Liver Recipient

Gabe Kagan

By the time he was 18 months, Gabe Kagan had sustained three major surgeries. Diagnosed with biliary atresia at only 3 months, he underwent a Kasai procedure to drain the bile from his liver. The procedure went so well that his doctors thought Gabe would be free from any transplant worries until possibly his teen years. Yet three months later when they checked his blood work, the numbers were so bad the doctors were concerned he might not make it to his second birthday.

"We were scared to death," said Gabe’s mother, Karen. "We contemplated putting him on the transplant list, but because his condition had deteriorated so rapidly, we didn’t want to risk the wait. My husband and I made the decision to give him part of our liver."

Both were tested as suitable living donors and, thankfully, Karen was a good match. They immediately began making plans. Karen quit her job, and she and her husband downsized from a house to an apartment in preparation for their increased financial responsibilities.

"I had intended to quit in a year or two anyway," Karen admitted. "The transplant just sped our plans up a bit. It’s really hard to work if you have a child with a transplant because you have constant appointments for lab work and follow-up visits and frequent trips to the hospital."

Just one week after the Kagan family moved into a new apartment, surgeons removed 30 percent of Karen’s liver and transplanted it into Gabe.

"Everything went beautifully," Karen said. "The very next morning they wheeled me into the ICU and I held Gabe in my arms. I think it was harder on my husband," she said.

Gabe’s father, Neil, an eighth-degree black belt in kung fu, fulfilled a dream back in 2001 when he opened his own part-time studio. Karen is also a student of the discipline,and they teach both children and adults.

Following in the family footsteps, Gabe began studying kung fu at age four and has already advanced to a purple belt (just five steps short of black). When Gabe’s little brother Evan turns four, he’ll study martial arts as well.

When he’s not working on his kung fu moves, going to school or winning medals at the U.S. Transplant Games, Gabe volunteers for LifeLink, one of Florida’s local organ procurement agencies. He’s proud to be the youngest volunteer on record. Gabe and his mother take regular tours of area hospitals to thank the ICU nurses for their efforts toward organ procurement. Greeted by the nurses with “Here comes the kung fu kid,” Gabe performs martial arts demos each time he visits.

As normal as his life may seem, Gabe understands how critical it is that he take his medicine.

"We talk about it all the time," Karen said. "And he knows what can happen if he doesn’t take it. We know people who have died because they didn’t take their meds."

But Karen doesn’t worry about Gabe, who says, "I’m the best pill taker around!" In fact, at age 3 Gabe started asking his mom for cups of water so he could take his medicine the same way his dad did.

"I can even swallow the medium-sized pills without water if I have to," Gabe bragged.

"I’m just so thrilled with the outcome of his surgeries and with his current health," said Karen. "Even something like watching him play in the backyard pool is amazing. I didn’t quite let myself believe that he was going to be OK until he turned 5, and then I came to the realization that he was going to grow up.

"He can have a normal life. He can travel the world, be independent. He’s a very lucky little boy."