Blizzard almost derails toddler's liver transplant
CHICAGO (WLS) -- This week's blizzard proved disastrous for thousands of drivers and fliers stranded by the storm, but it was nearly deadly for a toddler who needed to be in Chicago for a life-saving liver transplant.
Brooklyn is a bubbly little girl, born in China with a fatal liver disease. For more than a year her adoptive parents have been waiting and praying she'd make it to the top of the list for an organ transplant before it's too late.
"I'd been trying to come to peace with the fact that we might wait a long time. To get the call that day was shocking!" said her mother, Jesse Faris.
A match was located on Wednesday, and the family given 24 hours to get Brooklyn from her home in Memphis into surgery at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. But this was the day after the biggest blizzard of the season; roads were closed, drivers stranded and flights cancelled.
"Could we get there through Atlanta, could we get there through Dallas? We looked into flying into Madison, then driving down," said Brooklyn's father Nicholas Faris.
Then FedEx, headquartered in Memphis stepped in, flying Brooklyn and her parents to Midway by corporate jet. Of the good deed, FedEx said, "When we learned of the extraordinary circumstances and extreme urgency of the situation with Brooklyn, we knew we had to do something."
"What an incredibly generous gift they gave at just the right time," said Jesse.
Surgery complete, Brooklyn is doing well; awake and talking but still in recovery in the Intensive Care Unit. Her parents say they expect she'll be here for at least a month, but they can't wait to bring her home. That time, though, they expect they'll be booking a flight, not taking a chartered jet.
