Patrick needs a bit of magic. Not a whole piece, mind you,
just a wedge-shaped piece about 3 inches by 3 inches, a piece of magic that will
fit into the space above his upper right abdomen, and help his body process
nutrients and remove toxins. It doesn’t seem like a lot to ask, particularly
since the little bit that Patrick needs will grow and repair itself. But to
Patrick and his family, this piece will be the magic that will allow Patrick to
grow and survive.
Patrick needs a liver. Not a whole one, because the liver itself
is rather magical, its ability to rejuvenate unusual among the organs of the
human body (Columbia School of Medicine, 2017). Patrick needs a piece of liver
from a live donor, a piece that will take the place of his own damaged liver.
Patrick’s story begins the way most stories do, with a “once
upon a time”, and a mother who noticed that her son at age sixteen was not
growing normally and had not yet entered puberty. That led to a visit to the
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and an endocrinologist who found
Patrick had “high inflammation” in his body and sent him to a gastroenterologist,
who found masses on Patrick’s liver and determined that ¾ of his liver was
damaged beyond repair. Specialists at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital
determined that the non-cancerous masses could easily become cancerous. They urged that Patrick’s liver be removed.
But the remarkable liver processes 1.5 quarts of blood every
minute and is vital in the process of digestion. It clots the blood, preventing
internal bleeding, and produces proteins. And getting a donor liver can involve
a long wait, a wait Patrick can ill afford.
But Patrick only needs a LITTLE bit of magic, and a little piece
of liver. According to WebMD (2017), a living donor can give up to 40% of a
liver, and the remarkable and almost magical liver will, within a year,
regenerate to its full size. And the 40% given to Patrick will also, in the
same time span, grow to its fullest dimensions.
Live liver donation was pioneered at Columbia University in
the 1980’s to alleviate the long wait of pediatric patients. Currently, the
survival rate of both adults and children who receive a live liver donation are
better than those who receive a liver from a deceased donor (Columbia
University, 2017). And live liver donors
need only be in good general health, have had no upper abdominal surgery, have
a blood type compatible with the patient, and be between 20 and 50 years of
age.
Patrick’s blood type is O+, so his donor needs to be O- or
O+. In the United States, 45% of the population has O type blood. That’s a lot
of potential magic for Patrick!
Patrick’s insurance would cover all the medical costs for
the live liver donation. The family lives in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
area and hope to find a donor in the vicinity. Annette Collins, Patrick’s
mother, can be reached at atcollins78@gmail.com if you would consider being Patrick’s donor.
Patrick and his family need a little bit
of magic. And they know that somewhere there is someone with a bit of magic to
spare.
You can find out
more about live liver donation at https://www.americantransplantfoundation.org/about-transplant/living-donation/about-living-donation/living-liver-donation/
And you can contact Annette at atcollins78@gmail.com.
