Jesse Davis, a 6th grade teacher from North Ogden, suffered from a rare liver disease for 13 years and was eventually put on the transplant list when she became extremely sick. A few months later, a fellow teacher and friend, Shawna Blamires, went to Intermountain Medical Center and donated part of her liver to give Jesse renewed life.
Shawna and Jesse recovering at Intermountain Medical Center following their transplant surgeries.
“Life has been so wonderful and fun, and I owe it to Shawna, who didn’t wait until she was dead—she donated when it was needed,” Jesse says. “I’m a completely different person. I can play with my daughter, I ride my horses everywhere, and I’m back teaching full time.”
Jesse says she’d been assigned to be mentored by Shawna when she did her first year of teaching. During that year in 2009, she was getting sicker and was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare liver disease that leads to scarred bile ducts and an inefficient digestive system. She often talked to Shawna about her health as the two became friends.
Jesse’s symptoms subsided in 2019 while she was pregnant, but then worsened after her daughter was born. Then she couldn’t sleep, eat, or ride her horses. She couldn’t even stand in front of her class while teaching, and often needed a wheelchair to get around.
Shawna asked for the donation link as soon as she learned that no family members would be able to help her friend.
“There was never a defining moment,” Shawna says. “There was never a decision that had to be made. It was just something that was going to happen.”
Thanks to her liver transplant Jesse is now able to ride her horse.
Shawna went through the long process of tests and exams to find out if she could be a donor for her friend. It usually takes about three months, but this time it was complete within two months. As soon as she learned she was a match, she rushed to Jesse’s house to tell her in person.
“The process was so fast,” Jesse says. “The IMC team was so amazing to get these things done and still take care of me through all of this. I can’t tell you how amazing the IMC team is, everybody there, and how hard they worked. Even when I was waiting for transplant and how sick I was, I was still able to go to work—I was still able to do enough to keep me going—because of these people. It was phenomenal.”
Jesse was walking the day after the surgery, recovered quickly, and even got out of the hospital before Shawna. She was back teaching within 90 days and riding her horse a month after that.
“It’s been wonderful,” Jesse says. “I’m a completely different person. I have my life back. Everything is just different and better and I owe it to Shawna and the team at Intermountain Medical Center. It was a miracle.”
Shawna says her recovery was hard, but despite the difficulties she hasn’t had any regrets.
“Even at those worst moments, just knowing Jesse was going to be healthy and happy and be able to raise her daughter and live her life—it’s totally worth it. Totally worth it,” Shawna says. “If I had to go back and do all over again, I would.”
Jesse and Shawna at the celebration of Intermountain's 5,000th organ transplant.
Jesse and Shawna shared their story as part of the celebration of Intermountain’s 5,000th organ transplant. Watch a recording of the event.