Hope for Brayden - Liver Transplant
Donation protected
Brayden’s Liver Transplant
We are raising funds to help cover costs for Brayden’s liver transplant, including hotel stays, food, uncovered prescriptions, and lost income for during and after the liver transplant. There are still many unknowns - including exact timing of the transplant, but our goal of $30,000 will help with the costs associated with his life saving surgery. His transplant will take place as soon as a donor is identified - could be tomorrow or within the next three months.
Brayden’s parent’s are both nurses, his Dad is an Emergency Room nurse and his Mom a Mother/Baby nurse at Atlanticare in NJ. Brayden’s Dad, RJ O’Hara, grew up in Fallston, MD. His Mom, Anna O’Hara (nee Eliades) grew up in Ocean, NJ. They met at Widener University and were married in 2016. Brayden resides in NJ with his parents and little brother. Once a donor is identified (as early as a day or in the next 3 months) Brayden will receive his transplant at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where he has been treated since birth.
We appreciate your kindness and are grateful for all the support from our friends, family, and everyone else who have taken the time to learn more about Brayden’s story.
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Brayden’s story-
Brayden was born in January of 2018. At that time he was diagnosed with a rare metabolic disorder called OTC Deficiency (Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency). OTC is a condition in which the body is unable to process and remove the waste, ammonia from his body. It is considered an amino acid condition because ammonia is produced when the body breaks down proteins in food into their basic building blocks (amino acids). When the body’s process for removing waste is disrupted, dangerous amounts of ammonia begin to build up in the blood. This can result in severe mental disability, seizures, and a variety of other life-threatening medical problems. If left untreated, death will occur.
Brayden spent the first four weeks of his life in the hospital - first in the NICU and then graduated to the metabolic disorder floor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. When he was born the Doctor’s said “the good news is that we haven’t seen Brayden’s variance of OTC before, the bad news is we don’t know what to expect either.”
Even with the best care, Brayden’s challenges are many - frequent unexpected hospital visits, strict diet, expensive medications and a metabolic formula which he gets through a feeding tube in his stomach. As he has grown, his challenges have increased, with more bouts of high ammonia (which can quickly lead to brain damage) and elevated enzymes in his liver. During his last hospitalization for high ammonia in September 2019, the Doctors said it’s time. The medications and strict diet are no longer keeping pace with his condition. Unfortunately, it has come to the point where a liver transplant is no longer a choice, it’s the only thing that will save his life.
In October 2019, Brayden was evaluated for his liver transplant at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He was listed on the regional waiting list. If he doesn’t receive a liver within 30 days he will be bumped up to status 1B which makes him more of a priority than the regional list.
We have lots of friends and family generously willing to donate a part of their liver. For children, the doctors prefer to do a orthotropic liver transplant which will provide a liver similar in size and orientation. Age of a liver is also an important factor as the average life of a transplanted liver is 20 years. However, just in case a cadaver liver can’t be found in time, Brayden’s daddy is going through the liver testing process to donate part of his liver.
Brayden is expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks if there are no complications. After that, he will be monitored very closely with frequent doctor visits. Brayden's recovery time is up to one year. If his Daddy ends up donating part of his liver, he will have a recovery time of up to three months.
The good news is a liver transplant will cure Brayden’s OTC! Even so, Brayden will come home on 8-10 medications to help with rejection. The first year after transplant will be critical for Brayden. He will need to be seen by his doctors frequently and will be monitored closely for rejection.
We are raising funds to help cover costs for Brayden’s liver transplant, including hotel stays, food, uncovered prescriptions, and lost income for during and after the liver transplant. There are still many unknowns - including exact timing of the transplant, but our goal of $30,000 will help with the costs associated with his life saving surgery. His transplant will take place as soon as a donor is identified - could be tomorrow or within the next three months.
Brayden’s parent’s are both nurses, his Dad is an Emergency Room nurse and his Mom a Mother/Baby nurse at Atlanticare in NJ. Brayden’s Dad, RJ O’Hara, grew up in Fallston, MD. His Mom, Anna O’Hara (nee Eliades) grew up in Ocean, NJ. They met at Widener University and were married in 2016. Brayden resides in NJ with his parents and little brother. Once a donor is identified (as early as a day or in the next 3 months) Brayden will receive his transplant at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where he has been treated since birth.
We appreciate your kindness and are grateful for all the support from our friends, family, and everyone else who have taken the time to learn more about Brayden’s story.
+++
Brayden’s story-
Brayden was born in January of 2018. At that time he was diagnosed with a rare metabolic disorder called OTC Deficiency (Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency). OTC is a condition in which the body is unable to process and remove the waste, ammonia from his body. It is considered an amino acid condition because ammonia is produced when the body breaks down proteins in food into their basic building blocks (amino acids). When the body’s process for removing waste is disrupted, dangerous amounts of ammonia begin to build up in the blood. This can result in severe mental disability, seizures, and a variety of other life-threatening medical problems. If left untreated, death will occur.
Brayden spent the first four weeks of his life in the hospital - first in the NICU and then graduated to the metabolic disorder floor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. When he was born the Doctor’s said “the good news is that we haven’t seen Brayden’s variance of OTC before, the bad news is we don’t know what to expect either.”
Even with the best care, Brayden’s challenges are many - frequent unexpected hospital visits, strict diet, expensive medications and a metabolic formula which he gets through a feeding tube in his stomach. As he has grown, his challenges have increased, with more bouts of high ammonia (which can quickly lead to brain damage) and elevated enzymes in his liver. During his last hospitalization for high ammonia in September 2019, the Doctors said it’s time. The medications and strict diet are no longer keeping pace with his condition. Unfortunately, it has come to the point where a liver transplant is no longer a choice, it’s the only thing that will save his life.
In October 2019, Brayden was evaluated for his liver transplant at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He was listed on the regional waiting list. If he doesn’t receive a liver within 30 days he will be bumped up to status 1B which makes him more of a priority than the regional list.
We have lots of friends and family generously willing to donate a part of their liver. For children, the doctors prefer to do a orthotropic liver transplant which will provide a liver similar in size and orientation. Age of a liver is also an important factor as the average life of a transplanted liver is 20 years. However, just in case a cadaver liver can’t be found in time, Brayden’s daddy is going through the liver testing process to donate part of his liver.
Brayden is expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks if there are no complications. After that, he will be monitored very closely with frequent doctor visits. Brayden's recovery time is up to one year. If his Daddy ends up donating part of his liver, he will have a recovery time of up to three months.
The good news is a liver transplant will cure Brayden’s OTC! Even so, Brayden will come home on 8-10 medications to help with rejection. The first year after transplant will be critical for Brayden. He will need to be seen by his doctors frequently and will be monitored closely for rejection.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jo Ann O'Hara
Organizer
Fallston, MD
Anna OHara
Beneficiary