News about Liam

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August 10, 2007 (am)

“Together in the Spirit” This is the theme of the 100 year Jubilee celebration banner Bill, Shannon and I saw yesterday at St. Josephs Cathedral in Seattle, when we went before the Blessed Sacrament to ask for continued strength and perseverance. How amazing it is when a community of believers fall to their knees on behalf of another…exhilarating…powerful…And now here we are not even 24 hours later, singing praises for the kindness and mercy that God has shown to our family. From the skilled and prayerfully guided hands of Liam’s many surgeons; the gentle loving touch of his beyond-capable nurses; the sincere gitty joy exclaimed by Liam’s Anesthesiologist as he declared to us with pride that Liam remained stable throughout the entire 15 hour surgery; and I could continue with the many smiles and “I understand” nods we received just waiting for updates. We want you to all know that the peace and love that we have experienced truly has been beyond comprehension…it is truly the gift that comes when we gather Together and recognize that indeed, the Spirit is present! What a gift!

Liam continues to persevere. The liver he received was from a donor much smaller than him. Dr. Healy explained that this was indeed a good fit. Concerns about the smaller size were alleviated when the doctors saw how much scar tissue Liam had, due to his previous surgeries. We were told that as soon as the liver was in place and minimally connected, the bile duct began producing bile – this is a wonderful sign as there were many concerns about his previous bile duct and the fact that it was probably not working well at all. The doctors worked diligently and without any apparent comprehension of the amount of time they were with Liam in surgery, to repair the damage caused by the portal hypertension, which was significant. The details I can remember from our 4:00 am meeting with the doctors is as follows:

Liam is stable and remained stable throughout the surgery.
He received 4 units of blood transfusions and in addition the doctors recovered, cleaned and replaced about 3 additional units of his own blood.
He received Plateletts, Fresh Frozen Plasma and Hemoglobin during surgery as well.
Although Liam went to surgery at 12:00 noon, there was a slight delay in the procurement of the donor liver, so although Liam was asleep and prepped for the operation, the doctors did not begin until 3:00 in the afternoon. The page from the Operating room came to us at 3:00 in the morning.
Liam looks AMAZINGLY GOOD! He is so strong, in mind and spirit and the doctors shared that Liam is so excited to learn to snowboard and to get back to surfing. He even mentioned that he is good friends with Pro Surfer Rob Machado (How cool is that, Rob!?!!)
I could continue on this update, but Bill and Shannon are so anxious to get back to the hospital…and so am I!

Keep praying. Keep sending the inspirational emails, and please continue to pray for the donor family. Our joy is overshadowed by their grief. But we know that God is holding them right now, just as we are able to hold Liam and look to a future filled with whatever Liam dreams it will be!!! In this moment, ALL is Good!

Love and Blessings to you all!
Nancy, Bill, Liam & Shannon