Winnipeg woman unable to donate liver to girl with rare disease
A Winnipeg woman who was hoping to donate part of her liver to a desperate 11-year-old girl has learned she's not a match.
Lussier didn't know Allexis but heard about her situation and decided to see if she was a match.
She went through a series of screening processes with promising results and was then flown to Toronto on Sunday for more tests. The results just came back.
Lussier's mom, Tina, posted the following message on her Facebook page:
"Today we got very disappointing news. After many needles, xrays, exams and scans, Samantha got the news that her liver is not a match for Allexis after all. Thank you to everyone for stepping up to try to help save Allexis by donating to the campaign to get Samantha to Toronto for the final stage of testing. We will be home tomorrow. Our campaign is now shut down and as promised, we will be donating all the money left to Liz Siebrecht and Allexis.
The search for a living donor is still on. Please help spread the word that a donor with blood type O is needed. The donor needs to be fit and in good health.
If you haven't already contributed to our campaign or Allexis', please do so by visiting the campaign for Allexis. Let's all keep praying for Allexis.
Allexis was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia when she was a baby. It's a disease that affects 10 to 20,000 infants, according to the Canadian Liver Foundation.
The disease impedes bile transport from the liver to the small intestine, which results in tissue damage.
Allexis' family has appealed to the public with a GoFundMe page, trying to raise money for treatment and hoping to find a donor.