Mother and daughter Margaret and Adeline Rollins of Columbus are doing well after liver transplant surgeries Tuesday in Atlanta.
A post Tuesday evening on the family’s Facebook Page — Adeline’s Fight: Biliary Atresia Warrior — said the surgery to remove a portion of Margaret’s liver to replace Adeline’s failing liver was successful.
“We just talked to the head surgeon,” the Facebook post stated. “They’re putting the finishing touches on the procedure and Adeline is doing wonderful! Her new liver is functioning very well! Praise the Lord! I can’t express how happy this makes us feel, and I can’t wait to see her thrive without that sick liver holding her back. The next step is ICU and we’ll take it day by day, but this is a huge step towards Adeline’s healing.”
Earlier Tuesday afternoon, Amy Robertson, the child’s nurse practitioner, said that Margaret’s surgery had gone without a hitch.
“She came through it great,” Robertson said. “In fact, they’ve already moved her into a room.”
Adeline, now 14 months old, was diagnosed with the rare liver diseases at just six days old. Ninety-five percent of those born with the disease require a transplant by age 2, and when testing showed Margaret was a match for the organ transplant, plans for the two surgeries — Margaret’s at Emory University Hospital, Adeline’s at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta — were scheduled.
Adeline will remain at Children’s Healthcare for a week before moving to the Ronald McDonald House in Atlanta, where she will remain for a month and make three visits a week to the hospital for aftercare and therapy.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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