5-year-old girl meets liver donor who saved her life

WARREN — Jamie is only 5 years old and surely didn’t understand why the man she met Monday for the first time is so special.

At the same time, David Denovcheck, 28, of Niles admits he was a little nervous to meet Jamie, not having a lot of exposure to children in his life.

Yet, David and Jamie warmed up after a few minutes today, with Jamie finding David fun to play with in a room full of doting adults at Trumbull County Children Services during the reunion between the girl who desperately needed a liver earlier this year and the complete stranger who provided one.

They laughed as Jamie fed David corn chips, and Jamie didn’t seem to notice as a bunch of reporters gathered around to capture the moment.

David donated part of his liver to Jamie on May 27 at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital of UPMC. She needed the transplant because of a debilitating condition called biliary atresia, a condition in which inflammation develops within the bile ducts around the time of birth.

Her health was deteriorating, and doctors believed she might live only a few more weeks without a donation.

For the complete story, read Tuesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com