This is Liam! Molly and Logan welcomed their beautiful baby boy Liam into the world on March 1st, 2023. All of the initial newborn tests showed that Liam was the picture of health, but that all changed during his second day of life. Liam started declining very quickly and had to be transported to Children’s of Alabama where they started extensive testing to determine why Liam’s body was shutting down.

Liam has a rare genetic disorder called OTC deficiency that prevents the body from being able to metabolize protein which causes ammonia (a neurotoxin) to build up in his body. He has a severe case, and we are very fortunate that he survived his first week of life. We have met a lot of parents who were not as fortunate as us. There was significant/irreversible damage to his brain from his original crisis, but we are hopeful that he will have limited physical/learning difficulties since babies’ brains are so resilient. He keeps defying all the odds and we are so proud of him!!

The only cure for the disorder is a liver transplant. After 9 months of specialized diet and medications and 8 additional metabolic crises/PICU stays, Liam finally had his liver transplant! His dad donated part of his liver to Liam on November 28th, 2023. We are incredibly grateful to all of the doctors, nurses, and surgeons who have worked hard to give our son a chance at life. We are also so grateful to our family, friends and strangers who have prayed for our son. Where he is right now in life is truly a miracle. He will have a long road ahead of him, but we are ever hopeful that Liam will get to have a normal life.

The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.