Home > Parent's Message > Message from Mikako's parents.
Message from Mikako's parents.
We had our long-awaited first child on November 14th 2008.
However, it was almost impossible to feed her mother's milk as even if she could get the milk into her mouth, she threw it back up with green fluid. We had to have 3-hour feeding times with the hopes of it getting better next time.
She was diagnosed with an abnormal intestine, and underwent 7-hours of surgery with the use of a general anesthetic when she was only 2 weeks old. Her weigh was 2000 grams or less. At first, she was scheduled to have 3-hours of surgery, so we worried whether she could survive the surgery with such a small fragile body. We remember that moment when we spent 7 agonizing hours waiting as if it were only yesterday.
Even though the surgery was perfect, we were deeply shocked when we heard that Mikako was given 6 only months at best to survive by the doctor.
Now she is already 11 months old, and her weight also over 8 kilograms. She is teething, rolling over freely, able to sit up by herself. I keep thinking to myself that after the surgery, her growing is like a dream. It's all thanks to all the people who have helped our family so much. We appreciate all of you very much.
But recently we discovered that she requires the transplantation of both her small and large intestines to stay alive.
At first, it was recommended to do a live organ transplant of the small intestine from mother to child.
When I heard this plan I was really happy to help her as a parent. I was so motivated to protect my health more than ever for this chance to give a healthy organ.
But it was discovered by an in-depth probe that Mikako's body could only accept a transplant from another child's organ of the same size as hers.
Recently a bill for Child Transplants in Japan was passed into law by the government. Unfortunately it is still a long way off before actual surgery can happen in Japan, and for Mikako's body far too long.
So she only has one chance to survive by performing the transplantation outside Japan.
We were admitted into the New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell.
But we soon found out that the cost of such a transplant surgery abroad requires around one hundred million yen. It is extemely expensive for us to cover those costs alone and we desperately need your help.
As a parent, it's a shame that we can't save Mikako by ourselves.
Please, please, we would be so very appreciative for everyone's warm support.
Shinichi and Kayoko Furuya
October 4, 2009 | Individually page