Update 8/9/2010:  A new potential donor has stepped up and is in the process of trying to setup testing.  Keep Josie in your prayers!

Update 7/14/2010:  Live donor testing for the latest potential donor has completed and is NOT a match.  We still need a donor.  If anyone is interested, please e-mail us at ARMSTEK@COMCAST.NET.  Keep us in your prayers!

Update 5/12/2010:  Josie's uncle (Thank you George!) has volunteered to donate a portion of his liver and is currently scheduling the tests to see if he is a candidate.

Update 4/30/2010: We have had a few people step up, offer to be donors, and fill out the paperwork.  No word yet from our UW Medical Center coordinator if they are willing to test them yet.  They still would like us to find more potential donors.  If you are interested, e-mail us at ARMSTEK@COMCAST.NET.  Thank you all for your support!

Update 4/20/2010: Josie's dad received a call from the Transplant Surgeon today. He is not a Live Donor match. Apparently, the operation would be too risky for him because of where his bile ducts are located on his liver. This news is devastating, but we will continue to pursue all possible avenues to get Josie the new liver she needs. Donor candidates would need to be between 25 & 55 and have Type A or O blood.

Josie's story

Josie was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia at six weeks old; Biliary Atresia is a rare liver disease that causes cirrhosis of the liver. At eight weeks old Josie had the Kasai procedure which sews her liver to her intestine so bile can drain from the body. Although there have been bumps in the road, Josie has weathered each storm amazingly well over the past 11 years. Recently however things have taken a turn for the worse.

Josie hasn’t been feeling as well lately and has many symptoms that are concerning. Some of the symptoms include itchy skin, jaundice, bloody stools, swollen spleen and liver which causes her discomfort and her stomach is noticeably larger. Josie has even experienced stunted growth and it’s easy to see since she has a twin sister who is in good health.

Our Family has been working with the talented doctors and staff at Children's Hospital in Seattle to plan the transplant process. The best possible scenario for her would be to receive a liver transplant from a Live Donor. In this process a living donor undergoes an operation that cuts the working liver in two, with half going to Josie. We have begun the testing process and are quite hopeful that I will qualify to give my daughter the liver she needs. As Josie’s father I’m more than willing to do anything it takes to save my daughter’s life, but we can't do it all on our own, we need your help.

Unfortunately, because a live donor transplant is a bit more complicated, our insurance doesn’t cover the whole procedure. We are stuck between a rock and a hard place that requires us to look to our friends, family and community for help and support. 

Despite Josie’s disease, she plays competitive basketball (her favorite sport), competitive soccer, writes and sings songs (she has sang for youth groups, her school, and a local TV station - see attached YouTube video), really wants to get voice lessons and learn how to play the guitar (thank you Nathan for giving her lessons!), gets straight A's in School, has a super positive attitude, and has a great sense of humor (She recently said with a laugh, "I don't want to be the short, squatty, yellow girl when I get to High School")

Josie is a gift from God. We thank you so much for your prayers and support.