Parents Of Infant Maggie Plead For Living Donor As Biliary Atresia Requires liver transplant
USA: Maggie is an 8-month-old infant diagnosed with biliary atresia at a two-month checkup and now faces the urgent need for a liver transplant. Her parents say the rare congenital condition — in which bile ducts are blocked or do not develop properly — has already sent Maggie to the hospital repeatedly and put her on a transplant list at Vanderbilt Medical Center.
Six months after diagnosis, Maggie’s family remains on standby, hoping to find a compatible living donor or a deceased-donor organ when procurement becomes possible. The baby has been readmitted to the hospital eight or nine times since September, underscoring the instability that often accompanies pediatric liver disease and the narrow window families face while awaiting transplantation.
Maggie’s mother, Kelly, is familiar with the hospital system and says the family is prepared for surgery the moment a match is identified. They are eager to spend more time at home and out of the hospital with their daughter, and they stress the urgency of finding a timely donor to prevent further complications and repeated admissions.
Pediatric liver transplantation can be lifesaving for children with biliary atresia; living donor transplantation is one pathway that can shorten wait times and improve outcomes when a compatible family member or volunteer is identified. For now, Maggie’s case illustrates the fragility of infants on transplant lists and the critical importance of donor availability for life-saving pediatric transplantation.
Video originally published on 2026-03-19 21:43:43
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2 replies to "Infant With Biliary Atresia Faces Urgent Donor Search As Family Waits Months For Liver Transplant At Vanderbilt"
How do I get in touch with this family or medical team? My husband successfully donated a kidney in 2024. He has been approved to donate part of his liver through Duke, but is just waiting for a recipient. We would love to see if he is a match.
His name is Robert Johnson
Lancaster, SC
Hello Mrs. Johnson – We are still working on creating a centralized system where living donors can easily obtain details to contact intended recipients. Unfortunately that is a bit more complex than we anticipated.
This story seems to be for a patient at Vanderbilt Transplant, so you may want to reach out to them directly. This page has all the contact details for their transplant center:
https://www.vanderbilthealth.com/service-line/transplant-center
Thank you for being a donor and your willingness to help others this way. Please update us here with your findings.
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