Jacob's Journey: An Extraordinary One

Seven-month old Jacob Martin has had a rough couple of months since his birth on Sep. 10, 2014. After finding a cyst on his bile duct, Jacob was scheduled for surgery to remove it on Monday, Feb. 9 of this year, when he was only five months old. That’s when the doctors discovered that Jacob had a major problem with his liver: it was failing and he needed a transplant. Although the doctors knew that there was something wrong before he was born, they were still shocked to discover his liver in such a bad condition. “At that point we thought after this surgery everything would be normal,” Megan Martin, Jacob’s mother, shared. Jacob’s liver was in really bad shape; it was black and hard on the outside, according to Martin. Jacob’s aunts, Grand Terrace residents Sarah Amick and Robin Amick-Mathes, were with Jacob every step of the way. Sarah said of Jacob's organ, “It was black and there was no proper hole for drainage.” “All the vessels on his liver were stretched out,” added Robin. Since Loma Linda doesn’t have a liver transplant program for children, the hospital immediately sent the Martin family to the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles on Feb. 10, after his cyst surgery and discovering his liver. According to Martin, it took a couple of weeks of running tests and evaluating Jacob before he was officially put on the waitlist for a new liver. Multiple family members were tested to see if they would be a match; however, there are very strict requirements to be a donor, Martin explained. “They take in account your age and size, not just your blood type,” Martin said. Jacob’s father, Eric Martin, was a match, having the same blood type, but the other restrictions came into play so he was unable to be a donor. However, his aunt Robin was a match and fit the criteria to be his official donor. She was nothing short of a super hero as she donated one-third of her liver to save baby Jacob’s life. The small amount of her liver needed was due to Jacob's small size. The family even coordinated their attire: Jacob wore a Batman shirt, and Robin, of course, wore a shirt representing Batman’s right-hand man who also shares her name: Robin. On April 7, Robin and Jacob underwent surgery. Robin’s surgery took place at USC and it took about three hours, according to Martin. Immediately after her surgery the doctors drove the portion of her liver over to the Children’s Hospital in LA and began Jacob’s surgery, which took about four hours. “We were able to see him an hour after his surgery. He looked like a normal, happy baby," said Martin. "His skin was pink and not yellow anymore. It brought me to tears." The yellow tint of his skin and eyes was caused due to his damaged liver. “It was incredible how immediate the change in the color of his skin was. It was a relief when I saw him,” Martin said. Most of Jacob's family members were there waiting for him right after surgery, except Robin and her mother being at USC. One of the most excited family members there was Jacob’s older sister Natalie. Only 5 years old and currently a kindergarten student at Cavalry Christian School in Banning, she's there to see her brother every chance she gets. According to Martin, Natalie saw him before his cyst surgery at Loma Linda and went eight weeks without seeing him. “She didn’t get to see him until Easter Sunday, April 5. She misses him like crazy,” Martin said. Precautions to prevent possible spreading of the flu during influenza season have been placed at the Children's Hospital in L.A., which is why Natalie had to wait, explained Martin. Martin shared, “When she visited him at Loma Linda – Jacob was only 5 months – he lit up when he saw her; he had a huge smile on his face. He knew who she was; he knew it was someone he loved.” Jacob’s aunt Robin just moved to Grand Terrace from Gardnerville, Nevada in September 2014 for a job with Lewis Operating Corp, which is also where Jacob’s parents Megan and Eric work. “My coworkers and friends have been awesome to my family and have raised money through bake sales and donations and garage sales to help my sister with the many expenses that have come about since all this has happened,” Robin said. “Although I was willing to quit my job to be able to do this for Jacob, I did not need to because of the wonderful people at Lewis and also because there is Organ Donor Leave - part of the State of California employment act: SB1304.” California employment law dictates that employers permit employees to take paid leaves of absence, similar to sick leave, for organ and bone marrow donation. Robin returned home from her surgery on April 13 and is feeling more like normal as the days pass. According to Sarah, the liver is the only organ that can regenerate itself and in only about four weeks. Jacob is currently still in the ICU at the Children’s hospital in L.A. and is currently never alone as he is with different family members all week. Since his parents both work during the week, Martin shared that she visits him on the weekends. “It helps knowing that he’s never alone. Either my parents or Eric’s parents are there;someone is always there for him. But I’d still rather be with him 24/7,” she added. Jacob’s superhero Robin shared, “I was fortunate to be a match. God put me here for a reason. I just moved down here for a job.” She explained that some patients don’t even qualify for a live donor. “It was a blessing that he did qualify and was able to get a live donor.” The Martin family currently has a "Go Fund Me" page because many people have expressed interest in helping by donating to Jacob and his family. If you are interested in donating to help their expenses they have accumulated throughout Jacob's Journey, you can here: http://www.gofundme.com/Jacobs1Journey.