The incredible origins of Father’s Day
The first Father’s Day in America was celebrated in Washington on June 19, 1910.
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Ross Marsh’s daughter had only been in two days when she found out something was wrong.
His baby girl, Mackenzie, turned yellow with yellow. When the yellowund did not clear, Mackenzie was referred to Colorado Children’s Hospital. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a liver biopsy later confirmed the doctor’s suspicions.
Mackenize went through this state procedure, but that wasn’t enough. She needed a new liver to survive.
“It was scary. It was a nerve wrap,” says Marsh, a Colorado firefighter, as well as his wife, Jenna. “In my job at least, we see people always having horrible things happening… this is our cross.”
Luckily, Marsh came to rescue Mackenzie. He discovers that he is Mackenzie’s donor match and can give him a part of his liver. Thanks to robotics technology, surgeons at Ucharus University Hospital at the University of Colorado were able to perform the implant with such accuracy that Marsh had left the hospital and left Mackenzie’s bedside for 8 months in two days.
“In the end, she regained her little smile, which was a huge victory for all of us,” Marsh says. “We knew things were getting better for her, she was just a happy little baby with a smile.”
Children die waiting for a liver transplant. This dad gave his baby daughter his own daughter.
Biliary atresia is a condition in which the baby’s bile duct is blocked, causing bile to exit the liver and enter the intestines. Mackenzie first underwent Kasai’s procedure to remove the blockage, but still had trouble gaining weight while remaining yellow.
Overall, Marsh says his daughter went in and out of the hospital for about six months prior to the liver transplant. She needed a feeding tube through her nose due to malnutrition.
“They placed a centerline in her bloodstream to provide nourishment because her body was absorbed and not being processed properly,” he says. “We were likely to have an infection just before Christmas.”
Marsh and his wife expected their daughter to need a new liver, so they started working to make sure they are as healthy as possible if they were a donor match. They didn’t drink much to begin with, but they cut off the alcohol completely. They were already in good condition for the job, but they further increased their training regimen.
“My wife and I both put in for a transplant,” Marsh says. “And by my luck, I was a positive match.”
Many people need a liver transplant, but people often wait several months for a potential match. The national average waiting time for liver transplants is approximately 8 months. Thankfully, the average waiting list time in Colorado for children for pediatric liver transplants is short, less than 2.
Finding donors quickly means the difference between life and death.
“We’re excited to be aware of the health and well-being of our liver transplant program,” said Amy Feldman, PhD, director of medical care for Colorado Hospital’s liver transplant program. “I dream of a world where live donor live liver transplants prevent children from dying on the waitlist.”
McKenzie’s situation was tough, but Marsh says he and his wife still found a way to thank them in the challenge. They were able to stay with their daughter in the hospital as fellow firefighters stepped up to cover their shifts. They also had insurance for expensive procedures that are not something that all families in the same strait could say.
“When you live in a hospital for five or six months, all the heartbreaking kids (around you) have terminal children,” Marsh says. “So we were able to streamline. She can live a perfect, happy, healthy life once we get through this. And she’s so young, she doesn’t remember that.”
How he celebrates Father’s Day
Now Mackenzie is happy, healthy and violent. She has been out of the feeding tube since late April. Marsh calls from his house via Zoom, where he says Mackenzie is running around the floor.
“She’s just Mackenzie. She likes to be a handful,” he says. “Now we’re trying to figure out what a normal life is for her. She’s not yet started crating, but she can scoot around, so she’s not that small potato anymore.
They are out of the hospital, but there are some signs that the family medical saga is still there. For example, both Marsh and Mackenzie have started to have scars in their stomachs just above their liver.
“I think that’s a pretty cool connection,” he says. “We both have scars. We can celebrate the anniversary of our donation and hopefully be exciting for her and get out of the way like, ‘Oh, I got this horrible scar’. ”
Father’s Day will be different this year. Marsh says he has to spend it on duty – something he’s used to as a firefighter. But for him, holidays are the days you decide to celebrate them, not the days marked on the calendar.
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Like many other parents, Marsh says having children has changed her outlook on life.
“It’s amazing how your perspective on what is important in life, from before fatherhood to after fatherhood, is changing,” he says. “I told Jenna before the surgery, “If things go well, make sure you get your liver. If I don’t make it, I won’t mind. She’s number one. I’m second.” Whether it’s surgery or general life, she’s more important to me. ”
