WAUKESHA, Wis. — A 5-month-old boy in Wisconsin with a rare genetic disorder has died after his parents put out a public plea for a living donor to provide a partial liver transplant.
Marcus Albers died early Wednesday, his parents, Whitney McLean and Tony Albers, said in an update to his GoFundMe page.
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"It is with immense sadness that I report that Marcus passed away this morning at 4am. He was comfortable and peaceful," the statement said. "These past 2 weeks Marcus' family has felt your support through thousands of donor inquiries, in addition to your charitable donations and countless thoughts & prayers."
Marcus had immunodeficiency 47, a rare genetic condition that causes the liver to deteriorate, WTMJ-TV reported. It affects only 12 people worldwide – including Marcus' 2-year-old brother, Dominic.
The disorder took a much larger toll on Marcus, though, his family told the news station. He needed a partial liver transplant from a living donor.
Over two weeks, the GoFundMe raised more than $24,000 to cover the cost of Marcus' medical care. Though many people reached out about potentially donating, a match wasn't found in time, the family told The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
"Due to the limitations of this screening process, Marcus became too ill for surgery while waiting for matches," the family's statement said.
"Our son would have been so proud at the overwhelming attention given to children waiting for organs. Unfortunately, his organs were not healthy enough to donate."
The Transplant Center, a joint program of Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, released a statement saying, in part, that their staff is grieving with Marcus’ family.
"We are grateful for how our community stepped forward in such a remarkable way to support the Albers family. Thousands of individuals signed up to be evaluated as potential donors."