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Faith
carries family through
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April 15, 1999 By Mary Margaret Earl One moment, as Merrie Warner awaited the surgeries on her
husband and baby, she realized she could lose both. Surgeons at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester were scheduled
to slice into her husband, Robert, harvesting a third of his
liver for their gravely ill daughter. "I gave it to God," she said. Last week, back in Binghamton with her healing baby and husband and her three other daughters, Merrie Warner said God delivered. He gave peace through the struggle. Baby Savannah Warner was born Aug. 12 with biliary atresia, a birth defect in which bile can't drain from the liver. But nothing seemed amiss. She joined a healthy brood that includes 5-year-old Nikaya, Jenica, 4, and Terea, 2. Mom worked as a Mary Kay consultant. Dad cared for the kids. In November, Merrie noticed the whites of Savannah's eyes were yellow. An exam showed her liver was enlarged. A doctor's assessment was immediate. "He said 'If this is what I think it is, she's going to need a liver transplant,' " the mother recalled. Soon after the diagnosis, Robert Warner learned of an uncommon transplant procedure. Instead of using a dead person's whole liver, doctors split a liver from someone living. Like a starfish, the liver regenerates. The surgery had never been performed in upstate New York. The Warners' first thought Savannah wouldn't need it; she could wait for a whole liver - though that was something for which they couldn't pray. "Even when we were praying, we could not ask for another liver," Merrie said. "Because that would be asking for someone to die."
A success
One day, Merrie visited her 6-month-old daughter in the intensive care unit. Savannah was in a crib sedated, a breathing tube down her throat, her tiny arms strapped down.
"And she was smiling at me," her mother said. "They would say 'Mom, when are we going to be a family again?' Nikaya would say that," Merrie recalled. Merrie stopped working to care for Savannah. The family has relied on financial help from friends and the Union Center Christian Church. The Warners didn't know exactly what the surgeries and hospital care costs. They expect Medicaid to cover the medical expenses. The ordeal has deepened their faith. God, Merrie said, promised peace. And that's what she has felt. "We were scared at times and upset at times. But through all of that we had a peace," she said. She listened to parents whose own children were sick. Listening felt good. "The less selfish you are," she said, "the better you feel." Robert Warner learned something of that. Giving part of himself to his child was easy, he said. Facing a sick child's care was difficult. He wasn't sure he favored a transplant. He told himself he loathed putting Savannah through the medications, the exhaustive care. Then he realized he loathed it himself. He didn't want a life centered around a sick child. When he faced that, he decided he needed to buck up and deal. "I had lost sight of this vision," he said, "... of seeing what a blessing children are."
Going home
Savannah's care is near constant. A day is crammed with medications, feedings, taking her blood pressure. Savannah has a tube in her nose for feeding and medications; another in her heart to draw blood. And there are three other sweet, chattering girls to love, too. On a recent evening the house was a hubbub of talk and hugs and baby-tending. Robert measured Savannah's blood pressure. Merrie gave her medicine. Nikaya couldn't find her socks. The girls wanted to bike ride, and returned with muddy sneakers. Robert made dinner as Merrie breast fed the baby. Jenica set the table, and Nikaya got the dishes. She dropped one. It shattered. No problem, Robert said. He didn't sweat the plate or mess. He soothed his daughter. He'd recently been reminded of what a blessing children are.
savannah's medical history
Aug. 12. Savannah is born after a normal pregnancy and delivery. But she has a birth defect: biliary atresia, which means her liver can't rid itself of bile. It's an extremely rare disease, but the most common cause of liver transplants in children, according to Dr. Oscar Bronsther, who directs the transplant program at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
November. Her mother notices the whites of Savannah's eyes are yellow, and Robert takes her to the doctor. Savannah has an enlarged liver. The doctor tells the Warners their baby may need a transplant. Dec. 2. Strong Memorial calls. Doctors hope to help Savannah temporarily with a procedure that uses loops of intestine to act as ducts to drain bile. They perform the surgery. Jan. 4. The Warners take Savannah to Wilson Memorial Regional Medical Center in Johnson City. The baby's abdomen is swollen. Her diseased liver is filling her belly with fluid. Jan. 7. The Warners and the baby fly to Strong Memorial. Doctors draw a liter of fluid from Savannah's abdomen. She's admitted to the hospital. Jan. 8. Savannah is very ill. Tests are ordered to tell if Robert Warner is a match for a living donor transplant. Feb. 8. Doctors spend 3.5 hours removing a piece of Robert Warners' liver. They spend six hours reconnecting the organ in Savannah. It is the first liver transplant from a living relative in upstate New York. March 17. Savannah leaves the hospital. She and her mother stay close to the Rochester hospital for a couple days. March 19. Savannah returns home to Binghamton. |
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