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DALLAS – Sydney Wilson is making the most of every day. Born with a heart defect, the now college junior almost lost her life.<\/p>\n
But with innovative technology, she is one of only a few nationwide to undergo a double organ transplant.<\/p>\n
And it took two attempts before that heart and liver transplant could happen.\u00a0It is an incredible story, and one the Southern University junior has already told.<\/p>\n
The Sydney Show ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/screenshot-2025-12-16-171618.png\")
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As a young child, Sydney wanted her own show. With help from Children’s Hospital, she produced The Sydney Show about her medical journey.<\/p>\n
“It was easy, because it’s my own life, but it was hard to kind of go back and think on everything that I went through because I still haven’t processed everything, because it was so much that went on at a young age,” Sydney said.<\/p>\n
Sydney had three open-heart surgeries by age 4, and was born with an underdeveloped left side of the heart. She did well during her adolescent and teen years, but then a new problem arose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Transplant falls through <\/p>\n
“Due to the type of heart defect that she was left with, the circulation led to damage in her liver as well as her heart, so she had to do a heart and liver at the same time,” said Dr. Ryan Butts, a medical director at Children’s.<\/p>\n
But the first transplant was called off at the last moment, due to trouble with the donor heart.<\/p>\n
“Obviously a heart-breaking decision. Everybody’s excited. They’d been waiting for this moment, but it was absolutely the right decision to make,” Butts said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“That was really the hardest part because the waiting just takes so long because you never know,” Sydney said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I was just calling on God\u2019 ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/screenshot-2025-12-16-171541.png\")
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Organ Care System – TransMedics <\/p>\n
Sydney says her faith in God played a huge role in getting her through the ordeal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I was praying every day, especially when things were going wrong. I was just calling on God: ‘Okay, I know you have a plan for my life and I know that all of this is happening for a reason. Even if I don’t see why this is happening right now, I’ll see it later on,'” Sydney said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, the second transplant arrived was conducted with new technology: the Organ Care System, which keeps donated organs functioning outside the body.<\/p>\n
Because this new technology keeps organs functioning, transplant teams can travel longer distances\u00a0to receive life-saving donations.<\/p>\n
Successful surgery <\/p>\n
The surgery was successful. The 88 days in Children’s is a chapter in Sydney’s story that will always stay with her.<\/p>\n
“The surgery, I believe, was two days. They did both organs at the same time, and then the recovery process was the hardest part. That is something I will never forget,” Sydney said.<\/p>\n
Sydney’s not yet met the family of her donor, but is waiting for when that time comes.<\/p>\n
The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 4 interviews with Syndey Wilson and her medical team.\u00a0<\/p>\n