Cordelia Whatman is a beautiful, living example of the gift of organ donation

Baby Cordelia "had pretty much been yellow" since her birth at Calvary Hospital in Bruce in 2007, according to Rachel.

Cordelia's rare liver and bile duct disease - biliary atresia, diagnosed after birth - meant she had high levels of bilirubin causing extreme jaundice. Her little hands were yellow, her eyes were glowing yellow and even her tears were yellow.

At eight months, Cordelia's liver was suffering so badly from bile damage she was placed on the waiting list for a new one. But at the time, few Australians were donating.

"That wait was really hard - really hard," Rachel said.

"There were no transplants being done because there just weren't the donors coming up - so they only did two or three in the eight months we were waiting.

"I think the prioritisation is based on how sick you are, not how old you are. And it's related to compatibility of donors because they've got to match the donors up from a huge database."

Although deep down she knew, Rachel never spoke about the fact her baby was dying.

"The reality was if she didn't get a liver she would have died," she says.

"I'd never actually asked the doctors, I just didn't want to know, but certainly I don't think she would have made it to two."

By age 16 months, Cordelia was in a bad way. She'd just undergone another major surgery in an attempt to drain her liver and was in intensive care at Westmead Children's Hospital.

Rachel was sitting holding her toddler's hand in ICU when a nurse tapped her on the shoulder.

"There was a call for me from RPA (Royal Prince Alfred hospital) which was where they coordinate the transplants from and so it was the transplant coordinator saying, 'I think we've got a liver for Cordelia'.

"That news was amazing."

The next 10 hours were a whirlwind. Nurses bathed and prepped Cordelia for surgery while an exhausted Rachel slept in a chair next to the bed. Cordelia was wheeled in for her transplant at 7am, and Rachel and partner Warwick spent the next 10 hours attempting to distract themselves as a tiny piece of someone else's liver was transplanted into their daughter.

When Cordelia emerged from surgery at 5pm, her little body a tangle of tubes and monitors, Rachel and Warwick could instantly see the difference in their girl. Her yellow skin was starting to look more normal.

"As soon as she cried after the transplant surgery, her tears were clear and her eyes were really quite clear."

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the transplant. Baby Cordelia, now an almost 11-year-old grade 6 student at Girls Grammar school, sits patiently as she listens to mum Rachel tell the story of her "tough as nails" baby.

Cordelia's not allowed to play basketball or soccer and can't eat any foods with a listeria risk - grapefruit and soft cheeses are out - but she can do her favourite things: drawing dragons and reading historical fiction (The Ivy and Scarlett series is her favourite).

"I've always known I had a transplant and that it saved my life," Cordelia says.

"I'm very grateful for that because without it I would not be able to be here. I can run, I can play with my friends, and do all the stuff a 10 year old does."

Cordelia and Rachel both nod when I ask if they want people to consider becoming organ donors.

"I'd say you should definitely do that, cause you can save a lot of lives by doing that," Cordelia says.

Rachel adds, "Take this story from The Canberra Times and use it as a starting point. Just making sure that your family knows what you want is really important. The more people who know and can just talk about it as a normal thing, the better it is for people like Cordelia and all the other people who need a transplant."

Gift of Life's DonateLife Walk 2018 is on Wednesday, February 28, starting from Regatta Point at 6.45am for a 7am sharp start. Visit www.giftoflife.asn.au to register for the walk.

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