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Young Liver Transplant Patient On Road To Recovery

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Just in time for Thanksgiving, a local boy will be saying goodbye to his nurses and doctors at UPMC Children's Hospital and will head home to Butler County.

The teen was diagnosed with acute liver failure last month, and now, the only reason he's alive is because of a liver transplant.

Even the boy's doctors are amazed at how quickly he's recovered.

"I just want to thank everyone for all the support they've given me, everyone praying for me," said14-year-old Adam Snow. "It's been a real miracle."

His daily routine includes walking the hospital hallway slowly and carefully, but after what Adam has been through, it truly is amazing.

Adam was near death after an undetermined airborne virus virtually destroyed his liver. His parents made a public plea for a new liver 11 days ago.

Hours after that plea was made, a matching liver was found and 10 hours of surgery followed. Now, Adam is on the eve of going home.

"The third day after the transplant, I started to feel better," said Adam. "I was like, finally, there is not that much pain."

"The people we want to thank is certainly the donor's family," said Linda Snow, Adam's mom. "We're so happy we have our little boy back, he's not that little anymore."

"What made this incredibly exciting and challenging was how rapid Adam deteriorated and although this condition is rare to begin with, the condition called acute liver failure, the way in which he progressed was remarkable in terms of how acutely he decompensated and how urgently he needed the transplant," said Dr. George Mazariegos, Adam's transplant surgeon.

Linda says the family probably won't celebrate Thanksgiving until this weekend, giving Adam a few days to adjust to his homecoming.

He is on two anti-rejection drugs for the time being, and he'll be monitored closely for the next few months. For now, the prognosis is good.

"Literally, 10 days ago, Adam was critically ill with liver failure, and a chance of significant brain damage with very few hours left to live," said Dr. Mazariegos.

"I realize that life cannot be taken for granted. I mean, I'm young, but I definitely now have a new outlook on life," said Adam. "I want to enjoy it as much as I can."

RELATED LINKS:
Family Makes Desperate Plea For Liver Donation To Help Gravely Ill Teen (11/9/12)
Local Teen Receives Much-Needed Liver Donation (11/10/12)
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