Rebecca Thompson was born on April 20, 1989, nearly three months premature, and 26-years later she finds herself on a waiting list for a triple organ transplant. Rebecca has been a warrior from the beginning. As a result of the premature birth, gangrene infected her intestines, which required surgery to remove 75% of her small intestine and 50% of her large intestine, resulting in a condition called Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS). Rebecca has endured over 50 surgeries, countless infections, hospitals stays, drug trials and doctor visits. Due to all of the medical trauma Rebecca’s young body has suffered, doctors at the Lied’s Transplant Center of Omaha, NE have recommended a triple organ transplant. Rebecca was recently placed on the active transplant waiting list and told that her wait might be from six months to a year.

With such a small amount of intestines remaining, normal eating was out of the question, so Rebecca has spent the last 26 years with a feeding tube system known as Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN). Essentially, a pump feeds all the necessary nutrients into the body through an IV tube that runs straight to the heart. For Rebecca, food is not a necessity, she eats only for enjoyment, and despite her handicap she has turned that enjoyment into a lifelong passion. Coming from a family steeped in southern comfort cooking, Rebecca began cooking at a relatively young age, competing in the Art Institute’s America’s Best Teen Chef competition at 17 and earning acceptance into the Art Institute’s culinary arts program, where she earned her degree in just three years. Currently, she is a chef at the Enterprise Country Club, where she is notorious for her gourmet omelets and baked goods.