Girl, 8, Undergoes Rare Quadruple Organ Transplant
A Pennsylvania girl is recovering this week after enduring a rare quadruple organ transplant to replace four damaged organs.
Kyree Beachem was born with Hirschsprung’s disease, in which nerve cells are missing in the colon. Continued complications from the disease have led to damage in multiple organs, necessitating the need for last week's procedures.
On the day before Thanksgiving, the 8-year-old girl was wheeled into an operating room at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where--over the course of 10 hours--she received a new liver, pancreas, small bowel and colon.
Read: Boy, 12, Whose Arm Was Severed Then Reattached is Now Back Home
“Kyree received her liver/pancreas/intestine and colon transplant and is in stable condition in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit” said George Mazariegos, chief of pediatric transplantation at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
While her mother said that Kyree was recovering and that blood was flowing to all four organs, swelling caused by the surgery prevented doctors from closing the incision.
Therefore, the incision was left open until Monday, when doctors plan to close it and then wake Kyree up. Until then, she will be fully sedated.
"We’re taking it right now literally hour by hour," her mother, Nan Beachem, told the Post-Gazette. "Every kid heals differently. She’s got a long road ahead of her."
Read: Family Says Baby's Tumor Shrank After Kiss From Pope: 'She's Come to Life'
Kyree has actually been through this, although to a lesser extent, before. in January 2010, she underwent an isolated small bowel transplant that her body ended up rejecting in just 10 days.
On a GoFundMe page dedicated to Kyree, family friend Nicole Dausman writes.
"Everything has been going well so far, her numbers are great and she is in stable condition in the PICU at Children's Hospital.
"There is very long road ahead of both her and her mother, so continued support and prayers are very greatly appreciated."
As of Sunday afternoon, $5,000 had been raised to offset expenses related to her ongoing care.
Watch Below: Doctor Caught Sexting During Stomach Surgery
