Uncle and niece set for live liver transplant next month
Wade Michael Armstrong knows his way around a hospital.
A phlebotomist at Hazel Hawkins, Armstrong normally spends his
day drawing blood. But soon he will take part in a procedure
nursing school did not prepare him for.
On Sept. 26, Armstrong will donate nearly three quarters of his
liver to his niece, 16-year-old Cheyenne Melville, a student at San
Benito High School.
Uncle and niece set for live liver transplant next month
Wade Michael Armstrong knows his way around a hospital.
A phlebotomist at Hazel Hawkins, Armstrong normally spends his day drawing blood. But soon he will take part in a procedure nursing school did not prepare him for.
On Sept. 26, Armstrong will donate nearly three quarters of his liver to his niece, 16-year-old Cheyenne Melville, a student at San Benito High School.
“I have autoimmune hepatitis,” Melville said. “It is when my body is attacking my liver.”
She was diagnosed two months ago.
“[The doctor] said my liver is pretty much fried, so that is why I need a new liver,” Melville said.
To her uncle, Cheyenne is Chey – pronounced shy. With a quiet voice, soft-dyed blue hair and a body puffy from medication that makes her a little self-conscious, the nickname suits her. A piece of Armstrong’s liver will grow to fill the cavity left after surgeons remove her own liver.
To keep her body from rejecting the organ, for the rest of her life Melville will need medication that suppresses her immune system.
After surgery, she will stay for a month at a recovery house in San Francisco so doctors can give her a check-up every two days.
“My mom is going to be there,” Melville said.
Tall and lean with jet-black hair and thick-rimmed black glasses, Armstrong looks a bit like Buddy Holly. He has two teenage daughters himself, ages 13 and 16.
“He’s an angel, I’m telling you,” said Jeanie Churchill, Melville’s grandmother. “He’s not blood related to her. That’s why it’s so amazing that he’s doing this for her. He’s a keeper.”
Armstrong is Melville’s uncle by marriage. They met for the first time on a trip to the San Francisco Zoo when she was 8. When Melville got tired, Armstrong carried her for the rest of the day.
“Once we found out Chey was sick, it was like, ‘What are we going to do now,'” Armstrong said. “When we found out about live liver donor, we were like, ‘What is that?'”
The first step was to find a family member or close friend who shares a blood type with Melville.
“They give you a full-body physical,” Armstrong said. “Three days of testing.”
The operation carries a 1 in 500 chance of death and complications such as blood clots, hernia and infection.
After the physical, between 60 and 70 percent of potential donors are eliminated for health reasons.
“That was my biggest fear,” Armstrong said.
After the surgery, Armstrong’s liver will regenerate within a month.
“It won’t necessarily grow back to the same shape,” Armstrong said.
Full recovery will take longer. Melville’s medical insurance will pay for both surgeries, but not Armstrong’s recovery.
“They tell you to be prepared to be out for three months,” Armstrong said. “What we’re worried about is time away from work.”
Armstrong has a month of sick leave and vacation time. He might qualify for disability, but it does not pay that much.
“Of course we bought a house two years ago and the mortgage is through the roof,” Armstrong said. “We’re kind of strapped. I know so many people who are just not paying and walking away, but we don’t want to do that”
Friends and family have fundraisers planned over the next month. The Associated Student Body at San Benito High School is also raising money.
A curious illness
Melville’s problems started eight months ago.
“Last November I started going to the doctor because I had pain,” Melville said, gesturing towards the upper section of her rib cage.
Melville is a junior this year. She has been on independent study since last year.
“Because I was missing so much school because of the pain I was having, my mom and I thought it would be best,” Melville said.
Once per week she hands in her homework to a teacher and picks up assignments for the next week.
Doctors removed her gallbladder, but the pain continued.
“This type of autoimmune deficiency isn’t very common, so it’s hard to detect,” Armstrong said.
After her doctors brought in a liver specialist, she was diagnosed.
“Once he got involved, they realized how rapidly her liver was deteriorating,” Armstrong said.
A six-hour surgery
Armstrong also has a goal.
After the surgery, Armstrong must go for a walk. The movement will help wake up his internal organs.
“One of my goals is to get up and make it to Chey’s room,” Armstrong said. “We’ll be on different floors.”
Someone will follow him around with a wheelchair in case he cannot make it.
“After recovery, I’ll be able to go back to my normal life,” Melville said.
Melville cannot do things that most people take for granted, such as ride her quad, because her body has problems clotting.
She cannot eat tomato sauce from a jar because of a low sodium diet. The 1,000-milligram limit excludes most prepared foods.
“I can’t have a sandwich,” Melville said. “Sandwiches were my favorite food before. I make a lot of things from scratch. I’ve become a really good cook.”
Depending on how well her recovery goes, she might have to maintain her low sodium diet.
“When I’m done, I’m going to eat a hot dog,” Melville said.
Helping Chey
Friends and family are planning a variety of fundraisers to support Armstrong and Melville through the transplant recovery. On Aug. 23, there will be a hamburger cook-off at Daisy’s Saloon in San Juan Bautista at noon. There is an Enchilada Take and Bake, with a raffle on Sept. 7 from noon to 4 p.m. at Daisy’s and Johnny’s Bar and Grill. On Sept. 20, there will be a tri-tip barbeque and raffle at the Veterans of Foreign Wars building. For more information, call Jeanie at 637-5831 ext. 184 or 637-8821.
To make a donation by mail, send checks to Campp Fund at 1371 Line St. in Hollister or to the Campp Fund at San Benito Bank. For more information, call Carrie at 524-6881.
Understanding autoimmune hepatitis
What: Autoimmune hepatitis is when the body’s immune system attacks the liver instead of pathogens
Causes: Genetic abnormalities, certain drugs or infections such as acute hepatitis A, hepatitis B, measles or Epstein-Barr
Statistics: Although people of any age or sex can develop autoimmune hepatitis, it is more common in women ages 15-40. It has an incidence of 1-2 per 100,000
Treatment: With proper treatment, autoimmune hepatitis can usually be controlled with medicine that suppresses the immune system. Seven in ten people go into remission within three years.
Since 1989, more than 3,600 living liver donor operations have been performed in the United States
Information courtesy of Mayoclinic.com, the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearninghouse and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.
