Organ Donor Provides a Chance for Chase

At LifeBanc's Gift of Life Walk & Run, 20 friends and members of the Del Ferraro family put on their "Chance for Chase" T-shirts. Just a year earlier, one-year-old Chase Del Ferraro received a life-saving liver transplant.

"Our donor gave us another chance for Chase," says Jodi. "We've made it a goal to promote organ donation. We owe that to our donor family."

On June 2, 2006, Jodi gave birth at Akron City Hospital to three beautiful boys, Chase, Mason and Parker. Born 11 weeks early, they appeared healthy.

A week after his birth, Chase was diagnosed with biliary atresia: His bile ducts were blocked, affecting the flow of bile from his liver. "They told us Chase would probably need a liver transplant within the first two years of life," says Jodi.

Over several months, Chase did not gain weight and became quite sick. At five-months-old, Chase was evaluated at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and placed on the transplant waiting list for a liver.

Because Chase was so small-just 12 pounds at the time of his transplant-he required a donor weighing less than 80 pounds. "That was the hardest part. We knew another family would lose their child," says Jodi. "How do you pray for another baby's liver?"

A month after Chase's first birthday, the Del Ferraro family received the call that a liver was available. They rushed across Ohio.

Chase received his donor liver on July 26, 2007. "It was such a perfect match," says Jodi. "As soon as the transplant team put the liver in, they actually saw it produce bile. We cried." After a short stay in the hospital, Chase returned home to Stow. He was crawling within two weeks.

"Now, he's a totally normal kid," says Jodi. "The first time you meet him, you just want to hug him." He enjoys playing outside with neighborhood kids.

When asked about the experience, Jodi repeats one word-amazing. "I was so impressed with how the transplant team treated the new liver and respected the privacy of the donor family," she says. "It's the most amazing thing we've ever been through."

You have the power to save lives by becoming a registered organ and tissue donor right now or by saying "yes" when renewing your driver license or state ID at the BMV.