Belle Glade girl gets liver donor

BELLE GLADE, FL -- Just a few weeks ago, NewsChannel 5 told you about the community of Belle Glade's collective embrace of 12-year-old Skii Sumerall, who desperately needed a liver transplant.  

Skii's family got a call concerning a donor from Jackson Memorial Hospital early this morning, and within 40 minutes she was in Miami undergoing surgery.

Skii suffers from a rare liver disease that robs her of vitality.  She's been forced to stay at home.   She dreams of going back to school and eventually becoming a doctor, so she can help other kids.
  
On September 12th, a group of concerned friends, family and acquaintances held a fund raising golf tournament for Skii at the Sugar Cane Golf Club.  Plattner's Belle Glade GM sponsored a hole-in-one contest. 

Organizer Bill Underwood, who hails from Wellington said , "We were initially concerned because there weren't many reservations, but after the news story people started calling.  The turnout was tremendous."  

In fact, today, Underwood had planned to meet with Skii and her mother, Landy Brown, to present them a check for nearly $9,000.  The money will go toward her anti-rejection medications for the first year.
  
While the family has insurance, it's not nearly enough to cover the cost of everything Skii needs.  

We'll keep you posted on Skii's recovery following today's surgery. 

Anyone interested in donating toward her medical expenses can click here.  The link will take you to Skii's website at COTA (Children's Organ Transplant Association).  Click on the box that says "Donate Now" and you'll be able to print out a form and send in a check.
  
Skii's mother, Landy, told NewsChannel 5, "I just thank God because...what's so funny is that the people that God has been placing in my path to really, really help are perfect strangers."