“The Kellner Foundation helped us in our journey in our time of need, for which we will forever be thankful. Daniel is 5 years old now and on the 18th of this month he celebrates 4 years post-transplant. God is awesome! We have a happy and healthy preschooler.
“I really wanted to express my gratitude with you guys. Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Ilda
“I was born with bilary artesia, a liver disease that occurs because there is a blockage in the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder. My parents were told that I would eventually need a liver transplant to live. At 6 weeks of age, I underwent an operation to delay the imminent damage to my liver. After the failure of this operation, my mom, Heather, was tested to see if she could be a living donor, but the doctors said they could only use her liver as a last resort. I was put on the donor list, and, thanks to another family’s heroic decision to donate their loved one’s organs, I received my new liver at Mt. Sinai Hospital when I was 6 months old.”
It is with great happiness, relief, gratitude and humility that we are writing to share this amazing and inspiring story with you. It is a journey of hope, promise, love, and determination, and, if you are reading this, then you are, in part, responsible for the outcome. Let us share with you the story of Abner.
Abner Isaacs Linares was born January 4, 2012, in El Salvador with Biliary Atresia, a rare, life-threatening disease that results in the malformation of the liver in newborns. When Abner was thirteen months old, his family found the Kellner Foundation through a simple google search, and we were contacted through his local mission to see if we could help. With the guidance of Dr. Sukru Emre and the Yale New Haven Medical Center, we arranged and paid for Abner and his family to arrive here in March 2013. By the end of that month, he was given a liver transplant (he received a portion of his father’s liver, as a living donor), and a second chance at life.
Abner was gravely ill but was determined to fight. Dr. Emre, Yale, The Ronald McDonald House, and the Kellner Foundation all continued to support Abner and his family, both financially and emotionally.
We are excited to share with you that on August 4th, 2015, beautiful baby Abner and his family returned to their home in El Salvador.
We cannot fathom what would have happened to Abner were it not for us. Here’s the thing about the word “us”: Without YOU, there is no us. You have supported us, and that is the reason we were financially able to help Abner, and literally save his life. So, if you are reading this, know that you are, in some part, responsible for this child’s amazing success story, and that our Foundation, with your help, is able to do incredible things.
We thank you for your continued support and hope that you enjoyed sharing the good news about what we were able to accomplish together! We will, of course, keep you updated on Abner on our website.
Abner’s Story: thedamascusroad.blogspot.com
How do you measure success?
When our son, Raphael, was born in July of 2003 with a liver disease known as Biliary Atresia, success was first determined by the “Bilirubin Scale” measuring the dysfunction of the liver, it did not go down, but rose steadily; then, at 5 weeks it was how did the operation (a Kasai Procedure) go to try to establish liver functionality, there was none; then, 8 weeks later it was when would the liver transplant take place. Our world and sense of right and wrong were put to the test and trying to maintain hope was difficult… then we met Dr. Emre, Dr. Schneider and what came to be known as “The Team”. Our first meeting with Dr. Schneider and shortly thereafter with Dr. Emre became our new standard for “success”. There was something that we came away with after those meetings that is hard to put into words – we looked at each other and said – almost simultaneously – we are in the right place, at the right time and most definitely with the right people.
At midnight on January 29, 2004, we received what we refer to as “The Call”. The measure of success was now on its most tumultuous roller coaster. Dr. Emre met us when we took Raphael into the operating room and his parting words “we will take good care of him” were a blanket of warmth that we huddled under until we saw Dr. Emre’s smiling face in the waiting room and he greeted us with “the transplant went very well, he is doing well you can see him soon” – Success!
In the ICU we were faced with the next set of hurdles – Dr. Emre told us that “the next few months are going to be up and down and its part of the process”, which became in an odd way, very comforting words. He was right, there were ups – our son was blossoming, he was filling out and his smiling chubby face was our next sign of success. The downs were there as well, the trips to the hospital, this virus, that infection, 2 days, a week. Even through those trials, the measure of success, the Team and the extraordinary people on the pediatric floors of Mount Sinai – the nurses (divine gifts), the doctors and the aids were all joined and committed to the children – helped us through it all.
Things settled down – there was a routine – that for us was the new measure of success. Raphael became a two-year old in every sense of the words – who happened to have had a liver transplant. There are still downs with the ups, still things which test a parent’s infinite ability to worry, but they are becoming fewer and farther between and overshadowed by a little boy with a glowing personality, a wry sense of humor and a passion to give hugs.
How do you measure success? With a life – a life that we are blessed to have, a life saved by the “Team”.
There is no way we can adequately thank all of those who helped us during this time: the Team, our families, our friends and the family of the donor from whose tragic passing came the source of our miracle, however, not a day goes by where we do not stop and say a prayer of thanks and gratitude to all of you!!
Samantha and Andrew Kellner
The Kellner Family Foundation, together with the Ronald McDonald House and Children of the Americas, have come together with world renowned surgeon Dr. Sukru Emre, of Yale University to save Zoe’s life. Together, we provided funds to cover the traveling and accommodation costs, the liver transplant surgery and all costs incurred during Zoe’s hospitalization and recovery.
On Saturday evening, July 12th, Zoe successfully completed her miraculous life-saving journey from Guatemala to JFK. She was immediately transported to Yale University where she was placed in the pediatric intensive care unit. She was been placed in the hands of the very best doctors who carefully watched over through the completion of her surgery.
To all of you who have contributed to The Kellner Pediatric Liver Foundation, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. For those of you who have been waiting for the chance to donate, the opportunity for you to help save a child’s life has never been more pressing. We are asking you to join us in this the chance to make a difference. Become a part of this miraculous event by clicking here to make a donation. You can also send a check made payable to The Kellner Family Foundation and send it to 234 Boulevard, Scarsdale NY 10583.
