The Sydney Moss Fund was established in an effort to raise money for Biliary Atresia (BA) research. Not much is known about BA, a rare and serious liver disease that affects newborns, and the only "cure" lies in a liver transplant. The goal of the Fund, which is named for our daughter, Sydney, a BA baby, is to advance research at the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Liver Center.
Exciting discoveries about this deadly disease are currently underway at Johns Hopkins, where doctors are researching a possible cause of Biliary Atresia. This medical breakthrough would be monumental for all children with BA. If a cause can be determined, a cure can be found. In a time when research funding from public and private sources is low, we hope the Sydney Moss Fund will help make a difference.
Creating the Sydney Moss Fund and organizing the BA 5K is one way we feel we can impact the lives of all children with Biliary Atresia, including our daughter. Sydney was born December 8, 2007, and diagnosed with Biliary Atresia a few weeks later when several tests and a liver biopsy confirmed her liver was not functioning properly. She underwent surgery, called the "Kasai" procedure, to repair her liver at Johns Hopkins Hospital on January 10, 2008. Although in and out of the hospital since then, and slow to gain weight, Sydney's surgery has been deemed a success. Doctors are confident she is good for the "short-term," meaning she will not need a liver transplant within the next two years. Unfortunately, however, we know a liver transplant is in her future. Until then, we take each day one at a time and hope more research and discoveries can be made about this disease.
We hope you will join our efforts to not only raise awareness for Biliary Artresia, but to support the research being done at Johns Hopkins. If we can find a cause, we can find a cure!
Sincerely,
Stephen & Lindsay Moss
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