, shared the news that he’d soon undergo transplant.

“I was just shocked. I was like, wait a second, what? It was definitely a big surprise for me. I would say I was nervous. I was kind of just flummoxed that this was happening,” he says.

Finding joy in the little things

A living donor was identified for William soon after he was added to the waitlist. Living-donor liver transplants allow healthy adults to donate a part of their liver, which then regenerates and grows with the child who receives it. Unfortunately, in William’s case, the organ had complex anatomy that meant he would soon need a new one.

This meant some additional time in the hospital. Even though this was an incredibly difficult experience for William, he still found silver linings in his time at Children’s Colorado. He found them in his care team, including doctors, ICU nurses, surgeons and technicians. And he found them in his transplant psychologist, who offered him a listening ear to help him process his feelings around illness and transplant.

“I really felt like I had someone to talk to about what I was going through and like just someone other than my parents,” William says. “It really helped me because I could talk about everything, and every time she would come in, it would bring me a little bit more joy.”

And then there’s the pancakes.

“I sometimes go to restaurants, and I think their pancakes just have been a little too sweet for me,” William notes. “But I feel like the hospital’s were perfect. I can just taste it.”

Life after liver transplant

Before long, William was ready for a new transplant. This time, from a deceased donor. It’s been more than two years since then, and William is loving his new normal.

And where he once struggled with low energy, now he can’t stop it from flowing. When he needs to take some weight off his shoulders and think, he writes songs. He loves to write stories and share an important message with others: Even though things might be hard, eventually you'll get to the other side.

He’s even written, directed and starred in his own feature-length film about his beloved stuffed cat, Liam, coming soon to a theater near you.

William calls himself a creator, and he truly is. Seeing him shine, find new footing and persevere has been inspiring to those around him, and especially his family.

 “I see him just be the fullest version of himself that he was always meant to be with so much energy and so much fight in him,” Shelby says. “He had to be a fighter to get through that, but now he can fight by learning Taekwondo and by doing things that are fun that kids should be doing. He's been through so many changes, and he's kind of taken this story that has been given to him and found a lot of pride in it.”