Father loses 30 pounds to qualify as liver donor for his newborn son diagnosed with Alagille syndrome
A New York father sprung into action upon learning that his weight had disqualified him from becoming an organ donor for his newborn son.
Baby Sawyer was diagnosed with Alagille syndrome at birth and needed a liver transplant to survive, inspiring his father Sean Kelley to embark on a stunning weight loss journey so he could qualify as a living liver donor for his son, WYFF News 4 reports. Sean was the only viable candidate for Sawyer as his wife Josie also has Alagille syndrome. Determined to save his son, Sean started to lose weight in order to qualify as a match.
“There’s no reason that I can’t get down to the weight that I need to see if could I could be a match as well,” he told Good Morning America. “I didn’t know if I would be a match for Sawyer or not, but to even go through the evaluation process, I had to get my weight down to a certain point.”
Alagille syndrome causes abnormalities in the liver's bile ducts resulting in organ damage. It is a genetic disorder that can also affect other vital organs such as the heart. According to Good Morning America, three of Sean's other children are also affected by Alagille syndrome.
The doting father started his weight loss training in August 2019 and was able to drop a whopping 30 pounds in no time -- thereby qualifying for the testing needed to become a donor. Sean reached his assessment goal weight shortly after and also proved to be a match for his son's liver transplant. Speaking to WYFF, Sean recalled his relief when Sawyer’s donation coordinator called him and said, "Guess what? You’re a match. The surgery’s scheduled."
“And I literally had to sit down,” he added.
The transplant surgery eventually took place on December 19. Dr. George Mazariegos, the chief of pediatric transplantation at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, told Good Morning America the operation was “complex and challenging." “He will be much healthier, we believe, with this liver, and be able to withstand infections and withstand things that right now were really big setbacks for him,” he said of baby Sawyer.
However, the inspirational father told WYFF of his joy that the transplant was a success. He said he hopes his story will help inspire others to become a living organ donor.
“It’s an incredible thing to even consider being evaluated and going through the process to see if you could be a match for somebody," Sean said.