No one ever expects to need a transplant, but Arden York’s parents knew their newborn would need one within the first week of his life.
The Lubbock toddler was born full-term in August 2023. The day Arden and his parents were supposed to go home, he showed signs of jaundice. Lab work quickly revealed liver-related issues, and he was admitted to the NICU at University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas. There, he tested for biliary atresia (BA).
BA is a rare liver condition where the common bile duct does not develop normally, preventing the removal of bile from the liver. This build-up can lead to liver damage and eventually complete liver failure.
After undergoing more tests and procedures and trying an experimental new drug, Arden’s best chance at survival was a liver transplant. The Yorks were referred to the University Health Transplant Institute’s Living Donor Program. In April 2024, they got the news that Arden’s aunt was a match! On June 26 that year, Arden received a portion of his aunt’s liver and, today, he’s a healthy toddler whose family continues to share updates on his recovery.
Arden’s story is a powerful reminder: liver failure can affect anyone at any age.
Why You Might Need a Liver Transplant
When it comes to keeping your body functioning at its best, the liver has many responsibilities. It removes toxins from the blood, metabolizes nutrients from the foods you eat and makes proteins.
Your medical provider will recommend a transplant when your liver no longer functions effectively. This could be the result of cirrhosis, acute liver failure, liver cancer or other diseases.
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is a chronic liver disease that occurs when scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue. This builds up over time, slowly damaging your liver. Two of the most common causes of cirrhosis are hepatitis and long-term alcohol use.
Signs of Advanced Cirrhosis
Because it is a slow-growing liver disease, symptoms will vary depending on how bad the condition is. Symptoms may include:
- Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
- Loss of appetite
- Easy bruising
- Muscle loss
- Fatigue
For children, symptoms of cirrhosis may include nausea or vomiting, spider-like blood vessels and abdominal pain.
In severe cases, cirrhosis can stop the liver from working. This is called liver failure.
Acute Liver Failure
Acute liver failure happens when the liver suddenly stops working. It’s commonly seen right after an overdose or poisoning. People at risk of experiencing acute liver failure either take too much acetaminophen, like Tylenol, drink a lot of alcohol or have poor blood flow to the liver.
Signs of Acute Liver Failure
Symptoms of acute liver failure in adults include:
- Diarrhea
- Discomfort on your right side, below the ribs
- Nausea
- Bruising or bleeding easily
As the condition gets worse, the person may experience jaundice.
Children with acute liver failure would experience the same symptoms, but they might also have dark urine or itching all over the body.
What to Expect If You Need a Liver Transplant
Before a patient’s provider recommends having a liver transplant, they must determine that other forms of medical therapy are no longer an option. For a pediatric patient, a team of specialists and their caregivers will have to ensure the child is developmentally and medically ready for a transplant.
Once these steps have been taken, the patient will go through a pre-transplant assessment. From there, the care team will use specific criteria to decide eligibility to be on the donor waitlist.
Your MELD Score
For adults, part of the decision-making process includes looking at your MELD score, which stands for Model for End-of Stage Liver Disease. This scoring system will determine the severity of the liver disease. Several lab tests will determine the patient’s score, which ranges from six to 40. The higher your MELD score, the more likely to receive a liver transplant.
Your PELD Score
For children like Arden, providers would be looking at their Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease (PELD) score. This scoring system is similar to the MELD score but is used to prioritize pediatric patients under the age of 12. The PELD score also takes into account the “growth failure,” which determines whether or the not the child is growing appropriately for their age. Based on the score, which ranges from six to 40, will determine how urgent the transplant is for the patient.
If selected, you will be added to the national transplant list. Depending on your health status and other factors, you may receive a transplant within days or weeks—or it can take months or even years.
The Need for Organ Transplants
Today, more than 103,000 people, including men, women and children, are on the national transplant waiting list. Every 8 minutes, someone else is added to the list. Of those people, more than 9,000 are waiting for a liver transplant.
While children make up a smaller portion of the transplant waitlist, their need is no less urgent. Infants and young children often wait longer due to the limited availability of size-matched organs.
As Donate Life America puts it, “Even the largest football stadium in the U.S. could not fit the number of patients on the national transplant waiting list.” With such high demand and limited availability, expert care and innovative solutions—like living donations—are more important than ever.
Living Liver Donors
Most organ donations come from deceased donors, but liver transplants are can also come from living donors. If a provider recommends a liver transplant, patients typically start by seeing if a family member could be a match.
The liver can regenerate, so a portion can be donated and will regrow in both the donor and recipient within a few months. If there is a family member or friend willing to donate, they would fill out this health questionnaire, undergo testing to confirm compatibility and meet health requirements.
It’s common for pediatric patients to receive a living donation because the size of the child allows for a smaller portion of the liver to be successfully transplanted.
Leaders in Liver Transplant Care
University Health Transplant Institute is committed to advancing living donor liver transplants. We are the only living liver donation center in South Texas, and we’ve been recognized by Interlink as the No. 1 liver transplant program in the United States for 2025. Our transplant surgeons perform liver transplants for adult and pediatric patients. Call 210-567-5777 to learn more or request an appointment online.
Whether for an adult or a child, becoming a living donor can change and save lives. Learn more about how you can help give hope to families like Arden’s.
