This youngster is now living his best life, four months after he received a lifesaving liver transplant from a nurse who works at the transplant ICU. She was touched by the boy’s story and decided to help.
The 8-year-old boy, Brayden Auten, was at home one day when he started experiencing a painful tummy and diarrhea. His parents thought that it was the flu at first until they saw that the boy’s eyes were yellow.
The Boy’s Sickness Becomes Worse
The parents took the third grader from the Wrightstown Elementary School to a primary care clinic. Unfortunately, his illness worsened and the skin became yellowish too.
After an ultrasound, the doctors discovered that the boy’s liver wasn’t working properly. With the days passing by, his liver stopped working entirely.
His father, James Auten, recalls they were terrified and didn’t know what was going on in the first week. As parents, they wanted to know what was happening to their child.
Despite the doctors’ uncertainty about the virus which caused the liver to fail, they did know that a liver transplant was necessary and the sooner, the better for the boy.
The family was on their feet right away, looking for a matching donor. A lot of family members as well as friends got tested, but no one was a match.
Nurse Comes in & Saves the Day
Cami Loritz, a nurse who works at the transplant ICU at the Milwaukee Froedtert Hospital, heard of the boy’s case and decided to help.
She signed up for being a living donor and decided to donate half of her liver to the boy.
The surgery happened in May at the Froedtert Hospital and the boy’s on the same day at the Milwaukee children hospital.
The family didn’t know Loritz at first as she wanted to remain anonymous; however, she said she will meet the family once the surgery is finished successfully.
Surgery Goes Well, Boy Recuperates
Two weeks after the transplant, the hospital set a meeting up for the nurse and the boy to meet. When they met, the boy immediately embraced the nurse.
Though he was nervous at first because he didn’t fully understand what happened and what the nurse did, he does now and considers her his bigger sister, claim his parents.
Loritz notes that it was amazing to meet the boy and seeing him starting to feel better. She says she had no reason not to do the transplant.
4 Months after the Recovery, Everyone Is Happier
Today, 4 months after the surgery, it’s really heartwarming to see the boy enjoying being a child again- he’s so cute, claims Loritz. She’s beyond thankful that his family got the chance to help their boy and to improve his health.
She also wants to raise awareness about the deficit between the organs needed and the organs available for transplant.
She’s thankful for the transplant team, the transplant ICU, and the 4NW staff at the Froedtert Hospital who made this happy ending possible.
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