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Doctors keep watch on Jamie, liver donor at UPMC hospital
WARREN
Four-year-old Jamie of Trumbull County was in serious but stable condition late Thursday in Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC after undergoing 14 hours of surgery Wednesday to receive a life-saving living liver transplant.
The donor, David Denovchek of Niles, was listed in critical condition, said Andrea Kunicky, hospital spokeswoman.
“It was a tense day Wednesday. Thursday we were relieved and happy that Jamie’s and David’s surgeries went well,” said Marilyn Pape, department manager for foster care and adoption for Trumbull County Children Services, which has had custody of Jamie since she was an infant.
Jamie, born with a condition that causes bile to remain in her liver, has been in the hospital since January, too sick to come home.
After her surgery, Jamie was placed in an induced coma expected to last for several days enabling doctors to better monitor her progress, Pape said.
“Doctors were able to observe blood flow, and everything was starting to happen. Now, it’s a matter of watching that it continues to work,” Pape said.
A plea for potential liver donors issued several weeks ago by Children Services resulted in hundreds of concerned area residents signing up to be tested, including Denovchek, who was a good match.
Pape said she is hoping to meet Denovchek today.
“We throw around the word ‘hero’ these days; but David’s action is truly what the word means,” she said.