Friday marked National Donor Day and the UT Rockets celebrated the success of transplants in our community with their annual Rockets for Life basketball game.
Allison Herr was center court Friday night because of a liver transplant she can't even remember. But, she is fully aware of the impact it had on her life.
"They said I was very orange and my eyes were yellow and I practically should've almost died," Allison said.
Her mom, Jenny Herr, remembers bringing a seemingly health Allison home and getting a phone call asking them to immediately come back to the hospital.
"It took 17 days to get her diagnosed. It was biliary atresia which effects 15-20,000 kids in the United States annually," she said.
Then, there was the 16-month wait. Jenny said she was first in denial about how sick her newborn was, and then prayed that a match would come.
"First, it was monthly; then weekly, then when we got closer and closer to January 21 — that's her transplant date — it was to the point at night where we would just pray she would be taken in her sleep because of how bad she was," she said.
Now, Allison is active both in her community and at her high school.
"I do rodeos, I show cows, I do golf, CYO basketball and I play softball," she said.
It's still important to her that she educates others about organ donation.
"I want to show people what donating life and donating organs, eye and tissue can do. It's a positive result," Allison said.