In 2010, Manny was only two and a half months old when he was diagnosed with biliary atresia (BA). Very soon after he was diagnosed, he had his first surgery called the Kasai procedure. His first years of life were tough as he was frequently having to get flown to the hospital. It seemed like something was always wrong, and things were not getting easier for him.
The year of 2017 was a tough one; he was in and out of the hospital and eventually his doctor gave us the news that he needed a new liver. Even though I knew the day would come, it really hit me. We were very scared and felt helpless. On January 2, 2018, we had another trip to our local emergency room, resulting in another flight and hospitalization. By January 16th, we received the news that Manny was on the transplant list.
Two weeks after being added to the transplant list, I received the call that would change our lives. I could hardly believe that an altruistic donor had come forward. We were shocked that a stranger was willing to donate a piece of his liver to help save Manny’s life. While we were in the hospital waiting for his recovery, we sent the donor a thank you card. We will always be extremely thankful for what he did. We received a letter back, and in it was the donor’s phone number. We finally got to meet and were able to express our gratitude. — By Karina Estrada, Liver Champion’s mom
