"Miracle Transplant Comes Through For Shakopee Baby"
A 7-and-a-half-month-old baby from Shakopee, Minn. is recovering from a multi-organ transplant in Miami.
We first introduced you to Sidney Markie last October. She has a very rare disorder and needed several organs transplanted. Her family battled to get her treatment in Miami.
"Sidney is just an amazing little girl, full of smiles and laughter," said Courtney Murray, Markie's mother.
The child's family thought they'd have more time to prepare for a life saving multi-visceral transplant surgery. They had been planning to move to Miami in April and wait for a donor to become available.
Meanwhile, Markie's health had been deteriorating from microvillus inclusion disease, which prevents her from absorbing any nutrients.
Last Tuesday, a donor had been found.
"We got the phone call, I couldn't believe it," said Murray.
After 12 hours of surgery, Markie received transplanted small intestines, large intestines, liver, stomach, pancreas, bladder, and two kidneys -- in all, a total of eight organs.
The recovery process is extremely delicate and Markie has had some complications. One of the donor kidneys would not function, so it had be removed.
"It's not just day-to-day, sometimes hour-to-hour, even minute-to-minute with ups and downs. It's an extreme rollercoaster," said Murray, adding Markie's outlook is good.
Still, the family knows this is just the beginning of a new lifestyle for the little girl.
"This is really a lifelong battle Sidney will face," added Murray.
It's a situation the family is thankful to have, due to another family's generosity.
"I continue to pray for the family to heal during this difficult time. I hope they know their child will live on through Sidney," said Murray.
The donor was a 6-and-a-half-month-old boy from the Miami area.
Markie's family expects to be in Florida for recovery and follow-up treatments for several months. They're extremely thankful for all the prayers and support coming from Minnesota.
Reporting Maya Nishikawa
WCCO