Crossing State Lines for an Organ Transplant
Matthew Rosiello moved from New York to Ohio for a liver transplant.
Oct. 12, 2013 — -- In January 2011, Randy Rosiello, whose son Matthew was born with a rare liver disease, was "watching [her] child die," she told ABC News. "He went from 120 to 85 pounds in a three-month period."
Matthew Rosiello, now 23 and a D.J. in Staten Island, N.Y., was born with biliary atresia. The family, said his mother, spent "every holiday, birthday, anniversary in the hospital." Because Matthew spent so much time there, Rosiello became a nurse.
While biliary atresia often means that a child has a liver transplant before he or she enters kindergarten, Matthew had received no such transplant. One of the problems? He lived in New York state.
For Matthew to survive, figured his mother, they would have to move.
According to a standardized score, known as a MELD score, even in January 2011, Matthew's liver was not yet "sick" enough to put him next in line for a transplant. The score is based on three laboratory findings – one a measure of kidney function, the other two measures of liver activity and function – which taken together provide a rough summary of the ability of these organs to keep the body functioning. The score is used in 11 U.S. regions to determine who gets the next precious organ.
Sarah Murnaghan, 11, Home After Controversial Lung Transplant
In Matthew's case, however, his relatively low MELD score belied the seriousness of his condition. Biliary atresia does not often lead to kidney dysfunction, so the MELD score tends to be lower. But even though his MELD score was not high, Matthew had recurrent infections from his liver disease, worsening liver function and health that would only be fixed with a liver transplant.
Also working against Matthew was the fact that the MELD threshold for getting an organ can differ dramatically from one region to another. New York happened to be among the states with the steepest criteria to obtain a liver, according to the New York Organ Donor Network, a nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) that recovers organs and tissues for transplantation. The network notes that the state ranks No. 48 out of 50 in terms of the number of living donors per capita. In addition to the state's low donor rate, it also has many people who need organs.
For Matthew, who in 2011 was sicker than he'd ever been, it would mean a wait in New York for up to five years.
"His MELD score was still not high enough for him to obtain a liver transplant in New York," Randy Rosiello said.
Girl Prompts Small Change to Organ Transplant Policy
There was one last hope for Matthew – moving. Dr. Leona Kim-Shluger, Matthew's doctor at Mount Sinai Medical Center, advised the family to list his request for a transplant in other states to increase his chances. Matthew was placed on transplant lists in Connecticut and Ohio, two regions that have both shorter wait times and experienced transplant centers.
The family chose Ohio.
It was an expensive proposal. Matthew, along with his family, reached out to his New York community through the news media and fundraising efforts. It worked: With more than $30,000 to make the move possible, they packed their bags and made their first trip to Cleveland. Randy Rosiello quit her job, and her husband took multiple days off work to help.
Related Stories
ABC News Live