Liver transplant recipient Lucas Goeller to have another surgery in Pittsburgh

Lucas Goeller couldn't look any better for a growing 4-year-old.

Two years after a liver transplant, the Indiana Township boy is full of energy, playfully wrestling with his older brother and talkative.

He loves to fish and take plane rides with his father, Rick, a commercial pilot.

Still, his mother said several hidden medical issues will require yet another major surgery scheduled for later this month.

Damage to Lucas' intestines prevents him from properly absorbing nutrients from solid food. His growth spurt and newfound vim come from intravenous nutrition that replaced solid food a few months ago.

“Right now, he looks amazing, but that's due to the IV nutrition he's been on,” said his mother, Jessica. “The nutrients bypass normal digestion and go straight into his bloodstream.”

Lucas received a lifesaving liver July 1, 2015 at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC from a 3-year-old Nebraska girl, Olivia Swedberg , who had died of brain cancer a day earlier. He waited for 18 months for a match, and doctors didn't know how much longer he'd live. The story made national news at the time as a second local child, Angelo Giorno of Derry Township received Olivia's small intestine to combat a digestive disorder known as short bowel syndrome. Angelo returned home, but died two months later.

Desperate for a donor, the Goellers initiated a public campaign, including 25 billboards donated by Lamar Advertising and Facebook posts that caught the attention of Olivia's mother.

Goeller continues to maintain the Save Lucas Facebook page which now has more than 90,000 likes.

Lucas' next surgery, to fix a pair of strictures in his small intestine that hinder absorption and lengthen his colon, could take just as long as the 12-hour liver transplant. Surgeons at Children's Hospital will also work to repair Lucas' bile ducts.

“We knew something was wrong when he stopped wanting solid food and only drank liquids,” Goeller said. “We now have tremendous hope that he will soon be able to function without IV nutrition after surgery.”

Goeller explained that Lucas needed blood during a hospitalization in May after he went into septic shock. What she thought would be minutes took a few hours until the right type of blood could be located.

“He was very unstable and needed that blood to recover,” she said. “It was a scary few hours, but it made me realize how important blood donations are.”

While explaining the importance of blood donations over the phone, Lucas chimed in and interrupted his mother.

“Can we catch a fish?” he asked.

Goeller laughed.

“As you can hear, he's Mr. Chatterbox,” she said. “Other than this upcoming surgery, we're enjoying life as much as we can. With this increased nutrition, we're seeing an entirely new little man.”

Those wishing to donate blood to Lucas can visit any Central Blood Bank center and mention his name. For details, visit http://​www.centralbloodbank.org/​lucas.

Ben Schmitt is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-320-7991, bschmitt@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Bencschmitt.