Transplant

Addie was taken to the OR at 3am. The first incision was made around 4 am and surgery was underway to remove her old liver.  The surgical team did a fantastic job at keeping us updated.  We were in and out of sleep, all sleeping in the waiting room chairs with warm blankets that the nurse had kindly given to us.  We got a second call around 6 am telling us the new liver had arrived and they were going to start placing it!  At 7 am, they moved our waiting family to a private waiting room   away from all the other families and visitors. Here we continued to wait...tired, scared, a little delirious and anxious to hear what was going on behind that OR door.  Hour after hour passed. We continued to receive updates from the nurses and staff. FINALLY, at 1210 pm, Dr. Shindi came from the OR, looking a little exhausted himself. He told us that everything went very well, a little longer than he had expected, but Addison did great, and the new liver was a perfect fit. Dr. Shindi told us they would be moving Addison to the ICU, and we should be able to see her in about 45 minutes.

Wow.  Ok - new chapter for our family.  Scratch that - entirely new book!!  Addie fought her urea cycle disorder for 5 years and we were finally able to move forward.  I'm ok if I never hear the word ammonia again.  Much less fight every day to stay infront of it so it didn't reek havoc on Addie's body.  Addie's liver was very large.  One and half times the size of a normal 5 year old's liver.  Uh!  No wonder she had a large belly.  The physicians continued to stress that they couldn't believe the size of her liver.  Seeing the shock on their faces, proved the decision to transplant was the right one. Dr. Shindi told us they still do not understand why this disease causes the liver to become so large, but that her liver would be sent to pathology to give more insight into the disease.

We traveled to the ICU, all together, to wait to see our brave little warrior.....

Sedated and on the ventilator, she actually looked comfortable.  The words to express that feeling when you see her, those words are difficult to come by. Thank God, she was safe.  She was in one piece.  The surgery was finally over.