Nahla was a previously healthy happy little girl who had just celebrated her fifth birthday when she came down with what I thought was a stomach bug over Labor Day weekend. By Tuesday morning she seemed completely fine and I took her to school. While saying goodbye to her I noticed her eyes were yellow, so I took her to urgent care. There, we discovered her liver enzymes were severely elevated, white blood cells and platelets were low and we were admitted to Cox South Hospital in Springfield, MO. Over the next few days Nahla’s labs continued to worsen and we were life-flighted to Children’s Mercy in Kansas City. All of her viral and bacterial tests were negative, and we were told she most likely had a virus at some point that caused her body to attack her liver. Although rare, we were told they see this sometimes and never have a clear answer as to what causes this sudden acute liver failure in children. While at Children’s Mercy we were still hopeful that Nahla’s body would recover but we were placed on the liver transplant list and told she would be at the top of the list. As her lab values continued to decline and her liver was unable to filter toxins from her blood, she was transferred to the PICU and her mental status started to decline. She was started on continuous dialysis and plasma exchange and a breathing tube was placed. During this time, she was mostly unconscious and unaware of her surroundings. On Sunday, September 17^th, she received her life saving transplant. The following day her breathing tube was removed but she wouldn’t talk for several more days. She laid awake for 72 hours as she experienced what they called “ICU delirium.” This was one of the scariest things for me to witness because I didn’t know if I would ever have my daughter back. She didn’t talk or respond to questions or move. On the fourth day they brought in a therapy dog named “Jelly Bean” and Nahla’s face lit up and she began giggling. After this she slowly improved and began talking and walking again. Since then, she has made huge improvements and been discharged from the hospital.

At this time we are staying in the Ronald McDonald House in Kansas City so she can attend outpatient appointments and lab draws. She has an NG tube and is on 12 medications daily. We hope to return home soon, but it will be a long road and we will have to travel to Kansas City monthly for appointments. Nahla will be on anti-rejection medications for the rest of her life. These medications decrease her immune system so if she becomes ill it is likely she will require more hospital stays. Her doctors told me to expect 2-3 additional hospital admissions her first year. We will travel to Kansas City monthly for outpatient appointments with her transplant team.  She will also have weekly lab draws, something she is very nervous about due to the medical trauma she has experienced through all of this. We are working our way up to taking all of her medications orally, however until then she will keep her NG tube in place. We don’t know what the future holds, but we are so grateful to have her happy and smiling again. I know this will be a difficult journey with numerous expenses and we are so incredibly grateful for any prayers for my brave girl. If you are unable to donate to COTA for Nahla Strong, please share, say a prayer or send healing thoughts Nahla’s way as she continues to recover and learn how to take care of her new liver who she has named “Charlotte.”

We are partnering with The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) to raise funds in honor of Nahla for transplant-related expenses. 100% of funds raised will be available for a lifetime to assist with transplant related expenses, such as treatment, medications and travel to/from Children’s Mercy in Kansas City.

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.