He is the love of my life, the adoring father to our two young children and a man full of wisdom, laughter and now…tears of joy.

My husband, David Bird, had been suffering from a severe form of Hepatitis since July 2004.  He is a journalist who travels internationally.   Weeks after a business trip to Beirut, David appeared jaundiced and extremely tired.   We met with specialists and he underwent a battery of tests to determine the cause.  It remains elusive.  

We thought the worst was over when signs of his recovery appeared in late September.  The jaundiced subsided, he wasn’t as tired anymore, he began to resume the Sunday afternoon hikes in the woods with our 6 year-old son, Alexander.  He was feeling better.

As we prepared for our children’s most favorite holiday, Halloween, he delighted in the beautiful princess costume our 3 year-old daughter, Natasha would prance around in. I had begun to put him to work around the house again…he was looking forward to returning to work.

Suddenly, we were blindsided.  One week before Halloween, David started having a relapse.  He became jaundiced again and very tired. His liver functions started to worsen and he ended up in the hospital.  

A liver biopsy and MRI revealed that his liver was rapidly deteriorating.  We were told that he needed a liver transplant to save his life.   We were devastated. 

David was rushed to the hospital on December 7, 2004.   He was transferred from the local hospital to the Transplant Unit of NYU Medical Center on Dec. 8, 2004. There he waited.  As his conditioned worsened, we waited.  It became clear that a living donor was no longer an option for him.  He was too sick, he now needed a whole liver from a deceased donor. He was on “the list” but he needed it soon.  He waited in the hospital, patiently, knowing it would come.

On December 19, 2004, David’s angel came to him and gave him new life. Truly a Christmas miracle.  He now has a new liver and months of recovery ahead of him but his faith, strength, and love of life will get him through this.  

David is 46 years young.  Our children are 6 and 3. He has so many hugs and kisses to give them and so much to teach us all.

We thank you for all your prayers and well wishes and for giving us the strength to carry on.