Liver transplant girl dies of dengue

Obando, Bulacan, Philippines—At age 3, Catherine Erica Buenaventura became the first child to benefit from a successful liver transplant in January this year at the Medical City in Pasig City.

Her liver was a portion of a healthy organ, donated by her cousin, Jefferson Llantino, a 17-year-old high school student.

The girl’s tale won the hearts of Filipinos, and this is why her life story will forever haunt the country.

Erica, who celebrated her 4th birthday on April 16, died on Sept. 18 of dengue at the same hospital that gave her new life.

Dr. Vanessa de Villa, who operated to give Erica her new liver, tried valiantly to keep the young girl alive.

Doctors have yet to figure out where she caught the disease.

Erica had recuperated well from the operation and had been living with an aunt in Nuestra Señora Homes in Barangay Panghulo here, while her parents struggled to make a living.

Her father, Christian, is a quality control employee at a plastics factory, while her mother, Carmela, tends to a sari-sari store here.

The village straddles Obando and Malabon City where the Buenaventura couple resides  with Erica’s three siblings. An older sister, Chrisanthenum, died seven months after birth from the same congenital liver ailment that Erica suffered from.

The separation had not seemed to faze Erica, a kindergarten pupil at Arnaldo’s Kiddie Learning Center at the Malabon side of Barangay Panghulo.

Three weeks ago, Erica crossed the Panghulo border with her aunt to show off the good grades she earned from school, said Erica’s mother, Carmela.

Carmela said they were forced to relocate to a rented house because their old home had been plagued by floods. Erica’s parents needed time to fix their new home and to raise money, so the girl was placed under a relative’s care.

At Erica’s wake in Malabon, her parents adorned her pink coffin with her favorite cologne, a bracelet, a toy one gets free from a fastfood purchase, and white and pink balloons.

“She sought out things that made her happy. Her favorite was pink. She never liked being sad. Her wish, something she included in her prayers, was for them to win the lottery so we can finance her medication and to buy our home so we can all be together once again,” said Carmela.

Erica had asked for the same cologne, along with a favorite Barney doll and a dollhouse, when she was admitted into Medical City on Sept. 15.

On Sept. 22, Erica’s wake was visited by the parents of fellow liver transplant beneficiaries, who said Erica’s fate made them doubly aware of how vulnerable their children are to dengue.

Sally Sultan’s son, MJ, 8, received a transplant in Hong Kong. Yanel Santos has a 3-year-old daughter who also underwent a liver transplant operation.

“Their immune systems have been compromised,” Sultan said.

Erica missed leading a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 19 to commemorate Liver Transplant Week at Medical City, Carmela said.  Erica had wanted her mother to sing “Hawak-Kamay” at the event.

“Erica was an old soul. She would offer everyone advice. She would worry about our rent. Erica also advised her uncle to love her aunt. It helped them repair their marriage,” Carmela said.

Dr. Mike Raymundo, Obando municipal doctor, said he was uncertain in which side of Barangay Panghulo Erica was infected. Obando has 60 dengue patients, he said.