User:MichaelWestwind/About Leo

Leo was born on March 5, 1995 and while the birth was complicated (breech, cord around the neck) he was healthy and beautiful. Then came the problems. At 6 weeks, after a blood test that did not stop bleeding, he was diagnosed with Alagille Syndrome. This is a genetic disease that involves the liver, heart, eyes and skeleton, but primarily affects the liver. Basically, the fine ducts in his liver are insufficient, so he does not produce bile. As a result, he cannot digest fats, and has trouble assimilating fat-soluble vitamins. He also has an extremely high cholesterol level and other problems with his blood chemistry.

Despite all this, and a round of hospitalizations as an infant, he has slowly been getting better over the years, and has gotten a blue belt in Taekwon Do, done rock climbing, tree climbing and bike riding (not to mention a sassy attitude). During the last year, however, he has been going slowly downhill, getting tired easily and with lots of aches and pains, and the round of hospitalizations has begun again.

Right now he is in Doernbechers Hospital at OHSU because he started accumulating an alarming amount of fluid. The doctors tell us that his blood albumen levels have dropped enough that his veins have gotten leaky. He is being treated now, getting transfusions of plasma, vitamin k injections, etc etc etc, and is getting better again. However, the possible need of a liver transplant has always been there, and now that is looking more likely (though still not certain).