THIS precious little baby will die unless she gets an urgent liver transplant.

That reality has become brutally clear for the family of Bethany Harris, who was rushed to Brisbane five months ago with liver failure.

Yesterday, her mother Andrea spoke about Bethany’s desperate waiting game in the hope it would inspire more Australians to become organ donors.

"By showing Bethany, I hope it will give insight into some of the many people, including children, that are on waiting lists," an emotional Ms Harris said.

"Please, just think about it and let people know your wishes and register now to be an organ donor."

Joy at Bethany’s birth nine months ago turned to heartache for Ms Harris and her husband William, of Ravenshoe, when their baby suffered liver failure and was rushed to Brisbane.

Five months on and the family of eight is still down south and praying they will soon return home to the Tableland with a healthy baby.

"The doctors gave her two years but we really don’t know," Ms Harris told The Cairns Post. "The only thing we do know is that if she doesn’t get a transplant she will die."

Despite holding out hope a liver will become available, the Harris family has had to face the harsh reality their baby could be lost.

Ms Harris said the family could not escape the truth about Bethany’s life-threatening illness.

"We have to think about it because we are faced with it every day," she said.

"For us now, it’s just a waiting game.

"It could be six months or a year, we just don’t know."

Bethany has a condition called biliary cirrhosis and doctors do not know what has caused the end-stage liver
failure.

Once a fortnight, the little girl is injected with life-saving vitamins at Royal Brisbane Hospital’s children’s ward.

"Even though she is yellow from jaundice, she is just so beautiful," Ms Harris said.

"She smiles all the time and is just so happy.

"Knowing her just makes us want to thank the families who have granted their loved one’s wishes of being an organ donor."

Ms Harris said the sad reality was that it would take the death of another person to ensure the future of their much-loved baby.

"We understand that it is an ending for some. However, it may be a whole new beginning for others," she said.

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