Camiyah Burton, Age 3, Coventry, Birmingham Children's Team, Liver Transplant
At 3 weeks old Camiyah’s mum Abbie took her to hospital to check the blood in the poo was nothing more than a milk allergy. The doctor at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire decided to perform a liver function test when the colour of her poo was a pale yellow.
Camiyah was transferred to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital and tests revealed that she had a rare liver disease Biliary Atresia. Shortly after this Camiyah underwent a temporary fix surgery. In the months post-surgery, she was getting back to normal until symptoms returned. Camiyah was in and out of hospital and the surgery 6 months later was declared a failure.
The next step was a transplant, but she needed to get her nutrition right and was tube fed and in and out of the hospital until November 2021. To the family’s relief, as her health was deteriorating, she was put on the transplant list on 26th November.
After 19 days and two false calls for potential donors the third liver donation was a go-ahead. The doctors appeared more confident of the suitability of the match and preparations were made. The family and Camiyah’s mum Abbie could feel this donation was going to be the one and they were right: Camiyah received her new liver on 15th December 2021, one week before her 1st birthday.
Post-transplant Camiyah appeared to be taking well to the liver, however in March she began to have breathing difficulties. Initially, she was given antibiotics to clear up any infection however these did not work. She continued to have no energy, her breathing was not easing, and her temperature was soaring. After Abbie insisted that something was not right the doctors realised that the immunosuppressant medication that Camiyah was taking post-transplant had caused her to develop Post Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder in her voice box.
Camiyah received a treatment of targeted drugs to treat the cancer. A biopsy in late August revealed that Camiyah had no cancerous cells in her voice box however the treatment had caused her to have floppy airways. Her tonsils were removed, and her breathing difficulties began to ease.
In 2023, Abbie started an Instagram account to share Camiyah’s journey. The account is called @bawarriorcamiyah. Abbie found Camiyah’s donor family through a TikTok post and reached out to them. The two families realised that Amy, the name of the donor, and Camiyah, both shared the same letters. Abbie said that she will forever be grateful for Amy, she comments,
“Through the hardest time of Amy’s family’s lives they have saved another, and it is so lovely to see her legacy carry on”
3-year-old Camiyah competed in the 2023 and 2024 British Transplant Games, taking part in the archery, ball throw, obstacle course, cup stacking and long jump, and the Donor Run alongside her brother, mum and dad. In 2024, she won 2 silver medals in the archery and ball throw, as well as a Donor Run medal and 3 participation medals in the social events.
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