Primary Children’s Liver Transplant Program marks record year in 2017

SALT LAKE CITY — Wednesday was a day of celebration at Primary Children’s Hospital, marking a milestone for the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program. The transplant team ranks No. 9 in the nation for the number of successful surgeries performed last year.

“It’s a big deal,” said Dr. Linda Book, Medical Director of Pediatric Liver Transplant Program. “There are fewer than 500 liver transplants performed in children every year in this country, and Primary Children’s performed 20 of them.”

Since it began in 1996, doctors with the Liver Transplant Program have performed nearly 240 liver transplants. Last year’s number was the most surgeries in a 12-month period.

Also in 2017, doctors at Primary performed the first split-liver transplant, where two patients each receive part of the same donated liver.

One of those was 2-year-old Brycen McKen. He and his family are from Afton, Wyoming. He had numerous medical complications soon after he was born.

“Something wasn’t quite right,” Brycen’s mom, Shayli said at the hospital Wednesday. “It seemed like we were on a roller coaster ride, not knowing what was around the corner.”

Brycen was first put on a transplant list in 2016, but wasn’t healthy enough to have the surgery when a liver became available. Then 4 months ago, the family received a call informing them another liver donor had come through. His mother says he’s a completely different little boy now.

“You would never know the story behind his cute, smiling face. He quickly got rid of his feeding tube, he went from eating nothing by mouth to eating everything he can get his hands on,” McKen said. “He is full of energy from the time he wakes up to the moment he goes to bed.”

Receiving another part of the same liver was 15-year-old Sophie Hansen, of Bountiful. She waited 12-years to get her transplant. Her surgery and Brycen’s surgery were on the same day, this past New Year’s Eve.

“I think this is really cool that one organ is able to save two lives, Hansen said. “I’m really excited to get back doing the things I really like doing. I love to figure skate. I’m excited to get back to school.”

At Wednesday’s celebration, Dr. Manuel Rodriguez-Davalos, Surgical Director of Pediatric Liver Transplantation, said, “We have one of the best surgical teams in the country. We always have a plane ready to fly. So out of the 20 transplants we did last year, they came from nine different states and 12 different cities.”

April is Donate Life Month, and everyone at the hospital Wednesday made a plea to everyone to consider becoming organ and tissue donor to save lives.

“I’m really thankful for the person who decided to say ‘yes’ to organ donation because they were able to save my life and another person’s life,” Hansen said.

Brycen’s mom, Shayli echoed the thought.

“We have such immense emotions for a family who had tragically lost a child. It was amazing to us in that time of immense sorrow and grief that they would have the love and generosity to think of others.”