Zachary Bradford has ‘weeks not months’ left as his mum says she’s been to ‘funerals of other children of friends who have sadly not survived’ their time on transplant list
A family fear their son won’t see his third birthday as a string of infections have left him needing a liver transplant from another child.
Jade Earaker, from Kirkintilloch, said she feels like ”nowhere is safe” for her two-year-old Zachary Bradford. The mum is sharing a desperate plea for a life-saving double transplant after their toddler was given just weeks to live before his birthday on October 4.
The tot needs a small bowel and liver transplant in order to save his life. However, the donation has to come from another child – with Zachary too little to accept larger adult organs.
Zachary was put back on the transplant list earlier this year after he received a new liver in 2023, following five unsuccessful matches. But sadly he contracted sepsis during his recovery which severely damaged his donor organ. The little one is now fighting for his life with fears that one more infection could kill him.
Speaking to the Daily Record, she said: “Doctors say Zachary has weeks, not months, left now. All we can do is prepare for the worst and pray that we get that call saying they have found a donor.
“When they told us last week, it felt like all our nightmares had become reality. We’ve started speaking to a children’s hospice and we are discussing palliative care for Zachary. It doesn’t mean we have given up, but we’ve got to plan ahead and have those tough conversations about what comes next.
“We have tried so hard to keep our son safe, but it feels like nowhere is safe for him. Every time he gets an infection we ‘think this is it’. We have to constantly monitor him.
“But he sometimes goes into hospital with one infection and leaves with a different one. If he gets one more bout of sepsis, we’ve been told he won’t survive. His liver can’t take anymore.”
Jade, who is also mum to Zachary’s one-year-old brother, Reuben, has told how she’s witnessed other children on the transplant list pass away as she laid bare the grim reality families face everyday.
She added: “We’ve been to several funerals of the children of friends who have sadly not survived. These kids were on the same ward as Zachary and some of them were waiting on the transplant list just like him. Nothing prepares you for going to one child’s funeral, never mind several. It’s heartbreaking.”
Jade says Zachary isn’t aware of how serious things are and just keeps smiling throughout his regular hospital visits. She added: “He doesn’t know he’s dying, he’s just so innocent and naive. I think it’s better that way. He was just smiles.”
Jade is now encouraging other parents to have the difficult conversations around their children being organ donors in the hope that someone can save Zachary’s life. She added: “It’s not the easiest conversation for parents to have when their child dies, but we want them to consider organ donation and to know that their child’s death has given another child life.”
