A police officer has been hailed as a hero after he donated part of his liver to save a little girl.
Three-month-old Sloan St. James’ parents, Chris and Sarah, began to get worried when they noticed she had jaundice and an inflated stomach – which they dubbed her ‘Buddha belly’ – in July last year.
They brought her to Boston Children’s Hospital, which resulted in her being diagnosed with stage 4 liver failure due to billiary atresia, a rare condition where the bile ducts become blocked.
Doctors told the heartbroken parents that little Sloan would need a liver transplant within the next few weeks.
When no family members turned out to be a match, Chris and Sarah decided to put out a plea for help on Facebook.
Lt. Steven Tenney, who had never met Sloan, was made aware of the St. James family’s situation by his wife.
He knew of the Massachusetts-based family through his brother’s wife and decided he wanted to do anything he could to help.
He told TODAY that it was an easy decision for him to make, and “something you have to do as a human being”.
He added:
“It’s something you have to do as a human being.
“It’s a baby, you have to help a baby when it’s in need.”
He filled out an online survey to see if he was a match for a nearby hospital in Burlington, Massachusetts.
He went through a week of physical and psychological testing after his blood type was found to be a match for the toddler.
A few weeks later, on September 8, Lt Tenney had almost one fifth of his liver removed at the Lahey Hospital & Medical Center.
It was put into a container and rushed to the Boston Children’s Hospital, where doctors were waiting and ready for Sloan’s transplant.
Thankfully, the surgery ended up being a success. And the pair were able to meet for the first time just two weeks later.
Sloan’s mum Sarah said it was “incredible” to see Lt.. Tenney and her little girl, both of them healthy.
She added:
“He’s our hero. He’s Sloan’s hero.
“You would never know what he had gone through. I’d like to think he was a little proud of what he had done. He deserves to be. And him holding her, it’s just a new bond created for life.
“He gave us Sloan. We were going to lose her.”
A YouCaring page has been set up for the St. James family, you can find it here.
Photos via YouCaring.
