Baby Jade saves the life of an infant in the UK Case results in protocol change with worldwide implications
Life tissue procurement specialists surgically recovered the valve after asking LeMaitre to relax its weight rule for her. “We got the call, we heard the story, and it resonated with me,” Michael said. “I have kids, so I thought there was no reason not to give Jade’s parents this opportunity to help others. I’m so happy I did. So are Jade’s parents, Allison and Nick Townsend of Au Gres in northern Michigan. They learned at 26 weeks gestation that Jade had an extra gene and would not survive long after her birth if she made it that far. Their little girl had Trisomy 18, a rare condition afflicting one in 5,000 live births.
despite her birth weight of just 3 pounds, 7 ounces. LeMaitre had required babies to weigh at least 6.5 pounds to donate. The company lifted its restriction in July after learning Jade’s tiny valve was successfully transplanted and the baby is thriving. “Through Baby Jade, we’ve learned that babies all over the world need exceedingly small heart valves,” said Michael Dionne, director of donor services for LeMaitre. “We love her for this. All it takes is one family, one donor to change so much.”
Baby Jade Townsend
BY BETSY MINER-SWARTZ
Babies globally will benefit He said the surgeon who
One of Gift of Life Michigan’s smallest donors – baby Jade Townsend, who lived for just 55 minutes in 2022 – saved the life of another infant this spring. But perhaps her most compelling and lasting legacy is an important protocol change. The tissue processor that accepted her heart valve has lifted all weight requirements for babies to donate heart valves. That’s because Gift of Life Michigan – on behalf of Jade and her parents – asked LeMaitre Vascular in Massachusetts to consider taking Jade’s valve
“We had our moments of sadness, grief and even anger, but then we started to think, ‘How can we make something good come from this?’”
transplanted Jade’s valve told him very small babies die around the world because there are no valves small enough for them. “He became emotional when I told him we have lifted the weight restriction for pediatric donors,” Michael said. Jade’s valve was transplanted into an infant from Bristol, England, more than 3,600 miles from Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Gift of
Allison Townsend
Allison said. “How can we make her life meaningful, knowing that she might only live a couple of hours?’” Three weeks later, they called Gift of Life, hoping she could be a donor.
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Gift of Life Michigan | golm.org
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