My Liver Transplant Story: Sydney Sullivan McGuire
My name is Sydney McGuire, and I am a 26-year-old wife and soon-to-be mom of two. When I was 12, I started having stomach pains and the doctors couldn’t figure out what it was.
My symptoms continued, and then one day I had blood in my urine, so my mom took me to the doctor. They did multiple tests and we found out my bilirubin was very high. I was told I needed to see a hepatologist right away.
We went and they did a bunch of tests and diagnosed me with autoimmune hepatitis type 2. They said that my disease had already progressed so much that I would eventually need a liver transplant, they just couldn’t tell me when.
They immediately started me on a large dose of steroids and told me the drugs would make me gain weight. As a little girl, that was tough to hear. I was determined for that not to be my story, so I decided I wanted to start exercising.
At the time, my older brother, Tommy, and my dad were very into CrossFit, and prior to that they would always be encouraging me to try it, but I would just brush it off and say no thanks.
I had done sports in school, but nothing like CrossFit. After being diagnosed, I thought I’d finally give it a try and immediately fell in love. I think CrossFit played a huge role in keeping my body healthy, and I started getting really competitive with it.
I continued to take my medicine and get my blood drawn frequently. I was getting sicker as the disease progressed, but it was a pretty slow progression. I think the exercising and eating well slowed down the progression of the liver disease a bit because I was keeping my body so healthy.
Even with the liver disease, I was able to compete, and I actually won first place that year.
Sydney Sullivan McGuire
I did the CrossFit Open in 2015, and afterward they announced they were doing a teenage division. I made the cut at 15 years old and went on to compete at the CrossFit Games. I got a CrossFit coach to help me, and I trained really hard for it. Even with the liver disease, I was able to compete, and I actually won first place that year.
At that point, no one except the people closest to me knew I was on the liver transplant list. The next year, I started to experience a pretty quick decline in my health. I started losing even more weight—I was skin and bones. I was way more fatigued as well.
Despite my health declining, I started training for the next year’s CrossFit Games. I qualified and was grateful to place fifth.
Throughout this time, I was keeping up with my doctors here in Oklahoma. After the CrossFit Games that year, my doctor told me that my MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) score was not accurately reflecting how sick I was on the inside. He thought it was because I was keeping my body so healthy. It needed to be higher to get a transplant.
That facility in Oklahoma was actually shutting down, so my doctor said he was going to send me to some other states, which would help me get a liver quicker. He recommended a living donor transplant, which would also help me get a transplant more quickly with my MELD score being on the lower end.
I went to three different facilities to get evaluated and none of them would agree to do my transplant—they all rejected me because I wasn’t “sick enough.”
My mom I’m sure was so stressed but she kept that from me—I just kept going on with my life. Then one day we were at the gym, and my mom had a conversation with a man there who was asking about my CrossFit journey. After talking for a bit, it came up that we were looking for a place that would approve me for a transplant. He said he was an anesthesiologist at Madison, Wisconsin, and that they had a great liver transplant center and he recommended we try there.
My mom immediately booked flights and the appointment. The whole process was so smooth. They told me I was a great candidate and they wanted to do my transplant. My sister was the first to ask to be my donor—she was only 19 at the time. They put her through all the testing and they would have done it, but with her anatomy it would be a bit more of a risky surgery, so they asked if anyone else would be willing. My brother, Tommy, who was 23 at the time, came to Madison and did the evaluation and was a perfect match.
By the grace of God, I had my transplant on March 28, 2017, when I was 17. It really couldn’t have gone any smoother. I am super grateful.
My recovery went well. Thankfully, I didn’t have that many complications—it went pretty smoothly. We stayed in Wisconsin for a little over a month because they want you to be nearby in case anything happens.
The biggest thing for me was adjusting to all of the anti-rejection medications. I was already taking medication prior to my transplant, but nothing like the medication that I had to take after. But it’s necessary because they have to prevent your body from rejecting the liver. I still take about 20 pills a day.
I believe exercising and being in shape helped so much, both before and after transplant, especially with my recovery.
Sydney Sullivan McGuire
I wanted to get back into exercising immediately. I remember I would walk so many laps around the hospital floor because I wanted to get moving again. I believe exercising and being in shape helped so much, both before and after transplant, especially with my recovery.
After maybe four months, my doctor told me I was cleared to do pretty much anything I wanted, and I got right back into it. Nearly nine years post-transplant, I am feeling great and could not be more grateful to God for my health and brother!
About the Author
Sydney Sullivan McGuire lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her husband and is a soon to be mom of two. She enjoys exercising, being outside, and spending time with her family. Her transplant journey has taught her that with God anything is possible.