Heartbreaking: Twin Toddlers Both Need Liver Transplant But Dad Can Only Help Save One

Michael and Johanne Wagner adopted their twin Vietnamese daughters in 2012 and are now facing a painful dilemma. Both of their girls need liver transplants, but Michael can only donate to one. So they’re putting the call out to the Internet in an attempt to find a live liver donor for their daughter.

Michael and Johanne are parents to nine kids, and all of their adventures are documented in their blog, One More Potato in the Pot. They had five children naturally, then looked to adopt, and along came their girls.

Binh and Phuoc Wagner, the 3-year-old twins, have Alagille syndrome, which causes bile duct abnormalities in the liver. The parents adopted their daughters knowing that they might face medical issues and are now going full-force when it comes to finding the right donor.

They’ve created a Facebook fan page, Liver Transplants for Our Vietnamese Twin Girls, and already have more than 6,000 likes.

“We need people to come forward, people who are willing to be assessed to be live liver donors,” said mom Johanne to CBC News in Ottawa. “Things could turn around very quickly on us, and their condition could get worse.”

They’ve put a call-out for any possible donors and have included the following requirements:

A potential live liver donor must:

1) be older than 18 years of age and younger than 60 years of age;
2) be in good overall health and physical condition;
3) have a compatible blood type: A or O (rhesus factor + or – does not matter);
4) have a BMI of less than 35 to be worked up for consideration and no greater than 32 at the time of surgery (transplant).

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Work up takes 3-4 days in Toronto. At the time of surgery, donor can expect to be in hospital for 5-10 days. The donor can expect to be off work for about 6 weeks. The donor’s liver will regenerate and regrow to its original size within 6-8 weeks.

Source: thestir.cafemom.com