Teen Swimmer Listed 1A After Suspected Wilson’s Disease Requires Urgent liver transplant
November 13, 2025 — by Transplant News
USA: Meredith Roberts, a 17-year-old high school swimmer, is in the intensive care unit at the University of Pittsburgh children’s Hospital after sudden acute liver failure and has been placed on the transplant list as status 1A. The crisis unfolded roughly two Fridays ago when she developed very dark urine and then visible jaundice; initial testing including a liver ultrasound showed her bilirubin had more than doubled and her clotting factors were dangerously impaired.
Doctors suspect Wilson’s disease, a genetic condition that causes the liver to accumulate excess copper, as the underlying cause. Medical staff and the family describe the diagnosis as the only path to definitive cure being a liver transplant. Meredith now faces an urgent need for a compatible donor; she requires someone with O positive blood. Clinicians and the family are prioritizing a living donor match, though a deceased-donor organ would be accepted if no living donor is found.
Roberts is portrayed in the story as a top athlete abruptly sidelined: a record-breaking swimmer in the Niagara Frontier League who had been ranked number one in the 100-yard breaststroke and was preparing for sectionals and a fourth straight trip to state championships. Her mother, a nurse, and her parents have remained at the bedside, conducting conversations with medical teams remotely and managing the surge of messages and support from the community.
A board in her hospital room lists daily objectives as the family and care team await transplant possibilities. The case highlights both the speed with which liver failure can strike and the narrow window for finding a suitable donor, with the family actively seeking a living match while also accepting the first available deceased donor.
