Shaylee Ritter

Shaylee Ritter was born on March 13, 2015. On April 13, 2015 we were sent to OU Children’s Hospital due to still being jaundiced at 1 month old. She was Diagnosed with Biliary Atresia on April 21, 2015.

Biliary Atresia is where the bile ducts and gallbladder are non existent, collapsed, or non working, Shaylee had neither gallbladder nor bile ducts so her liver couldn’t get rid of the bile. On April 22, 2015 at 5 weeks old, she underwent an 8 hour long surgery to help her liver function better, this was called the Kasai procedure. The Kasai is where they loop a piece of her small intestine to the liver to serve as a bile duct. About a week later we were released to go home, but at 8 weeks old were readmitted again for cholangitis, an infection in the bile ducts.

After 10 days we were home again, doing everything we were supposed to do, things were going great or so we thought. We arrived at one of her appointments with the hepatologist and I told her about her belly swelling and she ordered an Ultrasound. The Ultrasound proved our worst nightmare that her liver was in fact getting worse. Her cirrhosis is causing her blood veins in the liver to collapse and the blood to back up in her spleen, this is called portal hypertension, she also has ascites. We were admitted again on September 3rd with a high fever of 102.2 and a large amount of ascites, she has cholangitis again as well as needed another blood transfusion.

We met with Transplant while we are here and they believe it is time to list her. This disease is very progressive and can take a turn for the worse at any time, we never know what to expect with it. Since we have been here, we know that things have definitely been getting worse, but the infection is getting better.

This campaign is to help with transplant related expenses not covered by insurance during and after transplant costs, bills, food, etc. while we have the long stay after transplant; just because we are at the hospital, doesn’t mean bills just stop adding up, we will also have many trips back to the hospital after being released. Please show your support for my family, and my beautiful 6 month old daughter by clicking donate now.

Thank you for your support!