Young patient’s parents spearheading blood drive
Lucas Goeller, the 4-year-old from Indiana Township who received a highly publicized liver transplant two years ago, now faces another surgery, this one to fix his liver and intestines.
To protect him after the operation, his parents are holding a drive in his name to collect the relatively rare O-negative blood type that he needs and all other blood types for other patients like him.
The surgery aims to fix two strictures, or narrow parts, of his intestine, lengthen his colon, repair his liver bile duct and address swelling in his liver.
It sounds scary, but Lucas doesn’t seem to care, said his mother, Jess.
“He’s just so happy right now. He’s so filled with life,” she said, adding that she had never see him so upbeat. “But it’s a false sense of security.”
Mrs. Goeller said Lucas is reliant on intravenous nutrition and isn’t absorbing enough nutrients.
“He really has no other choice” but to undergo further surgery, she said.
After the surgery, Lucas is likely to require multiple blood transfusions of O-negative blood. His family recently felt the stress of waiting for donated blood to arrive after Lucas went into septic shock in May and didn’t receive blood transfusions for
off. Lauressa Swedberg from Nebraska donated the liver of her ailing daughter, Olivia, to Lucas through a process of directed donation. Olivia’s liver bypassed the traditional waiting list and went straight to Lucas.
Now the “Save Lucas” Facebook page has more than 89,500 likes. Mrs. Goeller is using the platform to advocate for other patients like Lucas and to keep a community of invested followers updated on his progress.
“It’s been amazing, the support,” she said. “I never thought two years posttransplant our campaign would still be growing.”
The “Love for Lucas Blood Drive” will continue through July 31. Those wishing to participate can visit any Central Blood Bank center and mention Lucas’ name. For details, visit http://www.centralbloodbank.