Girl bouncing back after 6-organ transplant

A 9-year-old Maine girl is home after undergoing a transplant of six organs to remove a tumor that was spreading throughout her abdomen.

Friday, February 03, 2012
Alannah Shevenell, 9, and her grandmother, Debi Skolas, speak to a reporter at their home in Hollis, Maine. Net photo.

A 9-year-old Maine girl is home after undergoing a transplant of six organs to remove a tumor that was spreading throughout her abdomen.Doctors at Children’s Hospital Boston replaced Alannah Shevenell’s (SHEV’-uh-nehl) stomach, liver, spleen, small intestine, pancreas and a portion of her esophagus in October.It’s believed to be the first-ever transplant of an esophagus and the largest number of organs transplanted at one time in New England.The surgery was necessary to remove a massive and rare cancerous tumor that was overtaking her organs and closing in on her heart.The spunky, bright-eyed girl returned Wednesday to her home in Hollis and is enjoying sledding and her scrapbooks.