Evie Wagner wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for the generosity of an organ donor.
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It's the most selfless gift a human being can give, says her mother Natasha.
Evie, now 8, became unwell when she was 6 with nose bleeds, a lack of appetite and generally feeling unwell.
The once bubbly young girl had an undiagnosed genetic condition, Wilson's disease.
Frighteningly, her parents were told she would not survive unless she had a liver transplant within 48 hours.
"The realisation that your child is critically ill, that the medical team has done everything they can, and that the last resort to keep Evie alive was a liver from a donor, was so hard to process," Mrs Wagner said.
Thankfully, a generous soul had decided to declare their intention to become an organ donor.
"There was a huge sense of relief and gratitude to the donor and their family, as well as the surgeons, doctors, nurses and the geneticists who were a part of her care," Mrs Wagner said.
"However, there was also some sadness to it, as we knew there was a family who had said goodbye to someone they love."
Related content: Bubbly youngster given second chance at life
Evie, who has six siblings, is now a happy and healthy girl.
"She is such a happy and healthy little girl," Mrs Wagner said.
"You wouldn't know she has had a liver transplant unless you saw her scar."
Mrs Wagner said Evie loved attending school in Camperdown, dancing and playing with her brothers.
To mark Donate Life Week, which finished on Sunday, Mrs Wagner encouraged people to have a conversation about becoming an organ donor.
"I would like people to consider registering to be an organ and tissue donor," Mrs Wagner said.
"It only takes one minute and your Medicare card. Please have the conversation with family and friends regarding your wishes."
There are 1800 Australians on the transplant waitlist and an additional 12,000 people on dialysis for kidney failure.
The number of Australians signing on to become organ and tissue donors dropped by 16 per cent last year as the COVID-19 pandemic grew.
In the Warrnambool City Council area in 2020 there were 320 people who signed up to become a donor, 120 in Corangamite, 140 in Glenelg and 120 in Southern Grampians Shire.
For more information visit www.donatelife.vic.gov.au
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