Staten Island siblings undergo successful liver transplant at Mount Sinai
NEW YORK -- This year is an extra-special Mother's Day for a mom from Staten Island. Her family was forced to make a tough decision when her son was in desperate need of a liver transplant.
Tara Castro's son Zachary was suffering from primary sclerosing cholangitis, a potentially deadly liver disease, for years.
"I was just very fatigued, lethargic, I was jaundiced, my skin, my eyes were yellow. My legs were swollen," Zachary said.
In October, doctors told Zachary he'd need a liver transplant, and the best match in the family was his sister Kayla. She said she didn't hesitate to volunteer.
"It's just what I knew I had to do," she said.
For their mother, Tara, it meant both of her children undergoing a serious procedure.
"I was definitely afraid. But I have to say too, I was more excited for the outcome, cause I knew that it was going to give Zachary a second chance in life," she said.
A team of more than 20 at Mount Sinai performed the all-day operation, simultaneously removing a large section of Kayla's liver and transplanting it to Zachary.
"The liver is remarkable. It will grow to the size that he needs and the size that she needs," said Dr. Sandy Florman, director of the Transplantation Institute at Mount Sinai.
Florman said the procedure was a complete success for both Kayla and Zachary.
"Zachary should be able to live his entire life with this piece of liver. People who have transplants go on to do literally anything you can imagine," Florman said.
Zachary says he feels more alive and energetic than he's felt in years, and he's pursuing his dream of becoming a court officer. He has his big sister to thank.
"I'm very grateful for her, she's a lifesaver, she saved my life," he said.
Their mother says she's proud of the children she raised.
"Both of them. They're just resilient. Just even to see them both, my son was up walking you know, the next day. He was a fighter," Tara Castro said.
Doctors say liver transplant donors often see their livers regrow up to 90 percent in just a few weeks. It's the only organ with that capability.