Saving Lives: Friends of the SLU Liver Center

The liver that saved her daughter’s life came from a boy in De Soto, Illinois. It arrived at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital by helicopter, and eight “endless” hours later, the little girl (age 18 months) emerged from surgery with a much brighter future. “It was the longest day of my life,” says Kaylin’s mother, Kimyda.

Kaylin was diagnosed with a liver problem at 6 months, after her mother sensed something was wrong. “It was maternal instinct,” she says. “Even though doctors in Illinois were telling me otherwise, I just knew.” Kaylin was changing color. She was bruising easily, and the whites of her eyes were turning yellow. “She looked like a glow worm,” her mother says. It turns out Kaylin had biliary atresia, a life-threatening condition in infants where the bile ducts of the liver do not have normal openings, causing the organ to harden.

The disease is among many serious liver conditions, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (which affects a third of the population), cirrhosis, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C (which is five times as widespread as HIV). Each year, the world-renowned Saint Louis University Liver Center works with SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and Cardinal Glennon to treat several hundred pediatric patients afflicted with liver disease. Meanwhile, Friends of the Saint Louis University Liver Center is a nonprofit group that supports the research efforts of the center in the treatment and cure of liver conditions, and promotes understanding and awareness of liver disease, which claims thousands of lives annually.

Dr. Ajay Jain, SLU medical director of the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program at the Liver Center, explains that because of the liver’s resilience (it is one of few organs in the body able to regenerate itself), problems often go undetected. “Liver diseases can develop over time without many symptoms,” Jain says. “When the disease finally shows itself, it can be a true emergency requiring a transplant.” In extreme cases, symptoms of a liver disease might include bleeding from the mouth and GI tract, and neurological impairment like stupor and coma. But otherwise, a person might simply feel tired. Jaundice and the appearance of abnormal blood vessels also can be signs, he says.

According to SLU Liver Center, approximately 6,000 liver transplants were performed in 2015 in the U.S. Because of the shortage of organs, it is estimated that nearly 1,200 people died in 2015 waiting for a liver, and currently more than 15,000 people are on the waiting list. Since its founding in 2003, the Friends group has donated more than $3.6 million to the Liver Center, raising awareness and providing seed funding for research. “Its work is vital,” Jain says. “Liver diseases may be less recognized than many others, but can be equally as life-threatening.” On Oct. 29, the 14th annual Diamonds Gala, the Friends’ signature annual fundraiser, takes place at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac. The cocktail reception, dinner and live auction will ensure that others like Kaylin get a chance to survive liver disease.

Pictured: Dr. Ajay Jain with Kaylin
Photo: Colin Miller of Strauss Peyton Photography

Saint Louis University Liver Center, SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital work closely together through their physicians, researchers, nurses and support staff to serve St. Louis-area pediatric patients with liver disease. Friends of the SLU Liver Center hosts its 14th Annual Diamonds Gala Oct. 29 at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac to raise funds in support of their efforts. For information, call 314.576.3078, or email lduff@friendsoftheslulc.org. Pictured on the cover: Dr. Mustafa D. Nazzal, Kaylin and Kimyda Mayne, Dr. Ajay Jain 
Cover design by Jon Fogel | Cover Photo by Colin Miller of Strauss Peyton Photography