PITTSBURGH — An 8-year-old girl will undergo a triple organ transplant Wednesday.
Kyree Beachem went into surgery early Wednesday morning. The procedure is expected to last about 10 hours.
"I'm waiting for a liver, small bowel and pancreas," Kyree told WPXI over the summer.
Nan Beachem, Kyree's adoptive mother, said her daughter’s condition was worsening and she was moved up higher on the waiting list.
“Within the past several months, things have greatly changed for Kyree, and it’s become a lot more desperate than it had been,” Beachem said.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Kyree had a small intestine transplant in January 2010. Her body rejected the organ less than two weeks later.
As a result of the rejection, Kyree spent close to 22 hours a day hooked up to an IV. The mix of chemicals that she received from the IV led to liver failure. That failure caused her skin and eyes to become yellow because of jaundice.
Still, her smile and her attitude have been electric.
“She’s a very, very happy little girl. She’s enjoying life as much as can be,” her mother said in July.
Kyree's brother, Nico, received an organ transplant in 2011 and is doing well.
If you want to follow Kyree's journey step-by-step, like her page on Facebook.