By Ruth Anne Maddox

Staff Writer

Just days after celebrating her first birthday, Sidney Markie lost her battle to live with the new organs she received via transplant on March 5.

Born July 17, 2007, with a rare genetic disorder called microvillus inclusion disease — which prevented her intestines from absorbing any nutrients — the Shakopee infant had been in a Miami hospital since receiving a new stomach, pancreas, large and small intestines, liver, kidneys and a bladder.

Sidney was awaiting yet another kidney transplant after one of the donor kidneys failed and the family had hoped to have her come home to Minnesota to be cared for at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis until a donor became available.“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” said Cheryl Murray, the baby’s grandmother. “Sidney fought so hard.”

Sidney’s parents, Courtney Murray and Rick Markie, were with her constantly in her final hours. She died about 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Rick had traveled to Florida to be with his daughter on her birthday and extended his plans to remain by her side when he learned his daughter was in dire straits.

Sidney’s condition worsened on Saturday and she was in critical condition. Doctors told the family Sunday afternoon that Sidney had “no room to get worse.”

Sidney developed RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) pneumonia last week and was very sick since then.

While Rick and Courtney kept a bedside vigil with Sidney on Monday night, Cheryl and Courtney’s oldest daughter, 10-year-old Summer, were holding a vigil in the living room of Cheryl’s Minnetrista home while they awaited Courtney’s next call.

“The pneumonia just overwhelmed her at the end of the day,” Cheryl said. “We are now concentrating on bringing them all home.”

Rick, Courtney and Courtney’s 5-year-old daughter, Samantha, will remain in Florida until travel arrangements can be made for them and for Sidney.

“Courtney won’t go without Sidney,” Cheryl said.

Prior to the transplant, doctors had said Sidney’s life expectancy carried a good outlook if she survived the surgery. However, her family believes that a wrong medicine given to the infant several weeks ago may have been the start of the downward spiral from her recovery.

In a July 1 entry on Sidney’s Children’s Organ Transplant Assocation (COTA) Web site at www.cotaforsidneym.com [2], Courtney talked about the medical mix-up: “I am very disappointed to report a huge ‘mistake’ that was made with Sidney’s medications. Prograff is the immunosuppressant Sidney was started on immediately post transplant. After months of being on this medication it was determined that Sidney did NOT react well to the drug. The Prograff was discontinued and Sidney was started on another immunosuppressant called Rapamune … Sunday [June 29] one of the residents ordered Prograff for Sidney instead of the Rapamune. Do we know for certain whether or not this is a direct cause of Sidney’s setback? I guess the politically correct answer is … of course not.”Sidney received a second dose of this incorrect medicine on June 30 and it took until July 7 for it to completely clear out of her system.“Everything was compromised by the RSV,” Cheryl said, “[and having] the [wrong] medicine depleted her immunity.”

The family was prepared for Sidney’s future with a lifetime of anti-rejection medications but they weren’t yet prepared for her life to end.

“This isn’t where we planned to be right now,” Cheryl said.

Despite the family’s grief, though, Cheryl said that many blessings have come from Sidney’s journey.

“Courtney is a very strong woman and a very smart woman,” said a tearful Cheryl. “She just didn’t know she had it in her.”

Not long after the transplant, Courtney expressed her gratitude to the donor family and threw herself into working to help people learn about the donation process. She and other family members also became organ donors.

“If something happens to me or my kids, I would want someone else to have the gift of life,” she said in March.

Donations will continue to be accepted to help cover Sidney’s uninsured medical expenses and can be made in person at any Wells Fargo Bank branch using the account number 5917174053 or mailed to Children’s Organ Transplant Assocation, 2501 W. COTA Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403. Checks or money orders should be made payable to COTA with “In honor of Sidney Markie” written on the memo line. Secure credit card donations can be accepted online at www.cotaforsidneym.com.COTA is a national charity dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant patients. Sidney's family requested assistance from the organization for their fund-raising efforts.

Visitation is planned for 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 27 at Dawn Valley Funeral Chapel, 9940 Bush Lake Road, Bloomington.

Sidney’s Celebration of Life Service will be at 2 p.m. Monday, July 28 at Grace Church, 9301 Eden Prairie Road in Eden Prairie. There will be a one-hour reception following the service and burial will be at 5 p.m. in Dawn Valley Cemetery.

Ruth Anne Maddox can be reached at (952) 345-6678 or rmaddox@swpub.com.