{"id":15843,"date":"2019-06-11T10:27:47","date_gmt":"2019-06-11T16:27:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1807870"},"modified":"2019-06-11T10:27:47","modified_gmt":"2019-06-11T16:27:47","slug":"how-granger-smiths-toddler-helped-save-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/music-news\/how-granger-smiths-toddler-helped-save-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"How Granger Smith\u2019s Toddler Helped Save Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

by Alison Bonaguro<\/a><\/span> 22m ago<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n

On June 6, Granger Smith<\/a> shared the absolute worst news. His youngest son, River Kelly Smith, had died.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing a tragic accident, and despite doctor\u2019s best efforts, he was unable to be revived. Amber and I made the decision to say our last goodbyes and donate his organs so that other children will be given a second chance at life,\u201d Smith had written about his 3-year-old son.<\/p>\n

It is a decision that the family made during what was certainly the worst day of their lives. And yet, the decision they made was certainly the best news for other families waiting for organ donations small enough for their own babies and toddlers.<\/p>\n

Last year, 1,895 children received transplants. And the year before that, 1,800 children received life-saving transplants. But while the numbers of transplants are increasing, there are still so many children who are waiting, and so many who die before they can get the transplant that will save their lives. There are currently 2,000 children on the national transplant waiting list<\/a>, and 25 percent of those children are under five years old. Most children ages 1 to 10 are waiting for a kidney, liver and heart. If a baby is born with biliary atresia, he or she will need a liver transplant. If it\u2019s a congenital heart disease, he or she will need a heart. If it\u2019s cycstic fibrosis, he or she will need lungs.<\/p>\n

And the transplant list for children is a much different one than the list for adults. Organ size does matter. Because child-sized organs are accepted better in children, matching the donor and recipient\u2019s organs is crucial step in the process.<\/p>\n

When one little girl \u2014 Juniper, who was waiting for a heart \u2014 finally had her life-saving transplant, her parents made a video to reflect on what it meant to them that a family somewhere had made this hard decision on their hardest day. \u201cWe think of your child every single day. And we will tell our daughter how our family\u2019s biggest hero is a child we\u2019ve never met,\u201d Juniper\u2019s mom says in the video. \u201cHow do we thank a family we\u2019ve never met for saving our child\u2019s life,\u201d her father adds. \u201cShe is alive, all because you said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Embedded from www.youtube.com<\/a>.