From the outside, 18-year-old Alex Chandler seems like a typical teenager with a love for video games and spending time with his friends. On the inside, he’s got something pretty special.
Alex received a liver transplant at just 8 months old, which has allowed him to grow up and hit a magic milestone in June as he graduated from Belleville High School with the rest of his class.
Alex was born with jaundice that was not going away. A liver biopsy revealed that he needed a transplant, and Alex was placed on the waiting list.
“He was the only baby on the list and the only one with his blood type,” said his mom, Tanisha Chandler. “We didn’t know how long the wait would be, but we kept hoping it would be soon.”
It didn’t take long to receive the call they had been waiting for in March 2006. A generous donor in Ohio saved Alex, who received his transplant at Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor.
“If Alex hadn’t needed a transplant, I don’t know if I would have become an organ donor,” Tanisha said. “Now that I have that knowledge, and having gone through the process, I encourage others to educate themselves on organ donation.”
Education about organ and tissue donation is something Alex knows firsthand. His story has been shared since he was 8 years old as part of Gift of Life Michigan’s award-winning All of Us high school education program.
His smiling face, in fact, is featured on the All of Us information brochure shared with teachers and students at hundreds of high schools across Michigan.
“I first met Alex when he was just a little boy,” said Taneisha Carswell, community relations coordinator at Gift of Life Michigan. “I met his family in person at our LIFE Walk and have been sharing his story as part of my presentation now for almost 10 years. He is just a great kid. It’s been wonderful to watch him grow up.”
Alex plans to study forensic science and enjoy the life his donor has allowed him to live: “I just want to be settled, have a good job and a happy family,” he said.
