A mother’s gift

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A mother's gift

A West Linn mother donates half of her liver to save her daughter's life

By DeCosta

The West Linn Tidings, Feb 8, 2007

Hayley Resk (left) spends a moment with her mother Resk (right), just days before her mother donates nearly 40 percent of her liver to her daughter. Right: Hayley has had little appetite lately. Her skin has yellowed as a result of jaundice. She received food from a feeding tube for a month.

Vern Uyetake / West Linn Tidings

A year ago, Hayley Resk was a typical student at Rosemont Ridge Middle School in West Linn. She loved to shop at 's bookstore in Portland, visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium and walk her dog, Betsy, up to Starbucks for a piece of coffee cake.

But Hayley has been "missing" lately — more than usual. She stopped riding the school bus because her backpack was too heavy to lug to the bus stop. For the last month and a half, her school desk has been empty. Clarinet practices have been replaced with long naps. Walks to Starbucks with Betsy are now painful walks to the living room. Instead of being the center of attention during school lunch, she now talks to her friends online.

The 13-year-old now spends her days curled in the corner of a couch reading comic books and doing puzzles. Her skin has yellowed, but her smile hasn't changed. An enormous `get well' poster hangs in the foyer. A decorative chart in the living room counts the days until she receives a liver transplant, currently set for Monday.

In the middle of December, Hayley was activated on the liver transplant waiting list at Stanford University Hospital because her health was decreasing rapidly.

Two weeks ago Hayley and her family rushed to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital on the Stanford University campus in California when a cadaveric liver suddenly became available.

But the trip proved unsuccessful when blood couldn't be prepared in time. The Resks returned home, more exhausted than when they left.

Hayley's mother, Resk, will undergo surgery Monday, donating 40 percent of her liver to help her daughter return to good health. In the meantime, Hayley remains Stanford's highest priority patient in need of a transplant.

"It's been frustrating for me to know that I have this portion of my liver just waiting to go to her. The waiting has been the hardest part," said Resk. "I'm so ready for her to get better."

Lollipops for a new liver

When Hayley heard that her mother would be donating a portion of her liver, she thought it was, well, "weird."

"I didn't know you could do that," said Hayley. "It's pretty cool."

A person cannot live without a working liver, according to the USC Department of Surgery. It helps fight infections and cleans blood within the body. It also helps digest food and stores energy. Hayley's recent tiredness, loss of appetite, stomach pains and weight loss are a result of her liver malfunction.

Her bile ducts — tubes that carry bile out of the liver and help digest food — are missing or damaged. As her health worsened, friends of the family took it upon themselves to get involved.

"Moth to flame, I have to help," said Mair Blatt, friend of Resk who has known Hayley since preschool. "I simply can't sit back and not help. I didn't wait for an invitation either. I cancelled plans one weekend, went over and said: `We are getting organized right now.' And we did."

Blatt — along with close-by friends Middleton and Diane Brown and Hayley's family in Michigan — coordinated a task force for Hayley so the family is prepared if a liver becomes available. Who would watch the dog and hamster? The mail? Her little sister, Emma? Travel with the family? Send e-mail updates?

"(The Resks are) the type of people you want to help because they don't ask for it," said Middleton.

Hayley's friends started selling lollipops during the lunch hour at Rosemont Ridge to help the Resks financially. So far they've raised at least $1,000.

"It's kind of hard when you can't really do anything but make `get well' cards and fund-raise," said Anneli Tostar, a friend. "You can't improve her health, but you can hopefully improve her mood."

The Children's Organ Transplant Association is also providing fund-raising assistance. Since 1986, COTA has helped 1,100 children and young adults needing life-saving transplants while promoting organ, marrow and tissue donation. COTA representatives recently visited West Linn to train Blatt and others as they start a fund-raising campaign for Hayley.

"The cost of a transplant often exceeds $500,000. The goal for Hayley Resk is to raise that $500,000," said Arlene , patient campaign specialist with COTA.

But Hayley has had health complications for years; the family is familiar with expensive medical bills.

Hayley's thick

patient folder

At 3½, Hayley was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis — inflammation of the colon that produces ulcers in its lining. Six months later she was hospitalized with severe anemia — fewer red blood cells than normal. In the summer of 1999, her spleen was removed to control the anemia and at the same time her gallbladder was removed.

