What This Story Is About
- A liver donation flown out of Nashville on a military plane on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, saved the life of a 6-month-old Houston infant who has now met her donor coordinator in person.
Why It Matters
- Amid the chaos and grounded flights of 9/11, coordinated action by Tennessee Donor Services, the FAA and the National Guard ensured a life-saving transplant still reached its recipient in time.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A liver donation that left Nashville International Airport on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, saved the life of a 6-month-old infant in Houston. Twenty-five years later, the woman who organized the flight met the recipient in person for the first time.
Kareena was 6 months old and in need of a liver transplant on Sept. 11, 2001. Her match was found in Nashville that morning.
Flights grounded after attacks
The morning of Sept. 11, 2001, flights across the country were grounded after four planes were hijacked by terrorists and crashed, killing nearly three thousand people.
A flight intending to leave Nashville International Airport was carrying the liver donation for Kareena. Flights were grounded, and her chances of survival dwindled by the hour…