Girl Survives More Than 25 Surgeries and Liver Transplant Before Turning 3

ORLANDO, Fla. — Mattison Beacham, affectionately known as “Miracle Mattie,” has endured an extraordinary medical journey since birth, surviving more than 25 emergency surgeries and a liver transplant before reaching her third birthday.

Mattison was born in 2023 to Allison and Michael Beacham. Her parents say the pregnancy was completely normal, but concerns emerged during her two-month checkup when doctors noticed that she was not growing as expected.

She was eventually diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare and potentially life-threatening condition affecting the liver.

A Race Against Time

Biliary atresia damages or blocks the bile ducts, preventing bile from properly leaving the liver.

Mattison’s parents say the condition was not identified early enough. A lawsuit filed by the family alleges that the hospital failed to perform a critical procedure within the recommended early window, contributing to the severity of her illness.

The medical providers named in the lawsuit have not accepted responsibility. One organization declined to comment because of the pending litigation.

As Mattison’s condition deteriorated, she spent months in intensive care and experienced severe complications affecting multiple organs.

A Desperate Search for a New Liver

According to her mother, Mattison eventually needed a liver transplant to survive.

The family describes the transplant as a last-minute opportunity that came when their daughter was critically ill.

Mattison ultimately received a donor liver, giving her a chance to recover. However, the prolonged illness and complications left her with permanent injuries, including the loss of her left hand and several fingers.

Her parents say she spent 182 nights in critical care during her ordeal.

Her Parents Put Their Lives on Hold

The experience transformed the lives of Allison and Michael.

Both had established careers — Allison as a television host and journalist and Michael as an executive with California Pizza Kitchen — but they put their professional lives aside to concentrate on their daughter’s treatment.

They traveled between hospitals and worked with a large team of medical specialists as Mattison continued to fight through one medical crisis after another.

Her parents now describe her as a remarkably resilient child who has continued to make progress despite everything she has experienced.

Turning Her Story Into a Mission

Mattison’s experience eventually inspired her parents to launch “Mattie’s Law,” an initiative seeking universal newborn screening for biliary atresia.

The effort has already gained support in Florida, where lawmakers approved funding for a pilot screening program.

Her parents now want the screening initiative to expand nationally.

They argue that identifying the disease earlier could allow children to receive treatment sooner and potentially reduce the number of infants who eventually require liver transplants.

“Miracle Mattie”

Today, Mattison’s family sees her survival as more than a medical story.

They hope her experience can help other families identify biliary atresia earlier and prevent children from enduring the same complications.

For Allison and Michael, their daughter’s journey has transformed an unimaginable family crisis into a campaign for better newborn screening.

Their goal is simple: make sure that another child with the same condition is diagnosed early enough to have a better chance at treatment.

For now, Mattison continues growing and recovering — a little girl whose first years of life have already been marked by an extraordinary fight for survival.