NEW ORLEANS(WGNO) – His name is Jarrius Robertson.
He goes by Little JJ, and by now he’s as big a celebrity as The New Orleans Saints.
Jarrius has a rare liver disease and met some of the Saints last winter at Ochsner while being treated in the ICU. He is 14 years old, but stands only waist high because of his biliary atresia. He may be little, but his personality is larger than life. His quick wit caught the attention of the Saints, and he’s now apart of the family.
The Saints have invited Jarrius to camp and to several games, where he offers his own words of advice to the team. And now Jarrius is hitting the big stage on Good Morning America to share his story and help save lives.
Biliary atresia is a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts that occurs in infants. At 2 months old, Jarrius’ family learned of his condition. It’s been an uphill battle ever since. At the age of 2, Jarrius received his first liver transplant.
He is now on the waiting list for a new liver, but due to his size it may or may not come. But if you’re expecting Jarrius to sit around moping, think again.
“There are a lot of days that he’s not feeling well but he still fights. As his father, and for his mother, he never lets us know when he’s down,” said his father, Jordy Robertson. “We never see a dull moment until we ask.”
Jarrius slipped into a year-long coma when he was 3 years old. His family was asked to make the hardest decision they would ever face. On May 20, 2005, they removed him from the machines that kept him alive. But once unplugged, little JJ kept fighting. Now, 11 years later, Jarrius wants to complete his mission and help spread awareness about organ donations.
For more stories follow Meghan on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.