Neenah baby in immediate need of lifesaving liver transplant

NEENAH, Wis. (WBAY) - A nine month old baby girl, from Neenah, is in the fight of her life. Diagnosed with a deadly liver condition, Audrey Huss, is in desperate need of a liver transplant. The little girl’s family and friends taking their plea public to find a living donor, hoping to save her life.

Audrey Huss needs a liver transplant and she needs it now. “It’s very difficult to watch a sweet little girl, like I said, go through this. It’s just not fair. I mean, there’s no words for it,” says family friend Courtney Wagner.

Diagnosed at two months old, with Biliary Atresia, a rare liver disease, her health has significantly declined in the past couple of weeks as she remained hospitalized at Children’s Wisconsin.

According to Courtney Wagner, “She did have a Kasai procedure done when she was about two months old, which is kind of a Band-Aid procedure, just kind of hoping to prolong the need for a liver transplant and kind of make her liver function as best as it could for as long as it can.”

But, liver failure now, the only way to save Audrey’s life is with a liver transplant. Her family working with a team at Froedtert in Milwaukee to find a donor, but her young age and small size limiting the pool of potential candidates.

“There’s some pretty strict criteria,” says Wagner. Adding, “We are looking for somebody with A or O blood type, 75-100lbs. They will consider somebody up to 110 pounds just because of how desperate they are to try and find a match right now. Eighteen to 45 year old, no major health condition - even those that indirectly affect the liver. You cannot be pregnant currently or pregnant within the last 12 months.”

Anyone who fits the criteria or thinks they might, is asked to apply on the Froedtert website, under recipient please indicate Audrey Huss, and then keep your phone close by for a follow up call. Time is of the essence, to save Audrey, so the transplant would be completed as soon as possible.

Courtney Wagner says, “Meet with the transplant team, go through a psych eval, there’s blood work that has to be done, A CT and an MRI that has to be done and then an ultrasound. And once that’s all complete, the team will take a day or two to go through the results and yes at that point they could do it instantly.”

Giving Audrey and her family a new lease on life. “We’re praying for a miracle and we know that person is out there, so we just want to find them...today!” adds Wagner.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help the family.

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