When Katelyn Policastro was born in April, there was no indication she was anything but happy and healthy.
"Twenty-eight hours later, they came in to do a routine test where they check the oxygen level and found the oxygen level was low," said her father, Marc Policastro of Camarillo.
Doctors diagnosed Katelyn with ACD, or Alveolar Capillary Dysplasia, an extremely rare lung disease with fewer than 100 documented cases in the entire world. No one has ever survived for more than 12 weeks.
While Katelyn remains on life support at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, her parents are reaching out for help. Their only chance to save Katelyn's life is a lung donation from another baby.
Even if a matching donor is found, there is no guarantee Katelyn will survive the transplant because this procedure has never been performed on an ACD patient.
"This is the worst possible feeling we've ever felt," said Marc Policastro, who says he and his wife have no option but to keep fighting the odds.
The public is encouraged to contact Children's Hospital Los Angeles should a lung donation become available by calling 323-361-5932.
