Did you hear about this beautiful little girl that had all of her major organs removed to be able to remove a tumor and then they put her organs back in her? This is a very special little girl that’s for sure. There is something very special for this little Angel to do for God to leave her here.
A 7-year-old Long Island girl was released from a New York hospital Tuesday, more than a month after surgeons removed six of her vital organs to tackle a life-threatening tumor. Heather McNamara was doing “fantastic,” said her father, Joseph McNamara, as the Islip Terrace family prepared to return home. On Feb. 6, a team lead by Dr. Tomoaki Kato at New York Presbyterian-Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital conducted the first surgery of its kind in a child.
During the 23-hour operation, doctors removed Heather’s stomach, pancreas, liver, spleen and small and large intestines to get at a cancerous tumor the size of a baseball, according to news reports. They couldn’t save the child’s stomach, pancreas or spleen, which were riddled with cancer. The girl now has a pouch fashioned from intestinal tissue to hold food, doctors told USA Today. Cancer experts said that while it used to be impossible to live without a pancreas, daily injections of insulin and enzyme pills can substitute.
Appearing bright and happy and clutching a teddy bear from hospital officials, Heather said she was looking forward to returning home to play with her sister and her dog, Angel.