Father to donate liver to sick child

Doctors have given six-month-old Alacia Trail, who is suffering from a rare liver disease, a little more than a year to live - but this is if she gets a liver transplant soon.

Her parents, AndrE Trail, 24, and Shanelle Stewart, 26, said they will stop at nothing to save her life.

Trail plans to donate a lobe of his liver for the transplant.

"I will do anything, just to save her life right now. I have to be strong for my baby. I love her from she was inside the womb. Loving her is not something I can ever stop doing," Trail told THE WEEKEND STAR.

Donating a lobe of liver involves a plethora of risks, including wound infections, hernia, organ impairment, even death.

Shanelle said she first noticed something was wrong when her child was two days old.

"I realised her stool colour was white. I asked the doctors what was happening and they told me it was a symptom of teething," Shanelle said.

The mother, who recently graduated from nursing school, said that she was not contented with the doctors' explanation as she found it rather peculiar for a newborn to be teething. Nonetheless, the baby was discharged from hospital and went home to Victoria, St Catherine.

"One night I was feeding her and I realised she wasn't keeping her feed down, then she vomited and passed out to the point where her eyes rolled over and everything like that. I rushed her to the hospital," Shanelle explained.

Alacia was transferred to the Bustamante Hospital For Children where doctors diagnosed her with biliary atresia, a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts that occur in infants. It prevents the liver from releasing waste products and digesting fat in the body.

There are only two known procedures to remedy the condition. So far, Alacia has undergone the Kasai procedure, in which doctors connected her liver directly to her intestines as a way to rid the liver of waste. It worked for a short period, but her body later rejected the procedure.

Her only hope is a liver transplant, for which Trail stands ready to donate a part of his organ to his daughter. The only thing that stands in their way is the multimillion-dollar price tag for the procedure to be done overseas.

The young couple has been feverishly searching for a medical facility that offers the surgery at the most reasonable rate. So far, they have identified a facility in India offering the procedure for US$40,000- $50,000, approximately J$5 million. This figure does not include the cost of airfare, accommodation and other necessities.

This is far out of the reach of Shanelle, who has been unable to land a job since graduating from nursing school, due to having to care for her sick child.

Trail, who occasionally works as a plumber at the National Water Commission, said the life saving surgery is well beyond the bounds of his salary.

The couple is earnestly seeking assistance to finance the procedure to preserve their daughter's life.

"I would love for the help and assistance from anyone. I'm asking the public to look into their hearts and see that I really love my daughter. I would appreciate any help you can offer. Please, help me with my baby," Trail pleaded.

Persons who wish to assist may contact Shanelle Stewart at 1 876 883 0176 or donate funds to NCB account number 684195557, Linstead Branch, in AndrE Trail's name.