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The Plant City Courier & Tribune

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Nate Is A Success Story

By GEORGE WILKENS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 4, 2008

PLANT CITY - The parents of Nate Wilder, a Plant City preschooler who recently received a liver transplant, are spreading his success story to emphasize the importance of organ donors.

Since shortly after birth, the 4-year-old has endured a litany of transfusions, surgeries and other medical procedures for a rare life-threatening liver disease that affects newborns.

On Jan. 9, a suitable liver became available and transplantation at Shands Children's Hospital at the University of Florida helped provide something the youngster had never known - a normal childhood.

"We have no fears," said his mother, Krystal Wilder. "He's now able to be like any other 4-year-old child."

A liver transplant was the family's dream since Nate was 5 weeks old and exploratory surgery diagnosed a disease known as biliary artesia.

Physicians registered Nate with the United Network for Organ Sharing, a Richmond, Va., agency maintaining a centralized computer network linking all procurement organizations and transplant centers.

He was one of the lucky ones, matched with a liver donor soon after being returned to the network's transplant list with his urgency upgraded on Nov. 30.

To this day, the identity of the young liver donor and his or her cause of death are unknown to the Wilders. "All we knew was someone his size was passing away and was a possible match," Krystal said.
United Network spokesperson Anne Paschke said Nate was likely one of many people whose lives were touched by the donor.

"This is just one of up to 50 people whose lives can be saved or enhanced by only one organ or tissue donor," Paschke said. "Unfortunately, there aren't enough organ donors to go around," and an average of 18 deaths occur daily in this country alone because of organ shortages, she said.

The human body has two kidneys, two lungs, a liver, a heart, intestines, a pancreas, corneas, skin, tendons and bones, all of which have been used in successful transplants, she said.

"One person can make a tremendous difference in the lives of so many," Paschke said.

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