Elsie and her twin brother, Ethan, were born October 2021. After a couple of weeks at home, Elsie started to get jaundice, a condition where the skin turns yellow due to improper liver function. After a trip to Urgent Care, Elsie and her parents were referred to M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s hospital. 

Her team of doctors, including Sarah Jane Schwarzenberg, MD, Professor and Director for the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, determined that the only long term solution was to get Elsie a new liver. Less than one week after being in the hospital, Elsie had undergone a liver transplant through the course of four surgeries. Physicians think she may have been the smallest pediatric liver transplant in Minnesota. 

Though it will take a couple of months for the liver to adapt to her size, doctors and her care team are hopeful that she will make a speedy and full recovery over the course of the upcoming months. To read more about Elsie’s journey, follow this link