Prayers Answered for Parents of Boy Who Needs New Liver

Thanks to holiday generosity, the life of 7-year-old Juanito Rodriguez is likely to be saved.

As recently as two weeks ago it looked like the Salvadoran boy--diagnosed by doctors in his native land with a fatal case of liver disease--didn’t stand much of a chance.

But now a Los Angeles television station, hospital and foundation have pulled together to arrange a critical liver transplant, to be performed as early as next week.

The boy’s parents have worked in the United States while a grandmother raised Juanito in El Salvador. His illness sent Jose and Evelyn Rodriguez knocking on doors, seeking help.

The search proved futile until Dec. 6, when the couple came to the Wilshire district office of Fondacion Angel de la Comunidad, a nonprofit organization.

Its founder and director, Maria Ahumada, decided that same day she would help. She contacted the Spanish-language television station KVEA, Channel 52, a part of the Telemundo network. The station began publicizing Juanito’s plight: He needed a liver transplant, a procedure that normally costs about $250,000.

Within days, dozens of letters began pouring into the foundation. Many contained $5 and $10 donations, although one anonymous donor gave $500.

By this week, $14,000 had been collected, and even better, said Ahumada, Childrens Hospital had offered its services. The hospital would pay for the surgery if the foundation could assemble perhaps $60,000 for medicine, nursing and after-care, she said.

Ahumada and Channel 52 did not hesitate. They vowed to redouble their efforts to collect money.

With only one-fourth of the $60,000 on hand, a Channel 52 reporter flew to El Salvador to pick up Juanito. The Good Samaritans said they had faith that the rest of the money would come together.

Continental Airlines contributed the boy’s air fare and flew him through Houston to Los Angeles. He was quite sick when he arrived Wednesday night.

“He’s 7 years old, but he looks like 4 or 5. He has been losing weight. He’s in a bad way,” said Geraldo Hernandez, of the foundation.

After a reunion with his parents and one night in their home, Juanito was taken early Thursday morning to Childrens Hospital. Doctors confirmed the essentials of the boy’s diagnosis.

“He has cryptogenic cirrhosis of the liver,” explained surgeon Yuri Genyk. “It can come from hepatitis or from bowel obstruction at birth. In this particular case, the nature of his liver injury is unknown.”

A transplant is imperative, and soon, Genyk said. If Juanito doesn’t get one, he will die.

Already, Genyk said, the hospital is testing the boy’s parents for their suitability as donors, and subjecting Juanito to further tests to learn as much as possible about his case.

If the 7-year-old remains stable and a satisfactory donor can be found, transplant surgery is tentatively set for Thursday, Genyk said. It will be a living liver transplant, in which a small part of the donor’s liver is transplanted and most of the original liver remains in the donor. The transplanted portion in turn generates a whole liver within weeks.

A Childrens Hospital team of five transplant surgeons has been performing about 20 such surgeries a year over the last three years, and the survival rate has been “in excess of 90%,” said Genyk, who will perform the operation with two others.

Hospital spokesman Steve Rutledge didn’t want to be too explicit about the hospital’s costs. He said only, “The hospital is prepared to assist the family in any way it can.”

“This has been creating quite a buzz at our station,” said Monica Gil, spokeswoman for KVEA.

Ahumada, meanwhile, relayed a statement from the Spanish-speaking parents.

“We are very happy,” they said, “because God has listened to us, and our son will in reality be taken care of. We want to thank God, Fondacion Angel de la Comunidad, Channel 52 and all the persons that are helping in this great operation.

“The help that we need for our son requires a lot of money, and we know in our hearts that there’s a lot of good people who will help and keep donating for our son. Thank you, Los Angeles.”

The Rodriguezes plan to become American citizens. They have two other children who live in El Salvador with their grandmother.

Additional donations are urgently needed, Ahumada said.

Contributions can be sent to the foundation at 3055 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 470, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Telephone (213) 351-6596.