Later that same year, she was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic liver disease, which causes scarring and blockage of the bile ducts. She has been hospitalized six times for complications with PSC.

In the past year, her disease has progressed quickly. Her skin has yellowed; she has a poor appetite; she has lost weight; her tests show low bone mineral density; and she has fatigue with fluid in her abdomen.

Nurses visit her at home to monitor her intravenous line and the administration of intravenous medication. A thin, flexible plastic nasogastric tube passed food from her nose to her stomach for a month. And intravenous antibiotics are treating a bacterial infection.

"On my bad days I'm just exhausted and I don't eat very much. I don't eat very much on my good days. I basically just sleep the whole day," said Hayley. "On a good day, I wake up and don't feel sick and feel like I want to go downstairs."

Hayley's specialist of eight years, Annie Terry, pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at Oregon Health and Science University, said her liver is not working well.

"Her red cells are breaking down faster than they should due to another autoimmune problem, autoimmune hemolytic anemia," Terry said. "This adds to the load that her injured liver is unable to handle. Bilirubin has built up in her blood and causes her to be yellow."

Autoimmune refers to a person's immune system attacking the body. Hayley's liver blockages leave bile products in her blood called bilirubin — a substance that results from red blood cell breakdown. This substance causes her eyes and skin to turn yellow as a result of jaundice.

"Hayley needs a liver transplant very soon," said Terry. "Hayley's health is very poor now. She has had multiple serious complications from her chronic liver disease."

Hayley has just four days to wait for her new liver.

Living for the moment

During the liver transplantation surgery at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, a portion of Resk's liver will replace Hayley's diseased liver. Resk has undergone tests to make sure her liver is healthy and matches Hayley's blood type.

The family chose the hospital because transplants are not done in Oregon for children under 18, according to Hayley's father, Jim Resk, a pediatrician who is familiar with the Stanford facility.

Typically, liver transplantation surgery takes between four and 14 hours. Hayley will spend about two weeks at LPCH and another two weeks close by to monitor her progress. Her mother will remain at Stanford University Hospital — connected to LPCH — for about a week and recover over the course of at least six weeks.

Months ago the Resks began using a Web site with an online diary to post updates on Hayley to keep everyone informed. As of Tuesday, the site has been visited by 6,409 people. Friends and family post messages to Hayley through the site, which she checks often.

The Resks continue to support each other through Hayley's health "rollercoaster" — as they call it — and keep a positive outlook. Resk and Hayley, both a bit nervous about the surgery, calm each other with subtle jokes.

"It's funny," Resk said, "because when she's in high school I can say, `my liver wants to stay home tonight. You're not going out with that young man.' "

Hayley's friends continue to fund-raise to help the Resks. Plastic purple wristbands that read `LIVE®" will soon be sold at school.

While hugging a stuffed animal manatee that an anonymous person mailed to her house, Hayley said that someday she hopes to be a marine biologist and travel to Florida. She misses science class at school, but said she has learned a lot about the human body, firsthand.

For now, she'll just be happy when all the hospital visits are over.

"I've learned that I know so many people and they all really do care," said Hayley. "And my family really cares about me, but that's not really new."

Blatt encourages members of the community to become organ donors. As of Tuesday, there were 16,941 Americans awaiting a liver transplant — 143 of those are in Oregon according to the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network.

"Be a donor. It's so important to give the gift of life," said Blatt. "Life is precious, and so is Hayley. She needs a liver to survive. If you don't need yours please don't take it with you."

Resk said she feels honored to be a part of Hayley's healing process.

"We couldn't live with ourselves knowing we could have helped and didn't," said Resk. "You do anything you can to save your child's life. This is my chance. I feel very fortunate."

Volunteers have named Monday Feb. 12 "Donor Day" and encourage locals to log onto the Internet Web site www.cotaforhayleyr.com and make a tax-deductible donation for Hayley's transplant costs.

From Friday, Feb. 9 through Feb. 16, West Linn businesses are supporting the surgery by offering discounts to support Hayley. For more information, send an email to bomarbrown@....

For Haley updates, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/hayleyresk.

