Samantha Hallock
Over the past summer we found out about an at-the-time 3-month old baby girl named Samantha who was in need of a liver transplant. We contacted her family members and told them we were willing to help raise money to pay for their high hospital costs. They contacted us back and were very
appreciative. We did a car wash on August 23rd, 2003 and we raised over $400. We also put out
flyers and donation jars around town at businesses for about a week and we collected about
$485.00. We are happy to say that Samantha received her transplant and is home and
doing well.
Here is some information about Samantha and her family:
Her parents, Brian and Debbie (Cadieux) Hallock grew up in Winooski, and now live in
Highgate. They also have another daughter who is 6 1/2, Jasmine. Samantha was born in
Northwestern Medical Center on July 16th. After 3 visits with her pediatrician, at about 6
weeks old, he then suggested that she be tested because of her "darker" skin color, and they
should not necessarily believe that it was like that because her father's is. The white's of her
eyes were yellow as well. After testing, and ruling out things, they did an ultrasound and liver
biopsy, and found out she needed emergency surgery, so scheduled her for the next day at
Fletcher Allen Health Care. She had different complications after that, including an infection,
IV collapses, a drain in her stomach that "backed up" and had to be taken out. They told my
sister before that operation that she needed a liver transplant. The operation was to just get
in there and fix what they could, and get her out of immediate danger. Every day she was
getting worse. They put a "main line" into her chest, which she would need for the transplant
anyway, but now they don't have to worry about collapsing IV's. After being in FAHC for
over 3 weeks, they finally decided which hospital to send her to (the doctors each had a
different preference, so they had a meeting of all with the family), and decided on Columbia
Presbyterian Children's Hospital in New York City. My sister and the baby flew down there
in a private plane, brought to and from the hospitals by ambulance. Immediately after arriving
there, Samantha was put 1st on the list for a cadaver liver. She could also be a living donor
recipient, but her mother Debbie had a Kidney Stone attack and was admitted her in
Burlington for 2 days where they put a stent into her, and scheduled her for surgery in 2
weeks to take care of a stone that is dime-size in her kidney. So she could not be a
donor, at least for a month or more. Brian has the same blood type as Samantha, A+ I
believe, and was tested. Samantha ended up recieving a liver from a local 3 year old. She is
home now and doing well.