A Tsawwassen family is sharing its story in the hopes of inspiring people to register for organ donation.
Joon Templeton had what she describes as a non-eventful pregnancy.
"It was almost textbook," she says, adding son Callum was born a couple weeks early.
However, doctors expressed concerns about his liver function early on. The new family was kept in the hospital an extra day as doctors monitored Callum's liver.
"He was never a black and white case," Templeton says as Callum, now 4, strums a small guitar in the background. Callum was jaundiced but nursed well and was growing.
"The doctors always felt that he would outgrow this," she says.
Callum was monitored with blood work every couple of weeks.
It wasn't until he was three-and-a-half months that he was finally diagnosed with a rare congenital liver disease - biliary atresia.
The disease causes inflammation in the bile ducts, blocking the flow of bile from the liver to the gallbladder. The trapped bile causes liver damage that can lead to impaired function of the organ, which will eventually fail if left untreated.
The family received the diagnosis on a Friday and Callum was scheduled for a Kasai procedure the following Monday.
The procedure aims to establish bile flow by removing the damaged duct and replacing it with a new drainage system made from a piece of the small intestine.
Initially, the procedure was a success.
"His symptoms went down," Templeton says, adding the jaundice disappeared and his swollen belly decreased.
However, once Callum turned one the jaundice started to return and the doctors started talking about a liver transplant. The family was sent to Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton for three months of extensive testing. Stollery is home to Western Canada's pediatric liver transplant program.
After a grueling assessment process, the family was sent home and on June 26, 2013 Callum was officially placed on the transplant list.
According to B.C. Transplant, as of Jan. 1 there were 562 British Columbians waiting for a transplant and last year 21 people died while on the list. Callum has a rare blood type and Templeton was told that could either work for or against them.
Unlike some on the list, the tot didn't have to wait long. The phone rang at 1:30 a.m. on July 2. "I'll never forget," Templeton says.
The family packed up and headed to B.C. Children's Hospital. From there, Callum was medivaced to Stollery Children's Hospital and after two days of testing, he went in for surgery at 3:30 a.m. on July 4. The surgery, which took 10 hours, made an immediate difference. "When we first saw him, we noticed a difference as soon as we walked in," Templeton says.
Callum was kept in intensive care for a couple days and then spent another six weeks in hospital.
The family was required to stay in Edmonton for three months as doctors monitored his new liver.
The first year is critical, Templeton says, as that's when transplant recipients are at the highest risk of infection or rejection.
In the beginning, Callum had to take 14 different medications a day. Today, the happy fouryear-old is down to one but has to go for monthly blood work to monitor his liver function.
Templeton says he has done well since the surgery, but she is always cautious.
"I never like to boast about his health or take it for granted."
Templeton says the family decided to share its story in the hopes of promoting organ donation and to encourage people to talk to their families about their decision and register as an organ donor.
"He's really an example that it works."
Having a decal on a driver's license or care card is no longer enough. Potential donors must register their decision online. According to B.C. Transplant, one organ donor can save up to eight lives.
For more information, or to register as an organ donor, visit www.transplant. bc.ca.
