MICHAEL BRYANT / INQUIRER
Physicians Ann Marie Cahill (left) and Lucia Fontalvo perform a liver biopsy on Nadia. The results led a surgeon to remove Nadia's gallbladder and reroute her small intestine to allow bile to drain directly from the liver into the digestive tract.
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First of three parts
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NADIA'S ODYSSEY
A child's catastrophic illness. Her anguished parents' emotional ordeal. And Children's Hospital's fight for the little girl who stole everyone's heart.
The Kadis were back on 8 South.
There is nothing quite so lonely, or terrifying, as watching over a sick child in a hospital.
Nevertheless, the Kadis found kindred spirits on the ward, other parents standing vigil over children stricken by life-threatening illnesses – several with biliary atresia.
They made friends there. The 8 South staff, and many of those other parents, were soon like family.
The days turned into weeks. Rand and the rest of the liver team tried to track down the source of the recurring infections even as they requested Nadia get a higher status on the transplant waiting list.
Rand needed to maintain a delicate balance. Nadia couldn't have a transplant until the infections were controlled, but her damaged liver left her particularly susceptible to bacteria.
Finally, abdominal CT scans showed Nadia had pockets of fluid collecting in her abdomen. Using needles, doctors tapped the deposits and found the E. coli hiding there.
By late February, Nadia was better. Rand sent the family home. They had been in the hospital for 10 weeks.
The cost of Nadia's care so far was $259,170. The family had private insurance, but because of the severity of Nadia's medical problems, Medicaid would cover any gaps in coverage.
On March 1, Joe drove Allison and Nadia home.
Allison was in her 37th week, and the running joke with her friends at CHOP was that Nadia would get her liver the day her mom went into labor.
On April 2, Allison went to Doylestown Hospital to give birth. She was a week late, so her doctor tried to induce her. It didn't work, and her doctor tried again the next day.
Still, it didn't take.
That evening Allison and Joe turned on their TV as they got ready to spend the night in the hospital. Nadia was asleep at her grandparents' house in Doylestown.
At 10 p.m., Allison's cell phone started to ring. Joe answered. It was Kate Anderer, the liver transplant coordinator at CHOP.
Nadia has been offered a donor liver. She needed to come in to CHOP.
The sooner, the better.
Contact staff writer Josh Goldstein at 215-854-4733 or jgoldstein@phillynews.com.
Coming Monday: Another chance for Nadia
