Siima needs Shs 150m for liver transplant
Siima Haniel Ark Atwooki
What you need to know:
- A friend advised them to take Siima to Dr John Ssekabira at Platinum Hospital in Kampala since by now, the baby’s stomach was swollen and he had lost a lot of weight. Dr Ssekabira diagnosed the baby with biliary cirrhosis, an autoimmune medical condition in which the bile ducts become swollen, blocking the flow of bile. These changes can lead to scarring of the liver called cirrhosis.
Siima Haniel Ark Atwooki, son to Fortunate Kabura and Sandra Katuutu was born without any complications. However, at two weeks old, his eyes started yellowing. His stool was white and the urine was pale yellow. These symptoms were coupled with crying all the time and refusal to sleep. Concerned, his parents took him to Rubaga Hospital in Kampala where doctors said he was suffering from jaundice.
“We put him out in the sun every morning as the doctors recommended but there was no improvement. Back at the the hospital, he was exposed to phototherapy for two weeks and we were discharged,” Kabura says.
However, the irritation and yellowing of the eyes worsened. They were then advised to take Siima for sickle cell screening but the tests came out negative.
A friend advised them to take Siima to Dr John Ssekabira at Platinum Hospital in Kampala since by now, the baby’s stomach was swollen and he had lost a lot of weight. Dr Ssekabira diagnosed the baby with biliary cirrhosis, an autoimmune medical condition in which the bile ducts become swollen, blocking the flow of bile. These changes can lead to scarring of the liver called cirrhosis.
The procedure involves removing the blocked bile ducts and gallbladder and replacing them with a segment of the child's own small intestine. This segment of intestine is sewn to the liver and functions as a new extrahepatic bile duct system.
“The doctor recommended a temporary kasai procedure that costs Shs14m to relieve the baby of the swelling. However, when we went back for a review, the surgery seemed to have failed because the doctor said the liver had collapsed and the baby needed a liver transplant as soon as December 1, 2023,” Kabuura says.
Unfortunately, this procedure cannot be done in Uganda. In India, where it is expected to happen, it will cost Shs150m which the couple do not have.
To financially support Siima, send mobile money to 0701861024 or 0773292969 or Centenary bank account number 3201051785 all in the name of Sandra Katuutu, Siima’s mother.
