CANBY, Ore. — A 10-year-old Canby girl is back home after an emergency liver transplant. Now her biggest concern is getting sick. The common cold could cause her body to reject the liver.
In November, Rauline McCoy thought her daughter Eva had the flu. But she kept getting worse so they took her to the emergency room.
“We didn't have time to wait,” McCoy explained.
Tests showed her liver had stopped working. They still do not know exactly why it happened.
“No, complete mystery, just a complete mystery,” McCoy said.
Her only hope was a liver transplant.
“It's been a whirlwind,” McCoy said. “I think the hardest part is how fast everything happened, we went form the emergency room here at St. Vincent's to transplant surgery in 48 hours.”
Eva was transferred to Seattle Children's Hospital for the surgery and had to stay there for about three months to recover.
“There are so many situations that did not turn out like Eva,” McCoy said. “It's miraculous in so many ways.”
Eva's now home and looks like any other 10-year-old, but this is just the beginning.
“Yeah, she's heavily immunosuppressed,” McCoy said. “They have her on anti-rejection drugs to suppress her immune system and that keeps her body from rejecting her liver. And so she's highly susceptible to germs.”
The liver was not a perfect match, so if Eva gets sick her body could reject it. That means she has to be extra careful.
“I have to use a lot of hand sanitizer and wash my hands a lot,” Eva explained.
Eva is still going to school, so her classmates got a lesson on proper hand washing and spreading germs. She has to see a doctor every week for labs to make sure nothing is wrong.
Her family said the cases of coronavirus in the area make things a little scarier, but they are not going to let it stop them from living their lives.
“We didn't go to Seattle Children's to get a transplant in order to live in fear,” McCoy said.
Eva's family said they are so thankful for all of the donations and support they have received during the surgery and recovery.
If you want to help, they are holding another fundraiser to pay for medical expenses on Sunday, March 29, from 3 to 9 p.m. at McMenamins Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd Ave., Portland, OR 97211.
More details available here or you can donate here