Sonja and Nicole

Nicole and Sonya are siblings that have both received liver transplants secondary to a rare genetic condition called Carbamyl Phosphate Synthetase deficiency, which is a defect where the liver in missing an enzyme that helps break down protein within the body. They received liver transplants in 2000. After the transplants, the girls did well for 6 years. In February 2007, when Nicole was 7 years old, she was diagnosed with a form of cancer called Post Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disease. The family and the doctors have pursued finding a fine balance of fighting the cancer and trying to avoid Nicole rejecting her transplanted liver. Her condition has remained stable until the spring of 2009, when she diagnosed with yet another form of cancer called T-cell lymphoproliferative disease. She has restarted chemotherapy. The B.A.B.Y. Foundation has helped the family with fuel costs in excess of $700 per month.