[Guest guest]

ONE GREAT STORY JEANNEkxcp236v wrote: A mother's gift A West Linn mother donates half of her liver to save her daughter's life By DeCosta The West Linn Tidings, Feb 8, 2007 Hayley Resk (left) spends a moment with her mother Resk (right), just days before her mother donates nearly 40 percent of her liver to her daughter. Right: Hayley has had little appetite lately. Her skin has yellowed as a result of jaundice. She received food from a feeding tube for a month. Vern Uyetake / West Linn Tidings A year ago, Hayley Resk was a typical student at Rosemont Ridge Middle School in West Linn. She loved to shop at 's bookstore in Portland, visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium and walk her dog, Betsy, up to Starbucks for a piece of coffee cake. But Hayley has been "missing" lately — more than usual. She stopped riding the school bus

because her backpack was too heavy to lug to the bus stop. For the last month and a half, her school desk has been empty. Clarinet practices have been replaced with long naps. Walks to Starbucks with Betsy are now painful walks to the living room. Instead of being the center of attention during school lunch, she now talks to her friends online. The 13-year-old now spends her days curled in the corner of a couch reading comic books and doing puzzles. Her skin has yellowed, but her smile hasn't changed. An enormous `get well' poster hangs in the foyer. A decorative chart in the living room counts the days until she receives a liver transplant, currently set for Monday. In the middle of December, Hayley was activated on the liver transplant waiting list at Stanford University Hospital because her health was decreasing rapidly. Two weeks ago Hayley and her family rushed to Lucile Packard

Children's Hospital on the Stanford University campus in California when a cadaveric liver suddenly became available. But the trip proved unsuccessful when blood couldn't be prepared in time. The Resks returned home, more exhausted than when they left. Hayley's mother, Resk, will undergo surgery Monday, donating 40 percent of her liver to help her daughter return to good health. In the meantime, Hayley remains Stanford's highest priority patient in need of a transplant. "It's been frustrating for me to know that I have this portion of my liver just waiting to go to her. The waiting has been the hardest part," said Resk. "I'm so ready for her to get better." Lollipops for a new liver When Hayley heard that her mother would be donating a portion of her liver, she thought it was, well, "weird." "I

didn't know you could do that," said Hayley. "It's pretty cool." A person cannot live without a working liver, according to the USC Department of Surgery. It helps fight infections and cleans blood within the body. It also helps digest food and stores energy. Hayley's recent tiredness, loss of appetite, stomach pains and weight loss are a result of her liver malfunction. Her bile ducts — tubes that carry bile out of the liver and help digest food — are missing or damaged. As her health worsened, friends of the family took it upon themselves to get involved. "Moth to flame, I have to help," said Mair Blatt, friend of Resk who has known Hayley since preschool. "I simply can't sit back and not help. I didn't wait for an invitation either. I cancelled plans one weekend, went over and said: `We are getting organized right now.' And we did." Blatt — along with

close-by friends Middleton and Diane Brown and Hayley's family in Michigan — coordinated a task force for Hayley so the family is prepared if a liver becomes available. Who would watch the dog and hamster? The mail? Her little sister, Emma? Travel with the family? Send e-mail updates? "(The Resks are) the type of people you want to help because they don't ask for it," said Middleton. Hayley's friends started selling lollipops during the lunch hour at Rosemont Ridge to help the Resks financially. So far they've raised at least $1,000. "It's kind of hard when you can't really do anything but make `get well' cards and fund-raise," said Anneli Tostar, a friend. "You can't improve her health, but you can hopefully improve her mood." The Children's Organ Transplant Association is also providing fund-raising assistance. Since 1986, COTA has helped 1,100

children and young adults needing life-saving transplants while promoting organ, marrow and tissue donation. COTA representatives recently visited West Linn to train Blatt and others as they start a fund-raising campaign for Hayley. "The cost of a transplant often exceeds $500,000. The goal for Hayley Resk is to raise that $500,000," said Arlene , patient campaign specialist with COTA. But Hayley has had health complications for years; the family is familiar with expensive medical bills. Hayley's thick patient folder At 3½, Hayley was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis — inflammation of the colon that produces ulcers in its lining. Six months later she was hospitalized with severe anemia — fewer red blood cells than normal. In the summer of 1999, her spleen was removed to control the anemia and at the same time her gallbladder

