Meet Jennifer Alley Smith, Transplant Recipient and Mom

The Challenge

From the moment she was born, Jennifer Alley Smith had a problem eating and gaining weight. Her doctors in Knoxville, Tenn., were at a loss to uncover the cause.

“I could eat a bite here or there, but with no nutritional factor,” says Ms. Smith.

It wasn’t until she was 7 years old, and weighed just 25 pounds, that doctors diagnosed her with intestinal pseudo-obstruction, a condition in which the small bowel can’t function properly and absorb nutrients.

Her doctors put her on a permanent intravenous solution of total parenteral nutrition, or TPN, which delivers all the nutrients a body needs directly into a vein.

“I had a gastric tube to empty my stomach,” says Ms. Smith. “Needless to say, I was a sick child. I couldn’t do normal things.”

Two years later, she and her family moved to Atlanta, Ga.

Numerous surgeries to try to correct the problem had her in and out of the hospital. Nothing seemed to help.

The Path to UPMC

When she was 21 years old, doctors told Ms. Smith she needed a small bowel transplant.

“My liver was starting to have issues because of the TPN.”

Her gastroenterologist in Atlanta sent her to UPMC for an evaluation.

“At the time,” she remembers, “statistics for small bowel transplants weren’t wonderful. But UPMC was the number one center. The Starzl Transplant Institute was the first to do small bowel transplants. The best of the best was there.”

The Solution

Once Ms. Smith was evaluated, things moved very quickly for her. Six weeks after she was put on the transplant list, she got the call.

“I was in surgery for 16½ hours, then I stayed in Pittsburgh for nine months for post-op. My parents came with me, and my new husband, whom I’d married right before the transplant.”

Ms. Smith admits it was a tough road.

“I had one round of severe rejection. Thankfully, the powerful antirejection drug called OKT3, worked.”

During her time in Pittsburgh, Ms. Smith developed a special relationship with her transplant team, and in particular with her surgeon.

“All the care I received was very good. Several nurses were especially wonderful to me. And I’ve been happy with all the doctors,” she says. “They saved my life.”

The Results

Almost six years later, Jennifer Alley Smith is eating regular food and leading a regular life. Although she’ll always have to take antirejection and antidiarrhea drugs, she believes it’s worth it.

“No tubes. No bags. That’s a whole experience in itself.”

She professes that the first year was hard. Her doctors had to find the right medications to regulate her body. And she had to learn to eat.

But having the life of a normal person is, as Ms. Smith says, “So worth it.”

“Now there’s not much I don’t enjoy eating,” she says. “I definitely enjoy my chocolate.”

Plus, she has another victory to claim. In 2008, Ms. Smith became the first adult small bowel transplant recipient to give natural birth to a healthy baby.

“He’s my little miracle,” she says.

Felton Steven Smith was named “Steven” after his mother’s donor. And her surgeon, Dr. Kareem Abu-Elgmad, now has a new nickname — “Grandpa Kareem.”

“I’ve been doing very well,” states Ms. Smith.

“I’m a stay-at-home mom, which keeps me very busy. We’d like to have another child when my husband gets out of law school. But I’m happy with what we’ve got right now.

“Having a transplant changes your life. I don’t take the little things for granted. I hope the future is just as good.”