Infant in desperate need of liver transplant is only given weeks to live

Could you be a match?

The parents of a five-month-old baby boy are making a public plea for their son who is suffering from severe liver failure.

Whitney McLean and Anthony Albers, of Waukesha, Wisconsin, told WISN that their son, Marcus, is in desperate need of a partial liver transplant due to an extremely rare disease called Immunodeficiency 47.

The syndrome, which only affects males, is characterized by recurrent bacterial infections, severe liver dysfunction and possible neurologic abnormalities, according to the U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information.

The infant's parents, who did not know about the condition until they were pregnant with Marcus, say there have only been 12 reported cases of the condition in the world.

Marcus' 2-year-old brother was also diagnosed with Immunodeficiency 47, and will one day need a liver transplant as well.

However, Marcus' liver is in much more serious condition, and doctors say he will not survive much longer without undergoing the lifesaving procedure.

"We were told that Marcus has weeks to live, and that was a week and a half ago. So it's pretty dire," McLean said.

None of the infant's family members have qualified as donors, which led his desperate parents to seek the help of a kind stranger who may match the following criteria: They must be younger than 50 years old (ideally under 40), weigh less than 150 pounds and have Type O blood (positive or negative).

To learn more about becoming a potential donor, click here or email marcustransplantchw@gmail.com.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family cover medical expenses.