The little girl Olivia Swedberg was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer on
May 7, This three year old girl is from North Platte, Nebraska, had a tumor
known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), which has a 0 percent
survival rate and only affects children.
Her parents decided they needed to do whatever they could to
ensure Olivia could make the most of what time she had left, and so they set
off on a trip to Walt Disney World.
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While in Orlando, Olivia's mom, Lauressa Swedberg, received
a message on Facebook from a woman in Pittsburgh, who explained that she had
heard about Olivia's condition and that her own son only had just a few weeks
to live.
The little boy, Lucas Goeller, desperately needed a liver in
order to live.
He developed a sever liver disease illness called biliary
atresia shortly after birth.
The disease inhibits bile ducts in the liver.
'(Lucas' mother) told me she had been following our story
and felt compelled by God to contact us to let us know that he needed a liver,
she was very sorry for us, but also knew there was a bigger picture in place,'
Lauressa Swedberg told Fox Carolina.
That's when Mrs Swedberg and her husband made a decision.
Olivia's tumor was so remote it did not affect any other
part of her body, but her condition was deteriorating.
Her parents realized they had the chance to save another
life, even they could not help their own daughter.
Surgeons worked all day Monday and Tuesday to stabilize
Olivia's body for organ recovery.
Olivia ended up dying on Tuesday.
'Olivia will be making her journey to organ donation,' the
family wrote on Olivia's GoFundMe page last week.
'It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do walking away
from one of the loves of my life.'
On Thursday, the organ donation surgery took place.
But it wasn't just for Lucas.
During a simultaneous surgery, Angelo Giorno, four, of Derry
Township received Olivia's small intestine to combat a digestive disorder known
as short bowel syndrome
Lucas' mother, Jessica Goeller, also said it's as if you can
see Olivia coming through her son.
'You look at those pictures and you look into her eyes and
it's like her soul is coming,' Mrs Goeller told Fox Carolina.
'It takes a very strong person to step out of that and show
love for someone like our donor family did.'
Although they are in mourning, the Swedberg family say a
happiness has come from their loss.
'She is an amazing little girl and we will miss her so
terrible, but I know that - I have renewed faith - I have seen God's hands work
in this and how could I not move forward knowing what a miracle she was to
these praying families,' Mrs Swedberg said.
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