Tiny Pipi blessed by ‘angels’
Mum tells of joy having precious baby home after life-saving surgeries
Pipi Wallace has twice been given the greatest gift of all this year — life. In January, aged just 4 weeks, the Tokoroa baby, whose full name is P¯ıp¯ıwharauroa, became the smallest and youngest New Zealander to receive a life-saving liver transplant. That gift was provided by her aunty on January 23.
And now, as she approaches her first birthday on Christmas Eve, Pipi’s family have revealed she endured another brush with death; needing an urgent bone marrow transplant in July after contracting a rare genetic blood disorder.
Pipi’s mother, Ashley SteedmanPrip, told the Herald on Sunday of the ordeal — and the family’s hopes for their beloved daughter’s future.
“She was in isolation for four months — we kept that very quiet. We only got home three weeks ago.”
Doctors were alerted to the latest medical drama via weekly blood tests about three months after the liver transplant.
Steedman-Prip said Starship doctors noticed her results were “a bit out of whack”.
A biopsy showed there were no signs of liver rejection, with Pipi eventually diagnosed with Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a life-threatening condition which occurs when patients have cells in the immune system that don’t work properly.
The rare disorder is more common in children than adults and leads to damage of organs, the brain and bone marrow.
“Pipi needed two months of chemo to get her prepared for the bone marrow,” Steedman-Prip said. What followed was four months of treatment and recovery for the “beautiful and chilled baby”.
“She had to learn how to talk and walk again. She forgot how to use a bottle, to suck and chew. Because she was in hospital for such a long time her body just forgets.”
It is hoped Pipi won’t need further surgeries, and doctors have given a positive prognosis for the future.
When Pipi — named after the shining cuckoo — was born on Christmas Eve, she seemed happy and healthy. But two weeks later, Pipi woke with bright yellow eyes from a nap. Showing jaundice, she was rushed first from Tokoroa Hospital to Waikato Hospital, then to Starship.
“It happened so fast. She had little infections but when I saw her bright yellow eyes I called her midwife straight away,” Steedman-Prip said.
“From that moment she deteriorated rapidly. We were told Pipi had acute liver failure and needed a transplant urgently.”
Her life-saver turned out to be her Brisbane-based aunty, Mina Steedman-Prip.
Without telling the family, she contacted the hospital and offered to donate part of her liver. It was a match and Mina was flown across the Tasman for the operation. Defying expectations, Pipi survived the gruelling 10-hour operation.
“Pipi was in paediatric intensive care for a week to make sure she didn’t reject the liver and to ensure there was no leaking,” her mother said.
Pipi and Mina will be reunited for a special first birthday party next month, with Mina flying in from Australia.
Steedman-Prip said the family were planning a pink, gold and whitethemed birthday party to celebrate “how incredible” Pipi was.
“A lot of our friends and family haven’t had the chance to meet her yet. After the liver transplant she was pretty precious and couldn’t be around people. We feel blessed this baby has got a lot of angels looking over her.
“She’s been through a lot and I only want the best for her and whatever she desires in life.”