A 5-month-old Wisconsin boy born with a rare liver disease has just weeks to live unless he can find an organ donor, and a national effort is underway to try to help him.
Marcus Albers is currently at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, where he remains in the intensive care unit while awaiting a liver donor to be found. Albers was born with Immunodeficiency 47, a rare liver disease that only affects boys. According to reports, doctors have told the family that he needs a partial liver from a living donor, and neither of his parents are a match.
As a result, the family has put out a call for a donor, who must meet the following criteria:
-Younger than 50 years old (but ideally under 40)
-Less than 150 pounds
-Type O blood (positive or negative)
A donor would not be asked to cover any costs associated with their donation, and a GoFundMe has been started to help pay for the procedure. That fundraiser has already generated more than $20,000, and any money left over from the GoFundMe will be donated to charity, according to organizers.
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If you meet the criteria and are willing to be a donor, contact a Froedtert Hospital Living Donor Coordinator at marcustransplantchw@gmail.com.
Doctors say that a donor’s liver will grow back within a few months of the procedure.
