Her name is Shelby. Shelby will be one year old before the month is out. She was born with a liver condition known as Biliary Atresia, which could rob our world of this terrific young lady. Here's more about her and how you can help.
If you've been blessed with healthy children not to mention your own good health, count your blessings and give thanks. Some children are born to this world with birth defects and diseases that can potentially end their lives before they even get started. One year old "Shelby" of Idaho is one of those people. Biliary Atresia is a liver disease that prohibits the liver from processing waste, which causes liver damage and potentially death. The only hope for Biliary Atresia disease is a liver transplant.
Shelby's father turned out to be a perfect match, which would enable him to donate a portion of his liver in order to save her life. Because he is a grown man and Shelby is an infant, she had to grow before she would be ready for the transplant. Problem was, Shelby's growth was slowed due to this disabling liver disease. It got to a point where little Shelby couldn't keep food down because of her swollen liver. She vomited often, which called for an intravenous line to keep nutrients going into her system. She has a tube in her nose and is fed formula by a pump. She clings to precious life every day.
On July 3rd, Shelby received a compatible donor liver and her transplant. This kept her father from having to donate a portion of his liver, which would have sidelined him for some time and prohibited him from working. Shelby remains in and out the intensive care unit at Primary Childrens Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is doing well. However, her care will continue for many weeks to come before it is known what her long term prognosis is.
Because Shelby's family lives in Idaho and her health care takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah, it involves a lot of driving back and forth between her home in Idaho and the heart of Utah hundreds of miles away. Medical expenses are immense not to mention housing and transportation costs.
Our world sent Shelby and her family an angel - Joyce Epperson of the Northern Utah Mustang Owners Association (NUMOA). Joyce is a registered pediatric nurse at the Primary Childrens Medical Center in Salt Lake who works with babies with special needs like Shelby's. Because Joyce is an extraordinary human being, she looked on Shelby and her family with deep compassion. She knew there had to be a way to help them. She launched a fund raising campaign to help Shelby's family financially until her health improves and they can get back home to Idaho.
As Shelby continues to mend, she and her family are staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Salt Lake City. There are times when Shelby has to go back into the hospital due to complications that come from a liver transplant. "We don't know when Shelby will be well enough to go home to Idaho," Joyce tells Mustang Monthly, "Her color used to be yellow from the toxins in her body. Now, she is a rosy pink as a baby should be."
Shelby and her family need your help. This is where your contributions of any size to the Shelby fund come in. Go to the Northern Utah Mustang Owners Association website at www.numoa.com and ask Joyce how you may help. This is not only about survival, but the warm feeling that comes from giving.
At the 10th Annual Intermountain Mustang & All-Ford Stampede in Park City, Utah, enthusiasts lined up contribute to this special fund raising effort. You can too. So please give generously.