When 8-year-old Matisse Reid complains about a tummy ache, it is far more involved than it is for most children.

Matisse has a rare disease -- chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo obstruction -- that makes it impossible for her to digest food. She and her family moved from their native New Zealand nearly three years ago in the hope of getting transplants at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. The child needs a stomach, duodenum, pancreas and small and large bowel.

Although Matisse has been fed intravenously her entire life, she does not have an aversion to food.

In fact, she was at the forefront of a drive to collect Halloween candy at her school to donate to the food pantry for North Hills Community Outreach.

"I've always wanted to do something to help the hungry or for a charity," said Matisse, a third-grader at Hance Elementary School in the Pine-Richland School District.

Working with Kathy Bauer, co-president of the school's Parent-Teacher Organization, Matisse encouraged fellow students to bring in Halloween candy in an announcement she made over the school's public address system the Monday after Halloween.

She had already helped decorate a collection box with empty candy wrappers, which was placed in the school's foyer so students could drop in candy on their way to class.

She also went trick-or-treating -- dressed as the Grim Reaper -- to gather her own stash to donate. Her brother went trick-or-treating in their Richland neighborhood as well and filled a pillowcase with candy, she said.

Brandi Rukovena, food pantry coordinator for the community outreach, said the pantry typically gets a lot of candy donations after Halloween from individuals, but Hance Elementary is the only group doing a collection.

The pantry doesn't usually give candy to its clients because it concentrates on providing nutritious food to people in need, she said. "[But] it's nice to give families something extra, a treat," Ms. Rukovena said.

In the Reid family, Matisse's parents try to keep life as normal as possible for her.

"We don't make any issue about food," said her mother, Jodee Reid.

Matisse goes about life as any other 8-year-old would, buying lunch in the school cafeteria and helping the family cook dinner, her mother said. The difference is -- the school lunch ends up in the trash, she added.

"She can chew and swallow, but it makes her very, very sick. Her body can't physically digest the food."

Mrs. Reid records Matisse's experiences in a journal that can be read at www.caringbridge.org/visit/matissereid.

Matisse's health care costs are covered by New Zealand, which has socialized medicine, Mrs. Reid said. Because the surgery is not offered in New Zealand, the family was told it could go anywhere in the world to pursue medical treatment, she added.

"Pittsburgh had the highest success rate with this particular transplant," Matisse's mother said. Matisse, her parents and three siblings have relocated here while they wait for a call telling them that organs are available for Matisse's surgery.

"We've had eight false alarms," Matisse said with a pout.

Living costs for the Reid family are not covered by New Zealand, so the family raised funds to cover the nonmedical costs before leaving their home country.

"That money will run out in a year's time," said Mrs. Reid, who said the family had anticipated waiting about a year for a transplant. The Reids also set up a charitable trust, chance2eat, primarily to support Matisse and to raise awareness about the disease. Its Web site is www.chance2eat.org.nz.

Matisse's bubbly appearance can be deceiving.

"She puts on a very good front for people," her mother said. The child is in pain every day, and her mother's journal is filled with entries of Matisse waking through the night screaming in pain.

For now, they have no choice but to wait for the call from Children's Hospital telling them that matching organs are available.

Then Matisse will start a new journey -- one that can make her life normal.

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