“She is my world, my one and only”

By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org

Annaka Salazar is going to prom this weekend. Next month she plans to walk at her high school graduation. And soon, she hopes to get her driver’s license.

All of these things are rites of passage for teens, but they were not a given for Annaka, who has spent every one of her 18 years living with liver disease after being born with biliary atresia, a condition that blocks bile from draining properly, leading to liver damage.

That all changed one month ago when Annaka received a new liver and a new chance at life.

After being so sick for so long, she and her mom, Amber Salazar, are looking forward to living life with a little more freedom as they make plans for the future.

“We’ve been coming here since she was a baby,” Amber said from Annaka’s room at Riley Hospital for Children, where the teen worked on a creative mosaic earlier this month. “There are a lot of emotions, but I’m just so happy for her.”

After a year on the transplant waiting list, Annaka received her donor liver last month. IU Health transplant surgeon Dr. Chandrashekhar Kubal performed the transplant at Riley.

Getting the call that a donor liver was waiting for Annaka was a surreal experience, Amber said.

“We were both asleep, so it was jarring. We had a bag packed like they tell you, but I still was scanning the apartment to make sure we had everything.”

The drive itself, normally a 15-minute commute that Amber could do in her sleep (considering how often she and Annaka were at Riley), was a challenge, and not just because of early morning rush hour traffic.

“I said to Annaka, ‘I don’t know how I’m supposed to drive safely to the hospital when I have all these emotions,’ so it was difficult,” Amber recalled. “It was hard to be in the moment and aware of my surroundings. She is my world, my one and only, so I was thinking about all the possibilities and things that could happen.”

They made it to Riley safely, and the transplant took place that same day.

And now Annaka, who is under the care of renowned Riley gastroenterologist/hepatologist Dr. Jean Molleston, is back home with a liver that is outperforming expectations.

“Her new liver is doing so well, better than I could have imagined,” Amber said. “All of her numbers are just amazing. We are really happy with her progress.”

Annaka, described as funny, smart and thoughtful by her mom, hopes to return to Riley as a nurse someday. She plans to study nursing at Ivy Tech in the fall.

“I just want to help people,” the teen said, adding that she is grateful to her donor for changing her life “in a good way.”

Her mom expresses the same gratitude, for the selfless gift of organ donation and for the village that has surrounded her these past 18 years.

“I am so thankful for everyone who has been part of the journey,” Amber said. “I just love Riley so much. I recommend it to anyone struggling with the health of their children. It’s been a big part of my life.”

To register to be an organ, eye or tissue donor, visit RegisterMe.org or DonateLifeIndiana.org/signup.

Photos submitted and by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org