TODDLER WHO HAD TRIPLE ORGAN REPLACEMENT DIES; FAMILY SAYS THEY ARE ‘HEARTBROKEN’

Hepatoblastoma is an uncommon cancerous lump that originates in the liver. This dangerous disease mainly targets children from infancy till they reached three years old. Hepatoblastoma can be found in not less than one million children. The cancer cells can metastasize (spread) to other parts of the body.

Evie Mueller was one of the victims of this fatal disease. The 4-year-old toddler recently had a triple organ transplant this summer, and her condition improved immensely that she was certified healed. Sadly, the joy was short-lived because the cancer was extremely hostile that it extended to her brain regions. Late Evie took her last breath on 11th November 2017, exactly on her 4th birthday.

Her family broke the sad news on Facebook.

“We are so grieved at the moment,” her grandmother, DeeAnn Conner Fairman wrote on her timeline. “Our family need your prayers right now, particularly for Taylor who sacrificed her energy and every second of her time to caring for our little angel throughout her cancer battle,” she continued.

Evie’s mother, Taylor Fairman, found a lump that was gradually developing on Evie’s body when she was 2-years-old. Taylor suspected that it must have been there since birth. The tumor was hepatoblastoma.

Fortunately, the combination of surgery and chemotherapy worked, and Evie was free from cancer last year October.

It is very difficult to ascertain the actual cause of cancer, but a considerable amount of genetic syndromes and conditions can be linked with a higher chance of developing hepatoblastoma, like Wilson disease, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, tyrosinemia,  alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency and familial adenomatous polyposis.

Similarly, children who were infected with hepatitis B or C very early in life are at huge risk, as well as those with biliary atresia are prone to get hepatocellular carcinoma.

In the case of Evie, no exact cause was reported. By February 2017, barely four months later, doctors diagnosed cancer again, and Evie would require a new tiny bowel, a liver, and pancreas to live. This destabilized her family because they were concerned about Evie if she would get the organs.

“We just held on to the faith and prayed that a miracle call comes through,” Fairman said in July.

Weeks after, Evie contracted jaundice. This caused a tremendous concern for the doctors who reconsidered keeping her name on the list of transplant children for a longer period because she was not fit to receive chemotherapy at the same time. Doctors quickly endorsed a chemotherapy for her. But an unusual thing happened minutes before Evie was to begin her chemo, her family got a call with the good news that the organs were ready.

“We were amazed. I was stupefied beyond words and very happy because we had already lost hope on the matter,” Fairman said.

Evie spent few months in and out of the hospital, but her recuperation was encouraging. Suddenly there was the discovery of the cancer expanding to Evie’s brain, and the doctors had to halt the treatment immediately. Some parts of her body cannot be operated on, and she could not endure chemotherapy.

“Before now, I take things slowly one day at a time, but right now, I take things per hour at a time. One needs to adapt to every minute as they emerge and treasure what you get each time,” Fairman said.

However, Evie was very positive and highly-spirited even as she fought cancer when she was alive.

The Fairman family enjoyed an all-expense paid trip to Disney World sponsored by The Make-A-Wish foundation. This gave her family the opportunity to spend time with her. It also provided Evie a chance to meet her favorite Disney characters, princess Elsa and princess Rapunzel.