MATISSE REID (RIGHT) | PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTY GRAVER

I’ve never known anyone with more of an appetite for life than Matisse Reid, who passed away last week at age 23.

She was born in New Zealand on December 25, 2000 with chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, a rare disorder that made it impossible for her to digest food and required three major abdominal surgeries before she was 6 weeks old.

For a decade, Matisse was sustained by a Hickman line, an intravenous drip that sent nutrients directly into her bloodstream. Despite her painful condition, she was a talented chef who made sumptuous meals for her family and then pantomimed eating with them around the dinner table. The Food Network fanatic even penned a column for Cooking Light Magazine.

I met her in 2007, when I was a reporter for the Pine Creek Journal, a weekly Tribune-Review newspaper that covered the northern suburbs.

The Reids — parents Jodee and Wayne and their children Rachel, Kalani and Fraanz — moved to a rented house in Richland with Matisse so she could await a small bowel transplant, a surgery unavailable in their home country or Australia.

A group of Grandview Estates residents contacted me about their plan to give Matisse’s bedroom a makeover while she was undergoing medical tests in Ohio. They were inspired by the Suite Dreams Project, a Michigan-based nonprofit that redecorates rooms for sick children.

Taking a page from Mister Rogers’ playbook, they mobilized the community by writing letters and emails detailing Matisse’s story. Donations, including $500 in cash and supplies such as window treatments, furniture, bedding and toys, poured in.

Within a day, the bare walls were soothing shades of pink and purple, and Matisse’s name was painted above her bed in large letters with her favorite character, Barney the Dinosaur, peeking over the “e.” Participants also made gift bags for her siblings, three more shining examples of dignity and grace. It was a heartwarming display of creativity, compassion and good, old-fashioned neighborliness.

The experience nourished my spirit.

The photographs of Matisse stepping into her transformed space — where she spent most of her time hooked up to an IV — told the story far better than my words ever could.

Like a Hickman line, the continuous outpouring of love from friends and neighbors kept the Reids’ going through their long, uncertain stay in Pittsburgh. I have never been more proud of my city.

I was so inspired by the Reids, I stayed in touch with them over the years. When my daughter was born in 2009, I named her Sarah Matisse.

SARAH MATISSE AND MATISSE REID | PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTY GRAVER

Even though my Kiwi pals had a lot on their plate, they often babysat Sarah (Matisse referred to her namesake as “kid”) so I could run errands without an infant. Although frail, Matisse proudly pushed Sarah in a stroller as we walked in Izzie’s Dash for Organ Donation.

During Sarah’s first birthday party, Matisse brought a bunch of Barney-themed gifts and a purple guitar so she could serenade the kid with an original song and some Justin Bieber tunes, turning an already joyful celebration into a core memory.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTY GRAVER

On Dec. 7, 2010, after many false alarms and just a few weeks shy of her 10th birthday, Matisse finally received a transplant at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Her donor was a young boy named Tanner.

His gift of life allowed her to finally eat the food she loved to cook (her first real meal was squid tentacles!) and return to her native New Zealand in 2013. Before she left, Matisse gave Sarah a copy of “ ’Twas the Night Before Christmas” that included a recording of her voice reading the classic yuletide poem.

Sarah and I read it every year and then sing “Happy Birthday” to Matisse.

Facebook has been the main form of communication with our friends since they returned to the other side of the world, and that’s how I found out about Matisse’s passing. Jodee’s heartbreaking post stopped me in my tracks, but its message of unconditional love moved me to share Matisse’s story — again.

It’s been the honor of my career to write about and befriend such a beautiful soul. I will never take a bite of food for granted. Whether I am eating at a restaurant or in my kitchen, Matisse will always have a place at the table.

If you would like to make a donation in Matisse Reid’s name visit Starlight Children’s Foundation. In the comment section, mention that the donation should be directed to Camp Chihopi, a special camping experience for liver and intestine transplant patients, ages 7 to 15, at Emma Kaufmann Camp near Morgantown, West Virginia.