New liver saves life of boy, 15
BUTLER TWP — Thanksgiving for the Snow family last year was a bit stilted.
However, the Butler Township family really had something to be thankful for.
Adam Snow, now 15 years old, survived a liver transplant and came back home Nov. 20, two days before the holiday.
“Wow, it doesn't seem like a whole year has gone by,” said his mother, Linda Snow.
Adam began to feel sick with a cold or the flu in mid-October 2012. Later that month, he was admitted to UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh showing signs of jaundice.
Doctors said, while he was sick, he came in contact with an airborne virus that caused his liver to fail. His immune system was not able to overcome the virus.
“I wasn't really thinking. I was just sick,” he said.
By Nov. 8, Adam's liver was 90 percent dead, which required a full transplant. He went into a coma that evening. The next day at about 8 p.m., doctors gave him 36 hours to live.
This is something that his mother never considered.
“I guess I always thought he would be all right,” she said.
His family reached out using social and traditional media to find a donor. They found one by midnight, and surgery began at 3 a.m.
Things were going fine until about a month later. In December, Adam was admitted to the hospital when a test found that he had elevated liver enzymes, a sign of a rejection. He went into surgery to solve the problem.
Since then, he has not had any major complications.
Shortly after his transplant, Adam had to take 24 doses of medication per day. Now, he only has to take a small handful of pills per day.
He will have to take anti-resistance medication for the rest of his life and will have lifelong dietary restrictions, which will not allow him to eat sushi or drink grapefruit and pomegranate juices.
He occasionally goes to the hospital to get checked out.
“It's mostly maintenance,” Linda Snow said.
Adam, whose normal weight was 200 pounds, lost 38 pounds during his illness. Today, he is 205 pounds and a little bit taller.He was back attending school in January, and was able to complete the school year. He is a 10th grader at Butler Intermediate High School this year.“He's doing amazingly well,” Linda said. “It's been a great year.”To help with expenses, the family started a benefit fund through NexTier Bank to raise money.“It was very successful,” Linda Snow said.Folks from around the United States and other countries sent cards and letters. Others sent dozens of fishing lures.People still look for ways to help Adam out.He recently was approached by someone who wanted to put a benefit on for him. However, Adam advised the man to hold the benefit for his friend, Dennis Peoples, who is suffering from leukemia.“He needs it more than I do” he said.With this ordeal out of the way, Adam is looking forward to the future. Whatever he does, he said it will be outdoors.“I love hunting and I love fishing,” he said.Earlier this month, he netted a buck on the second day of archery season. He is having the head mounted.He was in Alberta, Canada, from Nov. 9 to Nov. 16 hunting for moose as a part of “Hunt For A Lifetime,” which is a nonprofit organization that gives children who have been diagnosed with life-threatening conditions the chance to go on a special hunting or fishing trip.However, he did not net any moose.Last year, the Thanksgiving holiday was fairly low-key for the Snow family, since Adam's weakened immune system prevented him from being in contact with too many people.It will be different this year.“This year, we'll have a nice, big family meal,” said Linda Snow.They currently are working to meet with the family of the person who donated Adam's new liver. They don't know much about them except that they are from the Pittsburgh area.Adam is not entirely sure what he would say when he meets them.“There's too much to say,” he said.
