'Baby Nathan' Goes Home

Christina Whitehead didn’t mind being stuck in traffic Thursday, because for the first time in months, she was bringing her baby boy Nathan home.

Six-month-old Nathan—affectionately known as “Baby Nathan—was well enough to go home following a life-saving liver transplant last month.

“It’s so surreal, our moods are lifting even more,” Whitehead said from the car Thursday. “We were happy once we were discharged, to get to the Ronald McDonald House—that was one step.

“The final step is coming home. I feel like our moods have lifted even more.”

Nathan was born with a rare disorder that caused his liver to fail, and needed a liver segment transplant to survive. Thousands rallied behind the little guy and his family, taking to social media to show their support and bring attention to Nathan’s needs. Hundreds of people offered up a piece of their livers, but only the perfect match would do—and it was tough to find.

Ultimately, it was a liver segment from someone who lost their life that would give Nathan another shot at his. Just over a month after his transplant, Nathan is ”doing great,” Whitehead told Patch. His ”liver numbers” (bloodwork taken each week) have been ”where they should be,” she said.

“All that he really needs to work on is muscle tone,” his mom said. ”He’s having to do what normal six-month babies are doing. His muscles are weak, but not as bad as they could be.”

Nathan still has some work to do. He currently takes 12 medications, including anti-rejection medications, some multiple times a day. He’ll need physical and occupational visits once a week, along with doctor’s checkups. He hasn’t been gaining weight as quickly as his parents Christina and Rob would have liked, so he will still get help through a special pump.

“Gain some fat and some muscle tone,” Christina said. “That’s really what our focus is right now.”

Though distanced from their Mokena community, the family found themselves enveloped by an online one. Their Saving Baby Nathan Facebook page gained 13,000 followers, all waiting for a chance to cheer on their tiny hero.

“They have fallen in love with Nathan,” Christina said. “They loved seeing everything about him. It’s nice to have all these supporters who care. It makes us feel not so alone.

“We’ve come across so many great people, other transplant moms, parents. It’s nice to meet people who have been through the same exact same thing. I really do believe that all the prayers for him have been heard. It’s just awesome.”

Nathan’s life from here on might be a little more complicated. His anti-rejection drugs suppress his immune system, so he’s more likely to catch any bug that’s going around. It’s expected that he’ll get sick more often, and more hospital visits will be likely. He’s more sensitive to noise and crowds, Christina said. They’ll learn to manage his new life and needs, and his medication regimen will reduce over time, hopefully to 1 or 2 within two years.

Doctors will monitor his enlarged spleen. If it doesn’t reduce in size over time, he’ll be restricted from playing any contact sports. And he’ll never be able to get a tattoo (no, really. Even if he begs). The family can have pets, but Nathan has to avoid the feces—his chores will never include using the pooper-scooper.

“We just want to make this as normal as possible for him,” Christina said, of life post-hospital.

The family is focused on getting back to normal, but won’t soon forget how their community rose up in their time of need. A salon held a bake sale and donated the proceeds. Her husband’s employer held a blood drive, which though not directly helping Nathan, helped so many who might need it. Someone sent a prayer cloth blessed by their pastor.

“They weren’t getting anything in return other than being part of it,” Christina said.

And it meant so much.

“You feel like you’re never going to get there,” Christina said, of going home. “We feel free. ”

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