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8-month-old gets liver transplant from godmother

By Bob D Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
By Bob D Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

He's known as "Finn the Mighty Warrior" on a Facebook page devoted to him, and this 8-month old fighter continues to battle against two rare liver conditions.

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But Finn O'Sullivan won't have to fight alone. The infant, in need of a transplant, found a match — not from a relative, but from his godmother, ABC News reported.

Sarah McKitterick, the child’s liver donor, said he is "the strongest person she'd ever met."

His body's strength, in fact, has been returning since he received 15 percent of McKitterick's liver on April 18, ABC News reported.

"The first time I saw him [after the transplant], I saw the whites of his eyes, something I had never seen before. He has been so ill, so yellow," McKitterick said.

Donating part of her liver to Finn was "an honor and a privilege," McKitterick told ABC News.

"I knew I was the one," she told ABC News. That’s what she told lifelong friend, Kate Mullen, who is Finn's mother.

"She was steadfast from the beginning that it was her," said Mullen, who lives with her family in New York. "I'm so humbled by what she did."

The infant has both biliary atresia and Alpha-1 liver conditions. The first is a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts that occurs in infants, while the second is a genetic defect that can cause liver disease, ABC News reported.

Dr. Adam Griesemer, one of Finn’s transplant surgeons and the assistant attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, told ABC News that Finn's dual conditions are "pretty unusual" and that this is the first time he saw a child with this combination of issues.

Finding Finn a match for a liver transplant was "exceedingly crucial," Griesemer told ABC News. "He would not have lived for long.”

 

Finn update: On Wednesday night Finns belly ballooned up which in turn affected his breathing and heart rate. Yesterday...

Posted by Finn the Mighty Warrior's battle with Biliary Atresia and Alpha-1 on Friday, April 28, 2017
 

Finn has been on the liver transplant list for 9 days. Finn has had a busy but uneventful week - inregards to his liver. One of his live donor volunteers on the other hand, has had a very busy week! We are beyond humbled by the close friends and strangers alike who have completed the first steps to be considered as a live donor for Finn. Once a potential live donor has completed a phone interview they are then on to the next step of completing a thorough and long health screening. If they are approved, its on to the next stage of blood work to analyze hepatic (liver) function. If all is clear, they are ready to go on to the intense screening process. The intense screening is done one at a time as it involves hours and hours of testing which we will report on in a later post. The first nominated potential donor has completed the in depth testing. Although all looks good, the size of the section of the liver from this potential donor that they need for Finn - the left lobe, is a bit big for Finn. There will not be an official approval until an ethics board approves the candidate in a week and a half. In the meantime, the transplant team has decided to begin the in depth testing with the next live donor candidate on their list. Out of respect for potential donors privacy, we are not sharing too many details at this time. As things progress we will be transparent in sharing the in depth evaluation process and outcomes. We wish everyone a wonderful weekend and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued prayers and positive energy that you are sending Finns way. Below is a short video message from Finn. #teamfinn #finn4thewin #alphaone #biliaryatresia #lightningstrikestwice

Posted by Finn the Mighty Warrior's battle with Biliary Atresia and Alpha-1 on Friday, March 10, 2017

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