It took Allison Taylor three days to wake up after her Sept.10 surgery at UC San Francisco Medical Center, but once she did, life started looking a lot better for the 12-year-old Napan.

Allison, who lives in Napa with her family, received part of her aunt’s healthy liver during the 10-hour surgery. The donor is Melissa Goleno, also of Napa.

“Allison didn’t have much more time. … Thank God for my sister coming forward,” Michele Taylor, Allison’s mom, said. “There’s no words that can say ‘thank you.’ Words don’t even cover it.”

Goleno and Taylor are fraternal twins, but the family ties didn’t spare Goleno from scores of screening tests. After undergoing everything from a CT scan to a psychological exam, she got the green light to become a donor, helping Allison avoid the organ waiting list process. 

“If we had to wait on the list, we would still be waiting right now,” Kevin Taylor, Allison’s father, said.

 Surrounded by family, the pair checked into the hospital on Sept. 9. Goleno said she was thrilled just before going under the knife.

Wanting to do his part, Allison’s uncle, Dana Goleno, donated blood to help his niece compensate for blood loss during surgery. Post-surgery, a pint of it ran through her veins, along with several units from anonymous blood bank donors.

Gearing up for the surgeries was a family affair. Taylor said about two dozen friends and family members rallied at UCSF the day of the surgery to support both donor and recipient. The support proved invaluable, especially post-surgery,  when doctors  discovered that Allison’s liver was in worse shape than everyone believed.

“We didn’t realize how sick she was beforehand,” Michele Taylor, Allison’s mother, said. “They knew her liver was bad, but they didn’t know how bad,”

Kevin Taylor said his sister-in-law was in surgery for about seven hours, while his daughter spent about 10 hours on the operating table.

On the mend in the hospital for seven days, Goleno wasted no time visiting Allison in her pediatric hospital room as soon and as often as she could. Allison went through a painful second surgery on Sept. 17 and was in the hospital for two weeks. The sixth-floor pediatric ICU at UC San Francisco Medical Center was her home for about one week, and she spent the rest in a pediatric unit.

Goleno said the first few days after the operation were the most physically painful for her.

“But it worked out,” she said. “It worked out good.”

Diagnosed just after birth with biliary artresia, Allison suffered from blockages in the ducts transferring bile from the liver to the gallbladder. When she was an infant, an operation improved her overall health, but the condition has still meant a lifetime of stomach bleeds, vitamin deficiencies, abdominal swelling and blood transfusions.

But today, things are different. Allison said she’s feeling good. Her family says the surgery has brought the pre-teen a considerable energy boost and her stomach swelling is a thing of the past.

When it comes to the future, Allison is expected to take anti-rejection drugs for about five years, according to her mother. Homeschooled for now, she’s waiting out her first 90 days after surgery — the most critical when it comes to organ transplants, she said.

Allison’s father said the pre-teen was home for four to five weeks before she started feeling like herself again.

“Some days, she looks extra tired. I’m still seeing a huge toll,” Michele Taylor said.

Allison’s 13-year-old cousin, Adam Goleno, said although it’s been a long road for the family, he’s proud of his cousin’s resilience and his mother’s decision to become a donor.

The “Make-A-Wish Foundation” visited the family on Nov. 15, when Allison gave them three wishes: A trip to Disney World, Disneyland, or a chance to meet Jeff Gordon, of Vallejo, a top NASCAR driver. The Taylors expect to hear back from the organization’s officials within four to six weeks. The Disney World trip, meanwhile, remains Allison’s first choice.

For her part, Allison’s mom said she’s been wanting to take her daughter to a Disney park “since she was born.”

“I knew we’d have it good, but I didn’t think it would be this good,” she said.