Donor found for liver transplant

GOOD news for baby Sheenece Jackson. A relative with her unique blood type ‘O’ has come forward to give her a piece of his liver, but the process to determine compatibility will have to start all over again. Parents Sheldon and Lystra Jackson do not know if time will be in their favour for the baby who suffers with Biliary Atresia, which causes cirrhosis of the liver.

For the surgery to be successful, it must be done before Sheenece turns two in March. The family also does not have the finances to facilitate the 17 different tests both baby and the donor relative will have to undergo and are seeking the public’s help give Sheenece a chance at life.

On Tuesday, the Jacksons journeyed all the way from their Williamsville home in South Trinidad to the St Joseph constituency office of Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, seeking his help to fast track a liver transplant surgery in Argentina

Jackson later told Newsday she was disappointed with Deyalsingh’s response saying he barely gave them a hearing, insisting there was nothing he could do and instructing them to seek a meeting with chairman of the Children’s Life Fund (CLF) Marisa Ferdinand.

That was done and a meeting has been scheduled with Ferdinand for today. The Jackson’s are praying they would make a breakthrough as time is running out for Sheenece.

Sheenece requires urgent liver transplant which cannot be done in Trinidad.

Her parents have applied for assistance through the CLF. Another donor was found and passed the compatibility test, but that donor’s blood type was not compatible with Sheenece’s type.

Deyalsingh said while he empathised with the family, the best chance for Sheenece’s survival was to find a compatible donor. He said the hospital in Argentina, where previous liver transplants were done on children from TT, had never done a transplant with an incompatible donor.

He said they have reached out to hospitals in Brazil, Columbia, through the World’s Paediatric Project in the United Kingdom, the United States and France, but could not find any willing to take the risk of doing a liver transplant with a non-compatible donor.

He said they were awaiting word from an institution in India which has a success rate with incompatible donors. However, Jackson said she did not want her child to go to India.