Man's rare liver disease conquered after 24-year battle

    TULSA, Oklahoma (KJRH) -- In 2002, 2 News introduced Green Country to a baby in Inola with a constant itch, all due to a rare liver condition.

Now, 24-year-old Christopher Braswell is living a new life following a liver transplant in 2024.

"Probably the hardest thing a mom ever went through I’ve been waiting 24 years just to make sure my child stays alive," said Christopher's mother Stacey Braswell.

She's been living with her son’s struggles since the day he was born. She said right after birth doctors immediately started working on Christopher. At that time his condition was unknown, it stayed like that for three years.

She said it wasn't long before he began to itch, and itch, and itch. "It’s three years of him itching day and night until we didn’t know at the time that it felt like bugs all over him," said Stacey.

That's when Christopher's grandmother sent a letter to 2 News hoping to reach someone for help.

"But it was the sweetest letter that my mom could ever write. It was just helping me, help my kid," said Stacey.

After 2 News aired his story in 2002 numerous people reached out to offer help and suggestions.

Stacey kept every email 2 News forwarded her with all of the different ideas on what could cause Christopher's itching. Some were from doctors, other parents and even school resource officers all fascinated with the Inola itchy baby. "So, the papers that were presented, well I was presented when CJ was almost 3. I would get this from Channel 2. I would have time to read this before I would meet a lot of people that they may be able to help," said Stacey.

The news segment led to a surgery managing Christopher's itching for about twenty years. The surgery gave him a stoma, that’s an opening in the lower abdomen that drains bile and fluids.

Doctors learned Christopher created extra bile which caused the liver issues and the stoma helped relieve his symptoms.

After its success, the family even celebrated the stoma.

"We had birthdays for his stoma," said Stacey.

It was a temporary fix.

After years of living a seemingly normal life, Christopher embraced his stoma. But he always wondered what the next step would be.

"The diversion was never meant to be a cure. It was just prolonging the symptoms and the progression of the disease till I was of age for a transplant," said Christopher.

About two years ago Christopher took a turn. The itching started to come back.

It became a waiting game. He and his family waited for the call to get a liver.

"I just thought in my head that maybe I won’t make it to my call and it was a pretty rough morning. We all sat down. We all talk. They made me feel a lot better and I would take a nap and I would wake up and call," said Christopher.

Christopher said it happened quick after that. He called his mom, best friend and dad. Within minutes he and his mom headed to Muskogee to fly to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

"To think about that I’m very thankful for the sacrifice that a family made for my son because I knew exactly for 24 years how that was going to go but I didn’t know how our world was gonna be changed by Christopher’s disease," said Stacey.

The transplant is the only known cure for his disease progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 2.

"When I got the transplant I woke up it was just subconsciously in my head to itch and then I literally stopped and told myself why might itch I don’t itch and then I have an inch since that day," said Christopher.

He donated his old liver to help with research.

"I made the decision to actually donate my old liver for research so that’s what I want is for other people to get answers when we couldn’t," said Christopher.

It’s now time for Christopher to find a new normal after winning the 24-year battle.