Team Turtle Power: Autumn Pillman's Story
From St. Louis Maternity and Newborn Photographer Amber Sargent
Today I am going to share with you the story of one of the most amazing little girls I know. Her name is Autumn Pillman and as of December the 6th, she is now officially one year old. Autumn’s mother is my coworker at my primary job of being a paramedic.
Autumn’s story starts when she was given the nickname “Turtle” shortly after birth when after being placed on her Mama’s chest, she raised her head and looked all around the room. Weeks after being at home, her mom and dad noticed her skin color was not looking right. Autumn was still jaundiced, which is normal for many babies, but after a few weeks, is no longer a normal finding. The concerns were brought up at her one month visit to the pediatrician, they were told it was "breast-milk induced jaundice" and that it should resolve on its own. Unfortunately, it did not, and after some bloodwork at her 2 month appointment, her mom and dad were informed that her liver enzymes were not normal and she needed to go to St. Louis Children’s Hospital for further testing.
At only 9 weeks old, Autumn spent 4 days in the hospital going through extensive testing of all kinds. Doctor’s thought Autumn might have Biliary Atresia, and just a week and a half later, she underwent a surgery which confirmed the diagnosis. The second part of the surgery was a Kasai procedure, an attempt to restore bile flow from her liver. Baby Autumn’s procedure was not a success, and she continued to worsen over the next few months. After more testing, Autumn was placed on the national transplant list. Without a new liver, Autumn would be unlikely to see the age of 2. At the current time, Autumn is in stable condition and is able to live at home with her mom and dad while she awaits her gift of a new liver.
Autumn’s day to day life is filled with a dozen different medications, a nasal gastric tube, endless doctor appointments, and multiple hospitalizations to drain fluid off her abdomen. As expected, Autumn’s disease has taken a toll on her parents as well. The financial burden of missed work and the emotional burden of parenting a sick child are just the tip of the iceberg. Autumn’s family member’s have been tested and her grandmother has been approved as potential back up donor if a pediatric liver cannot be found for her.
In August, I visited the Pillman’s to get some lifestyle images of Autumn to capture the everyday life of biliary atresia. I had also taken some newborn photographs of Autumn, prior to her diagnosis. Autumn has an infectious smile that can light up a room! She also has the most beautiful eyelashes! Her personality shines brightly, despite her very serious liver disease. It is humbling to see what this little girl goes through on a day to day basis. We captured some really wonderful pictures of this little girl, and of course had to include some of her turtle items!
Autumn has had fundraisers in her honor, but the financial burden of this disease will be a lifelong battle. Autumn will be on immunosuppressants the rest of her life after receiving her new liver. Autumn is registered with COTA, which is a non-profit organization that assists in fundraising for transplant children. With COTA, 100% of the proceeds go to Autumn, no fees or penalties paid by either the donating or receiving parties and all donations are tax deductible. Any and all funds donated through COTA will be accessible to Autumn indefinitely.
At the time of this post, Autumn has been on the transplant list for over 150 days. Her family is currently looking for a backup donor in case something goes wrong with her primary donor (her grandmother). If Autumn has not been offered a liver by the beginning of 2020, the family is going to proceed with live donation.
If you have interest in reading further into Autumn’s story, or donating to this worthy cause, here is a link to her fundraiser page: Autumn’s COTA Fundraiser
Autumn’s mother has set up two facebook pages related to Autumn’s story. One is her Team Turtle Power page, which follows Autumn’s journey and her health condition. Follow this page by clicking here, or searching “Team Turtle Power” on facebook. The other group is called “The Turtle Power Project” which can be followed by clicking here. The Turtle Power Project page was created to spread Biliary Atresia awareness and providing BA related information/support to BA Warriors, family and friends.
Lastly, the biggest piece to all of this is organ donation. If you are interested in being a backup donor for Autumn, please read this important information from her mother below:
Facebook Post
If you are interested in being an organ donor:
Become an Organ Donor
Thank you for taking the time to read this beautiful girl’s story, she means the world to her family and is an inspiration to so many!
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Sargent Photography is a custom portrait maternity, newborn, and family photographer in O’Fallon, Missouri serving the greater St. Charles and St. Louis area.
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