It's ok to ASK

Another day, another opportunity for us, and many more doors opened when we knocked. Fundamentally, we need to ASK >>>>

A>> Always find out more, even when I think I already know. It's ok to ask the same question more than once. No question is too stupid to be asked, especially when my child's life is at stake.
S>> Seek clarifications. Don't assume to understand or try to act smart. Ignorance will put us on the losing end.
K>> Know everything and take notes to remember. Knowledge is power, we need all the power we can garner.

Why am I saying all these now? Because I should kick myself for not ASKing enough and losing precious time since last week. I've just found out this evening that Ayden can also receive liver from type O+ blood group donor as O is the universal donor for all blood types. Of course, first preference is his own B+ but O+ is also compatible enough.
Why didn't the doctors explain earlier? Probably because from the moment we were told we need to do the transplant, I was determined to be the donor! Until we got the bad news last Friday that I couldn't, we started to search for another donor frantically and didn't ASK for options. Don't do the same mistake I did, as time is of essence, especially in medical emergencies.

So now we've sent out messages to all our relatives again. Oh Yes...we have to have proven relation donors, due to medical ethics requirements. This applies in both Malaysia and Singapore as the rule is to prevent organ sale.

When there is a genetic implication, doctors usually discourage donors from the same family tree in order to avoid any future complications, even when the donor may seem healthy at present moment. So for this case on Alagille Syndrome, many carriers may not even know that they have the defective gene as they may show very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Sometimes it also skips a generation as the chance is 50-50 that it'll be passed on. I've been told by a Geneticist that usually children may not be tested before they reach 18years of age, as every human have the right to know or choose not to know of any medical condition they may be carrying.
Ask for me, I want all my children to know so that they can prepare for their next course of action if they reach the same bridge that their brother has, with their kids or grandkids and on.

Lastly, I would also like to appeal to ppl who's intentions are anything but pure. Please do not scheme to benefit from other's desperations. Do not contact us if you only have your own agenda in mind! We were given this warning by other parents and now we have experience for ourself too. Every living being were born into this world by mothers, and we all know that mothers are willing to go through hell and back to save their kids. Would you want your own mother, or your wife, who's a mother to your own kids to suffer from a scheming trickster at the time she's trying to save your life or your kid's life? Think before you act! Money is impermanent, but death is.