(Warren, OH) Jamie, a beautiful four-year old foster child from Trumbull County, Ohio has been in a Pittsburgh hospital in critical condition since early January hanging on to the hope that a liver donor will be found soon. She was born with a disease called Biliary Atresia and is in desperate need of a liver transplant.
Her deteriorating condition has left her vulnerable to other illnesses and disease and unable to experience the joys associated with childhood. Her small body has become bloated and discomfort has become her new ‘normal.’
Jamie has been in foster care and in the agency’s custody since shortly after her birth. Members of the TCCS staff have been in Pittsburgh by her bedside since she was first admitted to the hospital.
Soon after being admitted to the hospital, Children Services was informed by the medical staff at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC that Jamie would not leave the medical facility without a new liver.
“Jamie is more than our responsibility. She is our child,” states Timothy Schaffner, executive director of Trumbull County Children Services. “Working with UPMC, we have made it our priority to find a donor, save her life and bring her home.”
A social media campaign has been launched to raise awareness of Jamie’s condition. “A Liver for Jamie” page has been set up on Facebook to provide information and updates on the child.
Initial requirement to be a donor for Jamie are the following: blood type O, between the age of 18 and 55, a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or less, and not suffering from comorbidity conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, endocrine disorders or heart disease.
Any individual interested in being considered as a liver donor for Jamie should contact Angela Barber, Liver and Kidney Donor Coordinator for UPMC, at 412-647-5489 to begin the inquiry campaign.
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