Tomorrow marks the 3rd anniversary of Abigail's Kasai procedure. For those of you who have never heard of the Kasai, it is a liver salvaging surgical procedure where part of the small intestine is hooked directly up to liver in order to drain out bile. In children with biliary atresia,the gallbladder, which is responsible for excreting bile from the liver is destroyed, thus leading to bile build up, cirrhosis, and eventually liver failure. In Abigail's case the procedure was thought not to have been successful, and we faced the prospect of having her receive a new liver around six months of age. However, Abby has proven everybody wrong. Here we are 3 years later with a happy liver and a healthy child. I can still remember every detail of September 15, 2006. It had to have been one of the longest, and most brutal days of my life. The Kasai was supposed to take around four hours. Abby was in the surgery for over 7 hours. She experienced many complications, but fought hard. She amazes me everyday. I cannot express how much I love this child, and how honored I am to be her mother. Happy 3rd Kasai birthday Abby! And an enormous thank you to Dr. Soutter, her genius surgeon with magical hands.
Below are some pictures of Abby after her Kasai, and me holding her before she went to the OR. The last two are from this past week. She has come so far! I love you Abigail!
