Lily Shaw Stuart
Community Hero 2005
When Lily was just five days old, she was diagnosed with a rare, genetically linked metabolic disorder known as Citrullinemia—a condition that affects about 1 in 30,000 people. By the time she reached two months of age, Lily had spent half of her life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at a local Children’s Hospital.
During her lengthy hospital stay, Lily, (a.k.a. Tiger Lily and Lily Bug), underwent a laundry list of treatments, enduring everything from hemodialysis and daily metabolic tests, to a liver biopsy and a feeding tube in her stomach. As soon as she’s old enough, she’ll receive a liver transplant to cure her disease.
Through all this, Lily has never stopped fighting for her life. Today, her prognosis looks good and she continues to flourish. The incredible courage and resilience that Lily has shown are proof that even the smallest among us can be the biggest heroes. Lily remains a wonderful source of inspiration for her parents, her sister and her brother.
