P.E.I. liver donor overwhelmed to learn she saved a child's life

Trina Doyle volunteered to be a living donor and gone through the surgery in Toronto to remove part of her liver, but it wasn't until she received a letter from the recipient's family that she truly understood how important her decision was. 

She recently found out her donation helped save a young child's life, and speaking about that letter from the family makes her emotional.

"It was a very overwhelming letter to read," said Doyle.

"It was like I had found out for the first time what I had done."

The donor program is anonymous, but allows both recipient and donor to exchange letters if they want. No names or specific identifying details are included. 

"When they spoke of the child they could only refer to them as 'the child,' they couldn't say if it's a boy or a girl — they couldn't give dates or say where they were from," said Doyle. 

Doyle said her recipient was likely a baby.

The family's letter to Doyle said their child was born with liver disease. The child had been suffering since birth and the parents were not a match for the child. 

The letter to Doyle said: "we were shattered to know that we were unable to save our child."

"The child had gotten very sick and they were at the last of their resources and their hopes," Doyle said. "It really made me feel like I had helped."

They also said since the transplant the child is now doing well. 

Doyle said the letter also talked about how the child's whites of their eyes were yellow before the transplant, and now they have turned white for the first time. 

The letter calls Doyle their hero and says: "every moment we have with our child is a gift of you." 

Doyle went to Toronto General Hospital last year for the surgery. The pandemic delayed some of her follow-up appointments, but she recently had her final check up.