For the past five months, Guelph’s Sheryl Benham has been living with the hope that a liver donor comes forward and saves her baby’s life.
Benham’s son Matthew Philip Benham has a rare liver condition called biliary atresia in which bile ducts in and around the liver are damaged and blocked.
The 5-month-old baby has been in Toronto’s SickKids for the past few months where his condition has been deteriorating by the day as he awaits a liver transplant.
“It’s very hard. It’s very very hard to see,” said Benham. “It’s really hard to see your baby like this.”
Benham said the hospital asked the family to prepare 10 individuals to undergo testing to see if they could be a match for Mathew, something they weren't able to do.
“We don’t have 10 people to line up and that’s why we ended up here,” said Benham who along with her husband was unable to donate her liver because pre-existing health conditions deem them to be an unfit match.
“I believe it’s getting bad the longer it is.”
She said the liver donor must be under 50 years old and undergo testing to see if they are a proper match.
Benham’s pregnancy journey was filled with surprises.
The Guelph mother was trying to have a baby for five years after the birth of her first son —now six years old. After a strenuous pregnancy last year and extended sick leave, the personal care worker gave birth to Matthew in March who weighed 8.5 pounds and at the time, appeared healthy.
Within half a day of his birth, Mathew’s bilirubin levels began to rise. Two weeks into his discharge from the hospital, he was barely eating, his skin colour was yellow and he would sleep more than a newborn is expected to.
“Within two weeks, my husband and I were so worried because if it was jaundice it would last a few days or 24 hours,” said Benham about her baby who continued to turn yellow for days and then weeks.
“My husband and I were worried because babies cry when they're hungry and Mathew was never really a crying baby. He would sleep a lot.”
Currently, Mathew is fed through a J tube and has an enlarged abdomen.
“It just keeps collecting fluid that they can’t get rid of called ascites,” said Mathew’s aunt Bernice Muma.
“His skin and eyes especially are really yellow and he’s kind of scrawny for his age. He can’t keep weight on him. He would vomit.”
Benham said the hospital is currently focusing on Mathew’s nutrition right now as nobody knows when a liver transplant will be a possibility.
“He did have a surgery March 10, an almost five-hour surgery hoping to rectify the problem but it didn't. And he’s just been deteriorating ever since and waiting for a liver and you can’t come by them very easily,” said Muma.
“You can imagine if he doesn’t get help, he most definitely will not make it.”
Those interested in being a living donor can get more information here
They can also contact [email protected].
