ORLANDO, Fla. – In honor of Donate Life Month, Bridgett chatted with longtime News 6 producer, Haley Coomes-Martin and her husband, Jamie, joined by their baby boy, Rhys.
Jamie suffered liver failure in 2019 and credits his wife, Haley, for being his rock during that tough time.
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In November of that same year, after months of waiting, Jamie got the call he was up for a new liver. Just four short months later, the couple managed to make it down the aisle on Leap Day 2020, just before the pandemic shutdowns.
Then, last year, the pair welcomed their son, Rhys Apollo, into the world. Today they’re active as a family in supporting the local transplant community.
“Every Friday, Jamie joins a support group through AdventHealth for transplants. He’ll have Rhys with him and the social worker appreciates it every time,” Haley said. “We talked to her on Sunday at the AdventHealth family picnic. She says Rhys is a symbol of hope and shows people you can have that after a transplant, after everything.”
“It’s amazing we have people in that group like me, I’m four-and-a-half years out, people who’ve just gotten theirs, people still waiting to get theirs. It’s nice to give back and give people the hope of what life can be like,” Jamie said.
In gratitude and support, Jamie and Haley also keep in touch with his donor’s family.
For more information on AdventHealth’s Transplant Institute, including its living donor program, click here.
Watch the video for the full interview!
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