Real-Life Superheroes

High School Friend Saves Baby's Life

Just a year ago, David and Andrea celebrated the birth of their daughter Saylor and the beginning of their perfect family. Like many newborns, Saylor was a little jaundiced, so they kept her under a special light at home. However, Saylor's health began to deteriorate, and David and Andrea rushed their baby to the emergency room. Saylor was in acute liver failure and her doctors said she probably wouldn't live more than 12 days without a liver transplant.

As David and Andrea prepared for the worst, friends and family rallied to help find a suitable donor. In David's hometown, Jason, a friend from high school and a father himself, heard their heart-wrenching story and believed he could help. Immediately, Jason went in for testing. Doctors needed a donor with a certain body size and blood type for the surgery and, miraculously, Jason was a perfect match.

As Saylor waited on life support, Jason flew hundreds of miles to get to the transplant center. David says, "Jason walked in and said hi to my wife and he went to Saylor's crib and said he was going to save her life." Without a moment to spare, the surgeries began. The transplant operation lasted 11 hours and, despite major complications in both surgeries, the liver transplant was a success. Last weekend was Saylor's first birthday and her hero, Jason, was on hand to celebrate it with her.

"There's no words to say what Jason's done for us," Andrea says. "He's given her a life. A chance to do something in this world. To be a good person. To do something for other people. And of course given us the love of a child and I just don't think that there's any greater gift."