Mother Gives Part of Liver to Son
Aug. 17, 2006 — -- When Catherine Herridge's infant son, Peter Hayes, was diagnosed with a rare liver disorder called biliary atresia, her options were limited.
After he failed to receive a liver from a donor waiting list, she decided to overcome her fear of needles and give her son a part of her own liver.
"In some ways, that was an easy decision," said Herridge, who once worked for ABC News and now is the Homeland Security correspondent for Fox News.
"When you're in a situation -- they get it or die -- there's no third option," she said. "I would have done everything I could."
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, only about one in 15,000 children are born with biliary atresia -- an obstruction of the bile ducts caused by their failure to develop normally in the fetus.
The result is that waste products do not get removed from the liver.
The condition can lead to liver damage and cirrhosis of the liver, which, if not treated, becomes fatal.
The cause of the condition is unknown.
Herridge said she could sense late in her pregnancy that something was wrong with Peter.
"I had a tough pregnancy," she said.
Within two days of his birth, Peter developed jaundice -- a common symptom of biliary atresia.
Testing done in the month since his birth showed he was born with the condition.
The first treatment Peter endured was the Kasai procedure, which is done to connect the liver to the small intestine, bypassing the malformed ducts.
In April, when Peter was about 5 months old, a liver became available and Peter was second in line to receive it, but the child in first position received the liver.
Two months later, Herridge donated a portion of her liver to her son in a surgery that lasted seven hours and resulted in a foot-long scar. Peter's surgery lasted 10 hours.
Peter, who weighs 14 pounds, is now on anti-rejection drugs, which depress his immune system.
He also takes antibiotics, and may do so for the rest of his life.
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