When firefighter Ross Marsh noticed that his newborn daughter Mackenzie had turned yellow just two days after birth, he knew something was terribly wrong. His instincts were right. Doctors diagnosed Mackenzie with biliary atresia, a rare liver disease in infants. Despite undergoing an initial procedure to remove the blockage, it became clear that only a liver transplant for baby Mackenzie could save her life.
“It was terrifying,” Ross said. “I’ve seen a lot in my line of work, but nothing prepares you to see your child fighting to survive.”
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The Fight for a Liver Transplant for Baby Mackenzie
Mackenzie was referred to Children’s Hospital Colorado, where doctors confirmed that she needed a liver transplant for baby patients like her to survive. Biliary atresia blocks bile from exiting the liver, damaging the organ over time. Although she initially underwent a Kasai procedure, Mackenzie continued to decline.
Feeding tubes and intravenous nutrition became necessary as her small body failed to absorb nutrients. With her condition worsening and the clock ticking, both Ross and his wife Jennah — also a firefighter — stepped forward for testing as living donors.
A Father’s Unmatched Sacrifice
“I told Jennah before the surgery — if it comes down to it, make sure she gets the liver,” Ross recalled. “Her life comes first.”
Ross was a match. Thanks to robotic-assisted surgery at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, he underwent the donation procedure, giving a portion of his liver to his daughter. Within two days, he was by her bedside again, recovering alongside her. The liver transplant for baby Mackenzie was a success.
“Her little smile came back — that’s when we knew we had hope again.”
Living Donors Can Save Lives
Mackenzie’s story is both hopeful and tragic. Hopeful because she survived — but tragic because so many others don’t. According to Dr. Amy Feldman, medical director at Children’s Hospital Colorado, roughly 40 children die each year in the U.S. because a liver transplant for baby in need doesn’t happen in time.
“There are millions of healthy adults who can be living donors,” Feldman says. “We have the power to stop these unnecessary deaths by supporting more living donations.”
Nationally, the average wait for a liver transplant is eight months. At Children’s Colorado, the wait for a liver transplant for baby patients is shorter — under two months — but even that can feel like a lifetime when a child’s health is failing.
Recovery and Rediscovering Normalcy
After six long months in and out of the hospital, Mackenzie is now home, off her feeding tube, and regaining strength. Her days are filled with floor scooting, playing, and a growing curiosity about the world around her.
“She’s just Mackenzie now — always on the move,” Ross said. “She’s not crawling yet, but she’s finding ways to get into everything.”
Ross and Mackenzie now carry matching surgical scars on their abdomens — lasting reminders of the liver transplant for baby that gave Mackenzie her second chance at life.
“It’s something we’ll honor,” Ross said. “It connects us in a powerful way.”
A Special Father’s Day
Though Ross will spend this Father’s Day on duty, he knows it carries deeper meaning than ever before.
“Being a father changes you. Your priorities shift,” he said. “Now every moment with her feels like a gift.”
Thanks to Ross’s selfless decision, Mackenzie’s story didn’t end in tragedy. It became a powerful example of love, sacrifice, and the lifesaving power of a liver transplant for baby patients across the world.
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