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Story Lines: A Liver Transplant Gives New Life for Cohen

By Aubrey Ashley
Cohen & Teegan’s Mom

Our transplant story started one month after my second son, Cohen, was born. That’s when he was placed on the list for a liver transplant. Cohen was born with a metabolic disorder called propionic acidemia (PA). PA is an inherited metabolic disorder where patients lack an enzyme in the liver to digest certain proteins.

It is extremely difficult to have a child who can’t eat a lot of protein, as it seems protein is in almost everything. However, our family is used to dealing with special diets and doctors appointments. Eleven years ago we were blessed with our first son, Teegan. He also has propionic acidemia and was diagnosed at Primary Children’s Hospital when he was one month old.

It is truly amazing how far medicine has come in the last eleven years. Teegan was a pioneer of this disorder and has been through a lot in his life because of it. When he was one month old, Teegan had a metabolic stroke that left him unable to walk or talk. We feed him a special formula through a G-tube that he will eat for the rest of his life. Teegan is an amazing person and is loved by everyone in he meets. He is such a strong young man that goes through life with the most beautiful smile.

After our experience with Teegan and PA, we were surprised that a liver transplant was a possibility for Cohen. He received his new liver on June 27, 2013. Cohen has done amazingly well with his new liver and is now a happy, healthy 19 month old boy.

He has minor delays but is progressing every week with physical therapy. He is able to sit up and walk in his walker. He eats all of his food by mouth and has a bright future because of his transplant. With his new liver, the doctors have more confidence in his inability to produce high levels of ammonia–the byproduct of the liver that causes metabolic strokes. Cohen is the first PA patient in the western states to receive a liver transplant.

Having walked down both forks of this road, we are thankful for Teegan’s contribution to our lives and hopeful for Cohen’s outcome! We thank all the doctors and staff that made this possible, especially Dr. Linda Book and Dr. Nicola Longo. And of course, a very special thank you goes to our donor family, who helped turn a tragic event in life into a beautiful miracle for our little boy.


Story Lines is a feature on Play Ground telling the personal stories and experiences of people cared for at the hospital. If you would like to share your experience on the blog, please contact us.

About Primary Children's Hospital

Primary Children’s Hospital ranks among the best children's hospitals. Located in scenic Utah, everything in our hospital is focused on providing the best care for children. For more than 90 years, we have been committed to helping children, families, and communities across the western United States.

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