was removed. Later that same year, she was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic liver disease, which causes scarring and blockage of the bile ducts. She has been hospitalized six times for complications with PSC. In the past year, her disease has progressed quickly. Her skin has yellowed; she has a poor appetite; she has lost weight; her tests show low bone mineral density; and she has fatigue with fluid in her abdomen. Nurses visit her at home to monitor her intravenous line and the administration of intravenous medication. A thin, flexible plastic nasogastric tube passed food from her nose to her stomach for a month. And intravenous antibiotics are treating a bacterial infection. "On my bad days I'm just exhausted and I don't eat very much. I don't eat very much on my good days. I basically just sleep the whole day," said Hayley. "On a

good day, I wake up and don't feel sick and feel like I want to go downstairs." Hayley's specialist of eight years, Annie Terry, pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at Oregon Health and Science University, said her liver is not working well. "Her red cells are breaking down faster than they should due to another autoimmune problem, autoimmune hemolytic anemia," Terry said. "This adds to the load that her injured liver is unable to handle. Bilirubin has built up in her blood and causes her to be yellow." Autoimmune refers to a person's immune system attacking the body. Hayley's liver blockages leave bile products in her blood called bilirubin — a substance that results from red blood cell breakdown. This substance causes her eyes and skin to turn yellow as a result of jaundice. "Hayley needs a liver transplant very soon," said Terry. "Hayley's health is very

poor now. She has had multiple serious complications from her chronic liver disease." Hayley has just four days to wait for her new liver. Living for the moment During the liver transplantation surgery at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, a portion of Resk's liver will replace Hayley's diseased liver. Resk has undergone tests to make sure her liver is healthy and matches Hayley's blood type. The family chose the hospital because transplants are not done in Oregon for children under 18, according to Hayley's father, Jim Resk, a pediatrician who is familiar with the Stanford facility. Typically, liver transplantation surgery takes between four and 14 hours. Hayley will spend about two weeks at LPCH and another two weeks close by to monitor her progress. Her mother will remain at Stanford University Hospital — connected

to LPCH — for about a week and recover over the course of at least six weeks. Months ago the Resks began using a Web site with an online diary to post updates on Hayley to keep everyone informed. As of Tuesday, the site has been visited by 6,409 people. Friends and family post messages to Hayley through the site, which she checks often. The Resks continue to support each other through Hayley's health "rollercoaster" — as they call it — and keep a positive outlook. Resk and Hayley, both a bit nervous about the surgery, calm each other with subtle jokes. "It's funny," Resk said, "because when she's in high school I can say, `my liver wants to stay home tonight. You're not going out with that young man.' " Hayley's friends continue to fund-raise to help the Resks. Plastic purple wristbands that read `LIVE®" will soon be sold at school. While hugging a stuffed animal manatee that an anonymous person mailed to her house, Hayley said that someday she hopes to be a marine biologist and travel to Florida. She misses science class at school, but said she has learned a lot about the human body, firsthand. For now, she'll just be happy when all the hospital visits are over. "I've learned that I know so many people and they all really do care," said Hayley. "And my family really cares about me, but that's not really new." Blatt encourages members of the community to become organ donors. As of Tuesday, there were 16,941 Americans awaiting a liver transplant — 143 of those are in Oregon according to the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network. "Be a donor. It's so important to give the gift of life," said Blatt. "Life is precious, and so is Hayley. She needs a liver to survive. If you

don't need yours please don't take it with you." Resk said she feels honored to be a part of Hayley's healing process. "We couldn't live with ourselves knowing we could have helped and didn't," said Resk. "You do anything you can to save your child's life. This is my chance. I feel very fortunate." Volunteers have named Monday Feb. 12 "Donor Day" and encourage locals to log onto the Internet Web site www.cotaforhayleyr.com and make a tax-deductible donation for Hayley's transplant costs. From Friday, Feb. 9 through Feb. 16, West Linn businesses are supporting the surgery by offering discounts to support Hayley. For more information, send an email to bomarbrown (AT) comcast (DOT) net. For Haley updates, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/hayleyresk.