A London woman who was in desperate need of a liver transplant is recovering in hospital after the life-saving surgery.
Jillian di Bernardo suffers from a hereditary liver condition that first made her sick in 2010.
By late last year, when she was 28 years old, her condition worsened and could no longer be treated with medication. Doctors thought a live donor would be her only hope for survival.
She and her husband Zach started an online campaign to have potential live donors step forward.
The plea generated great support for Di Bernardo and her family, though no suitable donor was found.
She learned last week that her deteriorating condition qualified her to be on the deceased donor list, and a liver became available soon after.
Di Bernardo underwent an 8-hour surgery through the early hours on Friday at London Health Sciences Centre. Today, her husband is reporting that she is recovering well and in good spirits.
She says doctors told them the unexpected complexity of her surgery and severity of her condition made them realize that her life could only have been saved by a deceased donor.
