Infant's urgent liver transplant puts mom's wedding on hold

A Monctoncouple have putwedding plans on hold so the bride-to-becan fly to Toronto on Thursday to donate part of her liver to her 10-month-old son.

Rebecca Chamberlain's son Dax Lanteigne has biliary atresia, a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts the occurs in infants and slows development.

"Kids withbiliairyatresia, they have a hard time gaining weight because of the way their liver functions," said Chamberlain.

Dax is cheerful and playful, butis smaller than most infants his age, weighing 19 pounds.

Dax is also particularly vulnerable to contagious illnesses.

"If he gets a common cold or a gastro, he gets really sick," said his mother.

"We kind ofhave to keep ourselves isolated, like if family is sick we can't go around family for a week or two."

Dax was diagnosed when he was twomonths old and when doctors suggested he would need a liver transplant, Chamberlain didn't hesitate to volunteer.

"I was like how can you sign me up? What do I have to do to give him a piece of my liver," she said.

Urgent transplant need

Chamberlain and Cory Lanteigne were planning to get married July 9, but Dax was scheduled for a partial liver transplant on Monday at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

The couple didn't hesitate to postpone their wedding when doctors informed them their son couldn't delay the surgery.

"He was assessed to get the [partial] liver transplant in April but then they decided to give Dax twomonths to see how he would do and if he would get sick and see how the liver would react," said Chamberlain.

"But in those two months he got very, very sick twice."

During that time, Dax had to take an ambulance from Moncton to Halifax and then from Halifax to Toronto and he had to be airlifted by ambulance.

"Right then and there, [it]showed them that the liver was very sick so that's when he was put on the transplant list," Chamberlain explained.

Second chance at life

Chamberlain was told by doctors her son will have to take medication throughout his life and may need another transplant when he's older, buthe will grow at the same rate as other children.

It's basically goinggive him a second chance at life.- Rebecca Chamberlain

"It's basically going to give him a second chance at lifeand he'll be able to grow up like a healthy boy, like all the other children," she said.

Though Chamberlain says itis a trying time, she has an album full of photographsfrom his hospital visits.

She plans to talk to Dax about his first year of lifewhen he's older.

"It's not something I want tohide from him, that's just part of who he is. He's unique I guess," she said with a smile.

Chamberlain and Lanteigne are now hoping to marry inOctober.