Donor found for Virginia infant with rare lung disease at Texas Children's, awaits transplant
HOUSTON - After battling in the hospital for five months, Kylie Overfield, an infant awaiting a double-lung transplant at Texas Children's, has received a donor.
In addition to the lung transplant, her mother tells FOX 26 she will also need heart surgery.
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"Unfortunately, another hole was found in Kylie’s heart," said Ashley Overfield in a Facebook post. "During surgery they will now need to stop her heart and repair the holes. This adds more risks to an already very risky surgery."
Kylie Overfield, the 5-month-old battling a rare lung disease, is awaiting transplant surgery at Texas Children's after a donor was found.
Kylie Overfield, the 5-month-old battling a rare lung disease, is awaiting transplant surgery at Texas Children's after a donor was found (Family photo)
Kylie Overfield was diagnosed with surfactant protein deficiency - a rare disorder in her lungs that can cause them to collapse. The 5-month-old has been in four different hospitals between Texas and her home state of Virginia since she was born. Overfield has defied a lot of odds against her, exceeding the life expectancy after her diagnosis was given months ago.
Her mother says as of Wednesday morning, the baby was taken into the operating room at Texas Children's, the hospital ranked first in the nation for successful pediatric transplants. The donor will go into surgery, and once visual confirmation is made, they will fly the organ to Kylie. Due to privacy standards, not much information was given about the donor, but Ashley Overfield said the donor is O blood type, making compatibility easier.
"The surgery will take about 12 hours," stated Overfield. "They are going to cut Kylie open horizontally instead of vertically so they can get to both lungs and the heart in the same surgery. The valve that they have to cut to remove the old lungs and then sew the new lungs to is only 3 cm wide. According to the surgeon, this is the most complicated part. It has to be done perfectly."
Ashley Overfield has been keeping supporters of the baby girl updated on social media.
"I don’t even know how to put into words how I am feeling. I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared," Overfield wrote. "As cliche as this may sound, the one thing that this experience has taught me is that all those minor problems that we all experience in everyday life, don’t matter. I know they feel big but they are so small compared to what matters. Hug your kids and loved ones as much as you can, cherish them, and don’t take them for granted, at the end of the day if they are safe and healthy that is ALL THAT MATTERS. Please, please, please pray that the surgery goes well. Pray for the surgeons and medical staff, and most importantly pray for the donor’s family."