Clara Melis, illness and transplant: "A stranger's gift gave me a second chance."
The 39-year-old woman from Villagrande, Ogliastra, opens up about her deep grief over her brother's death, the ladybug landing on her hand ("It was him"), and the call from the hospital 18 minutes later: "There's a liver."
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"On June 2nd, someone who didn't know me gave me a second chance. I think about my donor every day. I don't know how to thank him, I don't know how to thank his family." Thus begins the story of the second life of Clara Melis, 39, from Villagrande, Ogliastra. A story of hope and gratitude, but also a message about the importance of organ donation. A career as a cosmetic surgeon, she works between Cagliari and Tortolì. A respected professional, she has over 70,000 followers on social media. Behind her smile lies a battle that began when she was a teenager: a series of autoimmune diseases that intertwine over the years and gradually compromise her liver.
The certainty
The years passed with hospitalizations, therapies, and checkups. In June 2013, the illness was compounded by a grave loss: the loss of his brother Edoardo, known to all as Zazzo. Despite the difficulties, he continued his university studies and graduated with a degree in Medicine in 2018. He built his career.
In 2021, her condition worsened again, and a transplant ceased to be an option. "I grew up knowing it could become a real possibility. But when that moment approaches, you're never prepared." In 2025, a new, long and complex journey began: specialist visits, tests, hospitalizations. On January 28, 2026, she was placed on the waiting list. The first call came two weeks later. The second in April, the third in May. Each time, hope gave way to disappointment.
The signal
After months of waiting and dashed hopes, she stops "deceiving herself." "I had decided to think about summer." On June 1st, she's at Poetto with her friends. At one point, a ladybug lands on her hand. "I jokingly said, 'Come on, bring me a liver.'" Eighteen minutes later, the call from the hospital comes. For Clara, it's a sign that her beloved brother is no longer with us. "I'm convinced that ladybug was him. We had two identical napkin rings with ladybugs on them."
Numbers and symbols
She reaches Brotzu but doesn't get her hopes up. Confirmation comes during the night. The next morning, the medical staff escorts her to the operating room. The voices of the anesthetists are the last she remembers. "They told me to think of something good. But I didn't need to imagine anything. I was exactly where I wanted to be: reclaiming my life." On June 2, 2026, she receives the liver that saves her life. "I am transplant number 604, four like my brother's jersey number, six like the month I lost him." A thank you to the Hepatobiliary Surgery team: "They accompanied me with professionalism and humanity. If I can tell this story today, it is thanks to that gesture. Without the transplant, there would not have been a happy ending. I thank my donor and his family every day for allowing me to continue living. I promise to honor their gift by living this second life to the fullest."
Federica Melis
