Sharing biliary atresia — and strength to beat it

Everywhere Melissa Villaseñor goes her little sister, Isabella, follows. The 6- and 2-year-olds share just about everything. They share big personalities. They share a love of being lively and loud. And, they also share something else — they were both born with biliary atresia. “I am not going to lie,” says Andrea Torre, the girls’ mom. “I sometimes break down and cry and ask myself, ‘Why me?’” Biliary atresia is a chronic, progressive liver condition that is fatal if left untreated. For most parents, having just one child with this rare, life-threatening disease is overwhelming. “My husband keeps me grounded,” she says. “He reminds me, ‘See how much they fight for their health? We have to fight twice as hard.’” Isabella’s liver transplant When Isabella was a baby, she became sick after contracting an infection from a strain of bacteria called cholangitis. She was transferred from a hospital near their home in Rhode Island to Boston Children’s Hospital. Although the youngest and just 11 months old at the time, she would be the first of the two girls to receive a liver transplant. “She was very yellow, and her stomach was so big she couldn’t breathe well. I was so close to losing her.” Boston Children’s surgeons Dr. Khashayar Vakili and Dr. Heung Bae Kim performed the life-saving procedure in July of 2015. Less than two years later, the oldest, Melissa, now is waiting for a transplant. Every other month, Andrea and the girls — al...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Our Patients’ Stories biliary atresia Dr. Heung-Bae Kim Dr. Khashavar Vakili Liver transplant Liver Transplant Program Pediatric Transplant Center (PTC) Source Type: news