January 31, 2019
Daisy Friedman loves all things theatre and writing. One day, she hopes to combine the two.
She’s already off to a great start doing both — she’s been involved in several theatre productions and community theatre organizations.
She also writes for her school newspaper at Westside High School.
She’s a bubbly, energetic and creative 15-year-old with a bright outlook for her future.
But 12 years ago, she faced something much less blissful: a triple-organ transplant that saved her life.
Daisy was born with gastroparesis. It’s a condition that affects the normal movements of the stomach muscles. In Daisy’s case, her intestines were developing outside of the stomach wall.
Originally from New York City, Daisy and her parents spent time there receiving treatment. At three years old, she then needed to travel to Omaha to receive treatment at Nebraska Medicine. The family’s intention was to stay in Nebraska for a month while Daisy received treatment and then return to New York.
When they came to Omaha, however, Daisy’s diagnosis was much worse than they anticipated.
The medication she had been taking to reverse the effects of the intestinal infections damaged her liver.
She now needed a liver and small bowel transplant.
Daisy spent about four months waiting for the lifesaving transplant. In 2006, while Daisy was still three years old, she received just that.
During her transplant, Daisy also received the donor’s pancreas. She now has two.
