Maghera tot may need liver transplant after suffering relapse
A Maghera couple who have a 17 month-old son that suffers from a rare liver disease, are used to having to drop everything when their little boy becomes unwell. However, the past few weeks have been particularly challenging for Joanne and Paul Owens after their little boy took an unexpected relapse.
Cathan Owens was diagnosed with the rare liver condition, billy atresia when he was just two weeks-old. Billy atresia is a condition in which inflammation develops within the bile ducts around the time of birth. This leads to bile duct damage, reducing the flow of bile, causing scarring of the liver.
For the past 12 months the County Derry tot has been thriving. His parents, who have four children, were thrilled with his progress and for the first time, they had even started to make plans for the weeks and months ahead, confident that Cathan’s condition was stable.
His mum was keen to take Cathan to Lourdes. They had booked to go with the Irish Pilgrimage on Saturday, April 15. Everything had been arranged and their bags were packed ready to go. However on the Thursday before they were due to depart, Joanne became concerned for Cathan’s health after noticing his stools were black while changing his nappy.
His parents took him straight to the Mid Ulster Hospital, from here he was transferred onto Antrim Area Hospital, where he was admitted for observation. At this point, nurses told Cathan’s parents that their trip to Lourdes might still be possible. However just a matter of hours later, Cathan, Joanne and Paul instead, found themselves on-board an air ambulance which was being flown to Birmingham Children’s Hospital after doctors discovered Cathan was bleeding internally.
Cathan underwent an emergency procedure to have his blood vessels banded to stop the bleeding.
Cathan has since returned to Birmingham for a second time to undergo the banding procedure. He may have to undergo banding for a third time however if this doesn’t work, his parents have been told that he will need a liver transplant.
Speaking to the County Derry Post Joanne said that being told that their little boy might need a transplant was the ‘last thing’ they expected to hear.
“Cathan had been such good form over the past 12 months or so. He just gets on with it. Because he had been so well, I decided that we would go on the Irish pilgrimage to Lourdes this year. However just two days before our departure date, while changing his nappy, I knew something wasn’t right,” said Joanne.
She continued: “With Cathan, I have to keep a good, tight eye on him because things can change so quickly. When he was admitted to Antrim Hospital, we were told that Lourdes might be still be a possibility, unfortunately it wasn’t. We ended up on being flown to Birmingham for emergency surgery. Everything happened so fast. We didn’t even have time to return back home to get out belongings. We went to Birmingham with just the clothes we were wearing.”
Cathan’s unexpected decline in health has brought home to his parents the importance of the charity, Children’s Liver Disease Foundation. Since Cathan’s birth, the charity has provided Cathan and his family invaluable support. Despite not knowing what the next step for Cathan is, the couple are determined to go ahead with charity fundraisers they have planned for July and September.
The mum-of-four said: “When Cathan takes unwell, it affects the whole family. Thankfully we have a fantastic support network of family and friends that look after the girls when we have to drop everything and go. It’s not easy for the girls, they want to go on holidays over the summer but we just have to take one day at a time. We can’t make plans, no matter how well Cathan is doing.
“The past few weeks have been difficult for all of us. Cathan will probably have to return back to Birmingham to have the banding done for a third time. If that doesn’t work, he will be put on the organ transplant list. This was the last thing we expected to hear because Cathan seemed so healthy. It has been hard to accept but we are very lucky to have the support of Children’s Liver Disease Foundation. While we can’t make family plans, we are determined to continue with plans to hold fundraisers for the charity. We hope that not only will it raise much needed funds for the charity, but it will help make others aware of liver conditions especially in young babies. Before Cathan was born, I had no idea what billy atresia even was.”
A family fun day is being held in The Lurach Centre, Maghera on July 1 from 1.30pm to 5pm. There will children’s activities including face painting, bouncy castles and games on the day. There will also be a BBQ and craft stalls.
There also plans to hold a charity disco on September 2 in The Premier Bar, Maghera.
Cathan is due to make the journey back to Birmingham next month. His parents are hoping that they receive good news.
“After the past year, it feels that Cathan has taken a step back. He is due to go back to Birmingham next month, we are just hoping that we will receive good news. In the meantime, we are focusing on the charity events and how to raise awareness for the charity and organ donation,” said Joanne.