Vickie McKillip of Carrollton: Organ donors are better livers

Trying times put things in focus, at least temporarily, says VICKIE McKILLIP of Carrollton

November 11, 2007

No parent ever wants to hear a doctor whisper, "Wow!" when looking over a child's lab results, but ours did one day in late July 2004. My 17-year-old son, Travis, had recently returned from a trip to Monterey, Mexico, with a group of 60 from his church, including his twin, Quentin. In the two weeks since that trip, he had battled extreme fatigue, nausea and just a general notion that something was "not quite right."

Travis' doctor tentatively diagnosed him with hepatitis A, even though lab results continued to be negative for that and other diseases, despite repeated testing. Travis got sicker and sicker, and turned an interesting shade of bright yellow. Within three weeks of his return, he awakened incoherent and unable to stand for more than a few minutes at a time. He was admitted to Children's Medical Center-Dallas on Monday, Aug. 16, 2004, where doctors determined he was in acute liver failure from an unknown virus. By the next day, Travis was on a respirator and shortly afterward was listed as the No. 1 liver transplant candidate with his blood type in the U.S.

We were told that unless a donor was found quickly, the slow but deadly buildup of toxins unfiltered by his failing liver would rob his body of the ability to maintain life.

In other circumstances, the time we spent in the ICU waiting room could have been the ultimate in awkwardness. But this was no ordinary circumstance. Current and previous spouses mingled with each other and with kids and grandparents, stepbrothers and stepsisters, and relatives not seen for years. I ran interference for my sons' stepmother when she made the unforgivable mistake of substituting Seaport coffee -- a foul brew, but much-beloved by my ex-husband -- for the standard brand. We put aside the hurts and petty grievances and concentrated on storming Heaven on Travis' behalf.

God was listening. Travis spent less than 24 hours on the donor list before a liver became available. On Tuesday afternoon, we began the long, sleepless wait for the transplant team to fly to an unknown hospital, harvest and assess the organ, fly back to Children's, subject the liver to more tests, and then, if it was suitable, begin the lengthy preparation to transplant.

You can imagine how distraught we became at the news Wednesday morning that, after further testing, the liver had been rejected as unsuitable for Travis' needs. But that devastating news was immediately followed by the incredible word that yet another, very promising liver had just become available. Two livers in 36 hours, was, in the chief surgeon's opinion, an unbelievable, one-of-a-kind occurrence.

Hours later, we learned that the second liver was not only healthy, it was perfect. A 16-year-old girl who died in a traffic accident had made her desire to be an organ donor known to her parents not long before her death. As the surgeon put it, the first liver was a Ford, but the second was a Ferrari; what 17-year-old male wouldn't choose the Ferrari?

Surgery began at 2:30 p.m. that Wednesday. It would last until 10:30 that night. Little by little, our relatives and church families trickled in until, at one point, more than 40 people were crowded into the waiting room.

Travis sailed through surgery and has continued to sail through the long recovery process and into his life as a transplant survivor. The only difference between him and all the other college kids he hangs with is that he has to take an awful lot of pills.

Our microcosm of society, which functioned in perfect harmony in the ICU waiting room, reverted to "normal" pretty quickly afterward, of course. Current and ex-spouses aren't as apt to bestow grace and tolerance on each other, and awkward encounters are again the norm among some of us. But for a brief time, civility triumphed and grace abounded in our quest to snatch a child from the jaws of death.

Vickie McKillip of Carrollton is an administrative assistant at her church and a Community Voices volunteer columnist. Her e-mail address is rvmckillip@tx.rr.com.

Copyright © 2007 The Dallas Morning News.

This article posted December 10, 2007.