One Donor, Four Lives: Peachtree City Girl Included

Before she could crawl, before she could speak, before her first birthday was even guaranteed, Deanna Anderson of Peachtree City needed a miracle to survive.

Today, at 12 years old, she is running track, taking ballet, serving in her church, and planning a future that once seemed impossible.

“I was basically told, if she’s not listed and receives a transplant, she won’t see her first birthday,” said her mother, Heidi Hamilton.

As April is Donate Life Month, Deanna’s life stands as a living example of what one decision can mean.

Born with jaundice—and something more

Deanna was born with jaundice, which her family was initially told was normal. They went home believing she was healthy.

But something wasn’t right.

A family member who is a pediatrician noticed immediately that Deanna’s coloring was not typical.

“She looks yellow. She doesn’t look tan,” Hamilton said.

At 3 months old, Deanna was admitted to the hospital. Tests revealed biliary atresia, a rare condition in which the bile ducts are blocked or missing, causing damage to the liver.

In her case, the ducts were not there at all.

Doctors attempted a Kasai procedure to rebuild them, but it failed. Deanna was then placed on the national transplant list, where time was not on her side.

“She weighed less than 15 pounds at transplant,” Hamilton said.

A life saved in the midst of loss

The call that saved Deanna’s life came at the cost of another family’s loss.

Kenneth Romero was 23 years old when he died after an asthma-related illness. Because he had registered as an organ donor, his organs saved four people.

Deanna was just 7 months old when the transplant came.

At the time, the family was living in the Miami area, where Deanna underwent the transplant.

His heart went to a teenager in New York. His kidneys saved two adults. And a portion of his liver—the left lobe—was transplanted into Deanna.

“As soon as they connected the liver, she was no longer yellow,” Hamilton said.

For Hamilton, the scale of that gift is impossible to separate from her daughter’s life.

“I never realized that in my lifetime before this that I could love a stranger like I love this person,” she said. “I’ve never met him, but he saved my daughter.”

Years later, the two families met. They have remained connected, checking in on Deanna and sharing in the life that grew out of loss.

Romero’s sister once shared the words that helped her endure that night.

“Your brother is going to save a baby tonight,” she was told.

“That was Deanna,” Hamilton said.

A life in motion

Deanna’s early months were spent in hospital rooms. Now, her life is defined by movement.

She runs track at J.C. Booth Middle School, competing in the 800-meter and two-mile events. She takes ballet three times a week at Georgia Academy of Dance. At church, she helps care for younger children in Sunday School and the nursery.

“I like riding my scooter,” Deanna said. “I go outside a lot, my trampoline, playing with my dog, and volunteering at church.”

For Hamilton, seeing her daughter run is something she does not take for granted.

“Seeing her running out there, it’s emotional,” she said. “There was a time she basically just laid in a crib.”

Deanna continues to be monitored closely and is immunocompromised, but her health today is strong.

Hamilton has also turned their experience into a way to give back. Through her work at SouthTree Commercial, she organizes an annual drive to collect colorful character bandages for children at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta—small comforts for young patients facing difficult treatments.

Last year, the effort brought in more than 9,000 bandages.

Looking ahead

Deanna understands what her life represents.

“Thank you for saving my life,” she said, when asked what she would say to her donor. “Because if I didn’t get the liver, I would have died.”

She already knows what she wants to become.

“I want to be a doctor,” Deanna said. “Because it’s just cool what they do, and I want to learn more about it.”

A simple choice that changes everything

Hamilton now shares Deanna’s story so others understand what organ donation makes possible.

“It is truly a gift, and it is a second chance,” she said. “Not only for the recipients, but for the families they saved.”

During Donate Life Month, families are encouraged to consider registering as organ donors when renewing their driver’s license. It is a simple step that can mean the difference between life and loss for someone else.

Just as important, Hamilton said, is making those wishes known.

A license may not always be with someone in their final moments—but their family is.

Deanna’s message is simple.

“You should sign for organ donation, because it will save a lot of people’s lives,” she said. “They’ll be very thankful because they get to live.”

Because for one Peachtree City girl—and three others—that decision meant everything.