As the very respected athletic director at the Aspira school system, Brian Rivera has been helping our youth for almost a decade. Now Brian needs our help.
Brian’s six-year old son Liam has been diagnosed with a rare liver disease called Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis (PFIC) Type 3 (learn more »). Despite his condition, Liam is a child filled with joy and love. He lives at home but is being treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia(CHOP), one of the top hospitals in the World.
For Liam to enjoy a full life, he needs a liver transplant. There are challenges. For the transplant to work the donor must meet these requirements—someone with an O blood type (O+ or O-) between the ages of 18-39, and in good health. But there is a surprising reward. The liver regenerates so that a partial liver transplanted by a donor grows back to full size, and this partial liver grows to full size with the recipient.
For people to help Liam they can take any of the steps listed below,
- Consider being tested….you might be the match that changes everything.
- Share this story with friends and family. Sometimes one simple post can make the difference.
- Contact Brian Rivera at 215-498-3042 or Angela Rivera at 787-356-8781 to learn more.
- Send your love, prayers and support…your kindness means more than you know.
To register as a potential donor for Liam, please visit this link: https://penntransplant.donorscreen.org/register/now
(Be sure to specify Liam Rivera when signing up.)
Six potential donors have stepped forward in the past month to register. But the match has not been found yet. We have to keep trying.
This final message from Brian and Ang, “Liam is full of life, dreams, and a future waiting to be lived. We believe in miracles, and maybe, just maybe, you are part of his. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for reading, sharing, and believing in hope with us.”
