Claire Kaufman was born in October of 2011 with a rare medical condition that affects one out of every 18,000 infants.
Her mother Leah Moliengo and father Kevin Kaufman learned on day two of her life that Claire was born with a defect in her bile ducts known as Biliary Atresia. The condition is more common in females, premature babies, and children of Asian or African American heritage. The ducts inside or outside the liver do not have normal openings.
These tubes carry bile from the liver to the gall bladder for storage and to the small intestine for use in digestion. The body uses bile to carry toxins and waste products out of our bodies and helps us to digest fats and absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Individuals with Biliary Atresia have bile trapped in the liver which builds up and causes damage to the liver. Weekly blood tests monitor Claire’s condition and help doctors to make decisions on her treatment.
In Claire’s case, the surgery used to correct this condition was not successful, and she has been placed on the list for a liver transplant.
Read more
No comments:
Post a Comment