We are so pleased to report that Dylan did beautifully in surgery, and it was a success. The most important thing to know now is that she is doing well on this sunny morning.

In an ~18 hour surgery, her liver, pancreas, gallbladder, spleen, 2/3 of her stomach, and part of her intestine were removed. A host of vessels were reconstructed with grafts. They were able to remove all of the tumor. Some of the dangerous varices have been removed, and the rest should not cause a problem anymore because her portal hypertension was corrected with the liver transplant. Because Dylan’s pancreas was removed, she is now diabetic.

We got to see Dylan around 3 AM and she looks really good. She is still intubated and sedated. There’s not much space in the ICU room so there can only be 2-3 family members by her bedside at a time. She has a ton of personal attention from the excellent ICU staff.

The liver team just came by for rounds. They are very pleased with how the surgery went and how she’s doing now. Her vitals and labs are all good, as are her lungs. The important goals for today are to monitor her blood sugar closely, and start the process of weaning her off the sedatives and ventilator. She’s had several bedside imaging procedures, and just had an ultrasound that showed excellent perfusion of the liver, which is wonderful news.

We’re a bit inundated right now, and have not slept much. There are a lot of details that we’re just trying to wrap our heads around and remember, as well as dealing with a lot of complicated emotions. We’ll provide more chunks of information in regular blog updates. 

We are so thankful for the army of people that have surrounded our dear girl. It’s tough to come up with words right now that can convey the ocean of thoughts and feelings. But we are full of gratitude this morning.

Please consider donating to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association in Dylan’s name. 100% of each contribution to COTA for Dylan is available for her lifetime of transplant-related expenses.