Nola's Battle With Biliary Atresia

On September 12th, Nola went in for a routine 2 month well check. Her Pediatrician noticed she looked a little jaundice. After some blood work, they had them go to University Hospital Pediatric Unit for over night observation. They NEVER thought they were going to recieve the news they did. She ultimately was diagnosed with a rare neonatal disease called BILIARY ATRESIA. It is a liver disease in infants that causes their bile ducts to become clogged or damaged which cause all the bile to back up into the liver. In Nola's case, her ducts or gallbladder never formed at all. After a few days in the hospital, she underwent her first surgery(8 straight hours) where they also discovered that she had already lost half of her liver. She remaind in the peds unit for another week and a half. They were finally able to bring her home, but unfortunately her battle does not end there. We won't know if her procedure was even successful until she is 6 months of age. And even if so, it's only a temporary fix. She will eventually need a liver transplant and this disease unfortunately does not have a cure and she will have to live with it and be treated for it forever, even after she recieves a transplant. They have 4 other children in their home, and even though they have insurance, it only covers so much. With the extensive hospital stays, complicated surgery and surgeries to come, cost of medication, and having to go to one income due to her needing care at home, it's been a little rough. Her parents would never ask for anything but no one can do this alone. Anything is very much appreciated. Let's help this strong little girl and her family.