‘Blessed beyond belief ’
Liver donation turns toddler’s life around as she aces milestones in recovering from a rare disease
Two-year-old Takyra Wordlow bosses around her big sisters — and when they ignore her demands, she stomps her foot to get their attention, her mother Jazz Vance said recently.
Her youngest daughter also keeps her busy as Vance must always keep a watchful eye because of Takyra’s love of trying to flip on and off of her older sisters’ bunk bed.
In 2020, just shy of Takyra’s first birthday, Vance, of Chicago, was pleading with Facebook users to get tested to see if they were a match to her daughter, who was suffering with biliary atresia, a sometimes-deadly disease of infancy that federal health authorities say is more likely in children with African American and Asian American heritage.
A man responded and underwent surgery to give a portion of his liver to Takyra, saving her the pain of biliary atresia and helping rid Vance of her constant worry.
Biliary atresia is a blockage of the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder. It can lead to liver failure if not treated soon enough after diagnosis.
Takyra faced many obstacles while waiting for a live donor. Initially, she underwent a Kasai procedure, named after Morio Kasai, the Japanese surgeon who developed it. During the procedure, the blocked bile ducts outside the liver are replaced with part of the baby’s small intestine to act as a new bile duct. In children who respond well to the surgery, jaundice and other symptoms disappear within weeks. But Takyra’s surgery didn’t take.
At one point, her abdomen was distended due to a collection of fluid that triggered an infection. From once wasting away at 20 pounds because of her condition, she has done remarkably well since the liver donation.
“She is doing great by all means,” said Dr. Ruba Azzam, director of pediatric hepatology and medical director of the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program at Comer Children’s Hospital. “All of the medical problems she was going through are completely gone. She is very active and hitting all of her milestones on time.”
Recently, Takyra graduated from physical therapy. She went from not being able to walk, to running around with her sisters, Vance said.
“She picked up walking out of nowhere,” Vance remembered. “I thought to myself, ‘Oh, no, I am going to have to remind her not to climb the stairs.’ “
Vance said Takyra is very independent, smart and stubborn.
“She wakes up and says good morning. She calls her sisters’ names, loves Peppa Pig, and she surprised me when I was making brownies, Vance said. “She said, ‘Chocolate cake, yummy, yummy.’ “
More important, Takyra went from taking 11 medicines daily to six, including immunosuppresants to help maintain her new liver.
Vance said she can relax now and focus on school, where she is working on getting state certified as a manicurist.
“We are blessed beyond belief,” Vance said.
Azzam remembered when she had to place Takyra higher on the transplant list because her condition became more dire.
“Her quality of life has done an 180-degree change,” she said of the child she described in 2020 as “everyone’s little warrior.” “We are so glad she has done so well. All the misery has completely changed.”
Anyone willing to be screened for a liver donation can contact the liver transplant team at Comer Children’s Hospital at 773-702-6169.