Joshua, God's Little Miracle

Hello, my name is Darrell Cooley, father of N.C. Childrens Hospital patient, Joshua Cooley. Joshua's story started at birth, September 21st, 2004. After two and half days of what looked like a normal delivery of a healthy baby, things quickly turned for the worst. Before we knew it, Joshua was being admitted to the N.C. Childrens Hospital because of a rare and deadly metabolic genetic disorder called Urea Cycle Disorder. Not only did Joshua have the disorder, but he had the worst type of Urea Cycle Disorder, known as Ornithine Transcarbamylase (OTC). OTC is caused by a missing enzyme in the liver that helps break down protein properly. Because of the missing enzyme, ammonia levels rise and cause neurological problems, organ damage, coma, and death. For the next several weeks Joshua battled death everyday. However, we had many people praying diligently and a team of doctors, nurses, and other medical staff work diligently around the clock to care for Joshua. Joshua eventually got better and was able to be disharged after about a month of hospitalization.

Over the next couple of months Joshua continued to battle OTC everyday, including frequent stays in the hospital to treat the elevated ammonia levels. After Joshua's health continued to improve, the metabolic doctors recommended a liver transplant, which is currently the only known cure for OTC. I decided that I would like to be a living donor, where they would take a piece of my liver and give it to Joshua. So on July 7th, 2005 Joshua received the liver transplant and his recovery has been nothing short of a miracle. I really thank God for his blessings over Joshua and I thank God for the doctors, nurses, and medical staff that has been a integral part of Joshua's recovery and success.