Donor need for liver transplant

(Seguin) — A Seguin family is asking for prayers, strength, and community support as 16-year-old Sterling Carpenter faces a fight for her life.

Sterling, the only child of Kayla Scott and the daughter of Matthew Carpenter, is in urgent need of a liver transplant after years of battling a rare, life-threatening illness.

In fact, one day after being interviewed by Seguin Daily News, Kayla provided an update sharing how a recent CT scan has given them even more reason for concern. She says her daughter is not only at higher risk but is now showing signs of possible internal bleeding.

Kayla says what started as a simple fever and UTI turned into a life-changing discovery and diagnosis of cirrhosis of the liver and portal hypertension.

Since the age of 7, she says Sterling has endured countless procedures, hospital stays, and complications. Over the summer, her health took a frightening turn when rising ammonia levels left her unresponsive and fighting for her life.

“June was actually the roughest time. She suffered from Hepatic Encephalopathy. Her ammonia levels got so high that she started getting confused and wasn’t’ able to respond to any questions or walk on her own and then she became completely unresponsive. She had to be airlifted to University Hospital from Seguin and was on a ventilator for a couple of days while they tried to get her back to normal,” said her mom.

After pulling herself out of that battle, Sterling is back in the hospital facing yet another critical moment.

Kayla says her only chance for survival, according to doctors, is a liver transplant.

“We are still looking for a donor. I have some posts on my page that have that link where people can even sign up to be tested to see if they are capable and even if it is not just for Sterling, this hospital does an amazing thing where if somebody signs up to match with Sterling but they are not (a match) — they match (them) with somebody else who needs a liver and we can start a chain where multiple people are getting the liver that they need. What they do is they take a portion of your liver and whoever it is going to, they put it in them and the liver regenerates and over time, you will have your liver back to its full size and working just as well,” said Kayla.

Ever since COVID, Sterling, who had always been a Seguin ISD student had no choice but to be homeschooled.

Kayla says this medical crisis has also caused a financial hardship for the family.

“I actually lost my job back in June because I had to spend time with her in the hospital and I didn’t have any more vacation or sick days available, so I was not able to keep my job. So, we’ve been really relying on our support system to make sure we have a roof over our heads at this time,” shared Kayla.

Kayla says she hopes people will consider not only helping Sterling but will also set out to learn more about living liver donation.

“Unfortunately, she is not the only kid going through something like this. Just consider the option of being a living donor – if it’s not just for Sterling but the possibility of saving someone else’s life,” said Kayla.

Those interested in becoming a living donor can learn more at UTCLivingDonor.com or UniversityHealth.com/LivingLiverDonation. Donations to help Sterling and her mother with living expenses may be made through GoFundMe, or directly via CashApp at $mommakayla09 or Venmo @mommakayla.

The community is also encouraged to support the family by donating silent auction items or purchasing a meal during a BBQ fundraiser being scheduled for Sterling on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the American Legion Hall. Those wishing to donate a silent auction item or who would like to contribute to the meal itself can contact Dianne De La Garza at 830-556-7405.