“Spunky, bossy, sassy with a stink eye, but still so sweet”

By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org

Miracle Quarles lives up to her name.

The tiny 2-year-old, who is recovering from a liver transplant, has taken her parents, Robert and Monica, on quite the trip.

She began as the ninth embryo in the couple’s quest to have a child via IVF. They have a blended family with five older kids, and Monica Quarles never saw herself having another baby at the age of 39.

“It was a true miracle that this man could talk me into having another baby.”

Now, of course, she can’t imagine a life without Miracle in it.

Another thing she never imagined? Having her husband help deliver that baby at home when she went into labor quickly and unexpectedly.

She’d wanted a home birth and had a midwife on call, but this was not the relaxing home birth she was expecting.

“It was me freaking out,” she said, now that she can chuckle at the memory.

Still, Miracle was delivered safely into the arms of Robert, and Monica counts her blessings.

They’d already decided on Miracle’s name before that moment, having gone through months of uncertainty during Monica’s pregnancy, but her surprise delivery, coupled with the medical complexities that followed, have earned her that name over and over, her mom said.

At about 6 weeks of age, Miracle was diagnosed with Alagille syndrome, a genetic condition in which bile builds up in the liver and doesn’t drain properly. This results in liver damage.

It went undetected at birth, but her pediatrician noticed a heart murmur and referred Miracle to a cardiologist at Riley Hospital for Children. It was that physician who noticed immediately that Miracle was jaundiced, something that was missed after her birth because the trademark yellowish skin coloring can be harder to detect in African-American babies.

She sent Miracle and her parents directly to Riley, where the diagnosis of Alagille syndrome was made. The condition doesn’t just affect the liver. It can affect the heart, kidneys, eyes and overall growth and development.

It was at that point that the couple switched all of Miracle’s medical care over to Riley, where she sees multiple specialists, including Dr. Kyla Tolliver, transplant hepatologist.

IU Health transplant surgeons Dr. Richard Mangus and Dr. Chandrashekhar Kubal saw her through surgery at Riley on July 6, and Dr. Mangus continues to see her post-transplant.

Meantime, Miracle has charmed the nurses and therapists in the PICU and on 9 West as she has recovered. Her mom is thrilled to report that her baby girl will be discharged Friday, and she can’t wait for the entire family to be reunited at home.

Miracle, who had feeding issues as a baby, has a G-tube to get her the nutrition she needs, but otherwise is doing well.

“She has a beautiful life and a beautiful soul. She’s one of a kind,” her mom said. “Spunky, bossy, sassy with a stink eye, but still so sweet inside. She gives the biggest hugs. She keeps us smiling because she is just so happy.”