A mother’s gift gives daughter life twice

THREE years ago, Millie Hujber was like any other 17 year old.

She filled her days with dance, gym sessions and schoolwork, living the busy life of a teenager.

But after a routine medical procedure, everything changed in an instant.

“I had a bit of excessive bleeding so my wonderful GP did a blood test, then we got the call to say you need to come in,” Millie recalled.

That call revealed her kidney function had fallen to just 20 percent.

Within a week, the family was plunged into discussions about a transplant.

Her mother, Vanessa, a Nurse Unit Manager at Hervey Bay Hospital, said the shock was overwhelming.

“We went from thinking she was this perfectly healthy teenager to hearing she needed a transplant.

There was no warning, no signs. It was like the floor disappeared from under us.”

Doctors eventually discovered Millie’s kidney failure stemmed from a spontaneous genetic mutation.

“They told us she was born with it,” Vanessa said.

“The doctors were surprised she had even made it this far without being sick.”

For three years, Millie lived in limbo — too sick to enjoy life, but not yet ill enough for dialysis.

“Some days I would be so tired, I’d just crash and cry out of nowhere,” she said. Eventually, she had to give up work.

Vanessa never hesitated to offer her kidney.

“I gave birth to her once and giving her my kidney felt like giving her life again.”

After delays caused by illness and even a cyclone, the surgery went ahead in June at Princess Alexandra Hospital.

“I was so nervous,” Millie said.

“I was physically sick not because of my surgery but just watching my mum get ready.”

Vanessa was calm.

“All I wanted was for her to get on that table and receive my gift. That’s all that mattered.”

Now, Millie is back home with her beloved pets, taking anti-rejection medication and slowly reclaiming her future.

“I want to study nursing and paramedicine,” she said.

Vanessa carries her scar proudly.

“She’s marked me twice in the same place first when I gave birth, and now with this scar from giving her my kidney.”

For Millie, it’s simple: “This is my second chance and I’m not wasting it.”