Meet Phoebe: Swimmer, soccer player, gymnast and liver transplant recipient

Whether she’s tearing across the soccer field, sticking a near perfect landing in a gymnastics routine or training for an upcoming swim meet, Phoebe Root is always on the go. As her father, David, shuttles his active 12-year-old daughter to and from meets, games and competitions, he almost can’t believe it’s the same girl who, at 8 weeks old, was diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening liver disorder. “Looking back at how sick she was, I never would have guessed our lives would end up feeling so… normal,” says David, as he drove his daughter to an afternoon swim practice. “When she was sick, we were so focused on the details of her illness that we couldn’t see the big picture. Now that we’re living in that picture, and it feels great.” Shortly after her birth, Phoebe was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare disorder that prevents bile ducts in the liver from draining correctly, causing a potential fatal buildup of toxins in the body. The diagnosis led the Root family to Boston Children’s Hospital for treatment. Once there, Phoebe’s doctors made several attempts to treat her failing liver, but no matter what they tried, nothing seemed to fully alleviate her symptoms. After six months, it was clear that her best chance at survival would be a liver transplant. She was placed on the organ donation list, and David and his wife, Amy, prepared themselves for a difficult wait in their Maine home. To Boston for a ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Our patients’ stories liver failure Liver transplant Pediatric Transplant Center (PTC) Source Type: news