Brielle
Brielle was born with a serious intestinal illness in babies known as necrotizing enterocolitis. As a baby, she endured two surgeries at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Surgeons removed part of her intestine, leaving her with short bowel syndrome, a condition that can make it difficult for a child to eat and digest food properly. After the second surgery, Brielle was added to a waitlist for a bowel transplant to cure her condition. To nourish her body, Brielle received fluid and nutrition through a vein, and grew up accustomed to wearing a backpack containing the technology that kept her healthy and strong. After eight years of waiting, Brielle received an intestinal transplant in 2019 – the beginning of “brighter days and greater days,” said her mom, Jackie. Since the transplant, Brielle has enjoyed the freedom to do what she loves the most: dancing, both for fun and on her school’s cheer team. “Lurie Children’s means life long happiness, saviors, and family,” Jackie said.