FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – A Franklin County family is fighting for their son after a rare diagnosis.
At only three months old, Caden Price has gone through more than most adults can even imagine.
The battle for Caden’s life started when he was only a few weeks old. His parents, Michael and Amanda, noticed his yellow eyes and skin, but with over 60% of babies being born with jaundice, the doctors weren’t concerned.
“The pediatrician was like ‘everything’s fine, it will go away in some time.’ So we’re letting it ‘go away’ until more of our family started noticing, ‘hey, it’s awful yellow in his eyes,’” Michael said.
A call to the pediatrician quickly turned into more than 12 hours in the emergency room.
“We came Monday for the liver biopsy, and by Wednesday they were pretty certain that it was biliary atresia,” Michael said.
Test after test led to a diagnosis that only one in about 20,0000 births will lead to.
“The bile was going to the liver, but it wasn’t escaping,” Michael said.
The diagnosis meant a transfer to UVA Children’s Hospital, where Caden received life-saving surgery.
“You have to do the Kasai procedure early in life,” Michael said. “Anything past four months and they won’t even do it.”
But the Kasai procedure is not the end of Caden’s journey.
“It’s probably a failed procedure, more than likely, and he’s probably going to need a transplant pretty soon,” Price said.
Caden’s parents want to bring awareness to Caden’s condition to help other parents recognize the signs.
“It’s been tough, you know, when you see your little boy sitting there and he’s all smiles, and now he’s just looking miserable. The other day I was talking about he looks like he’s just done. He’s checked out, almost. It’s heartbreaking,” Michael said. “After going through this situation and learning everything I’ve learned, it’s about how can I get the word out.”
To follow along with Caden’s journey, join their Facebook page.
