WITH THE FEDERAL INJUNCTION AGAINST THE UPDATED UNOS RULES, PEDIATRIC CADAVER LIVERS WILL CONTINUE TO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO ADULTS FIRST! THIS  FURTHER REDUCES THE NUMBER OF LIVERS AVAILABLE TO YOUNG CHILDREN LIKE ALICE, I AM REPOSTING THIS BLOG. 

PHOENIX CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL DID 9 LIVER TRANSPLANTS IN 2018 AND 7 IN 2017.  THAT IS NOT VERY MANY ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE A SMALL CHILD AND YOUR DONOR CANNOT WEIGHT OVER 140 LBS.  A LIVING DONOR WILL GREATLY INCREASE ALICE’S CHANCE OF GETTING A LIVER.  

For those who are willing and able to be screened, here is information with regards to becoming a liver donor for Alice.  She is currently doing great, which is good, however it also means she has lower priority at the moment when a liver becomes available.  The sicker she gets, the higher up the transplant list she moves but with the movement up the list there is the risk that she will become too sick to tolerate the transplant.  Alice currently weighs 17 lbs and her weight plays a big role in choosing a good donor match.  At her current weight, a prospective adult donor should weigh, at a maximum, 140 lbs.  As Alice gains weight, the weight criteria for a prospective donor will edge up as well.  Ideally, the doctors would like Alice to be 22 pounds at the time of transplant.  If you click on the link below, it will take you to the Stanford Liver Donors FAQ page. There you will see a “become a donor” button.  Click on that and your journey has begun!  Stanford recommends anyone seriously interested get a complete physical and blood typing.  Alice is O+.

https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-treatments/l/liver-transplant/types/living-donors.html

Did you know?  You can donate a lobe of liver and still end up with a whole liver?  The lobe donated will also regenerate and create a whole liver for the the individual who did not previously have a healthy liver.  Now THAT’S a gift that keeps on giving!