Guest post by Kelly Smith, donate life advocate and Cloudy Day Gray blogger.

Before Matilda was born, I didn’t know anything about pediatric organ donation. I had never really considered the fact that children even experienced organ failure. And, I certainly had never considered the fact that the organ donors may need to be children themselves. These aren’t the things that parents want to think about.

By the time my daughter Matilda was nine days old, she was on life support and had been placed on the waiting list. My pregnancy was normal, her birth was uncomplicated; we took her home and ate chocolate cake the next day to celebrate. But she soon became lethargic, uninterested in nursing, and unable keep anything down.

The five long weeks we waited for an offer were the most challenging of my life. The endurance and pain of waiting was to be expected – I had my faith for that. But there was so much more than just the wait. It was the separation from my son, the long nights at the hospital bedside, the alarms sounding constantly, the moments holding our breath when death was near. It was learning what everything meant – all the medical terms, the decisions, the side effects.

The entire five weeks was a huge life lesson about what was important and what was not. Our lifestyle was broken down. It was re-adjusted and has changed forever.

Matilda received her liver transplant on her six-week birthday. We had been saying our goodbyes just the day before. Although extremely risky due to her age and size, everything went smoothly. She remained in the hospital for another month, in the city for frequent appointments a month beyond that, and finally returned home on her four-month birthday.

Matilda has the most joyful disposition; she is active and vibrant in everything that she does. She has met all of her milestones on time and with zest.

For something that I knew nothing about just three years ago, I have now become an active advocate and work towards bringing awareness to pediatric organ donation on a regular basis through my blog, Cloudy Day Gray.

I can’t tell you what happened to Matilda, why her liver failed, but I can tell you that without her donor–without a mother saying yes during the saddest moment in her life–Matilda would not be here. Without the amazing doctors, nurses, and surgeons at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital–Matilda would not be here. Without the mountains of people wishing her well and supporting us daily–Matilda would not be here.

But she is here, and her life is beautiful.