A 6-year-old Peabody boy with failing liver function needs a living liver donor, and soon, according to his parents, who say Camron Cummings has already spent months on the national deceased-donor waiting list without a match. Camron was diagnosed with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, a genetic disorder that progressively destroys the liver, and had already reached stage 4 cirrhosis by the time doctors identified the cause.
Camron's parents, Brittany and Michael Cummings, first noticed something was wrong when their son was three years old, after they spotted a yellow ring in his eye and a visibly extended belly, according to Boston 25 News. Brittany said doctors initially told the family Cam had a germ in his belly making him sick, before a diagnosis later revealed there was no cure for his underlying condition. Blood tests showed elevated bilirubin and liver enzymes, and doctors determined he had already reached stage 4 cirrhosis and would need a transplant soon.
A Genetic Disorder That Rules Out His Own Father
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency is caused by mutations in the SERPINA1 gene that cause misfolded proteins to build up in liver cells, and it stands as the leading genetic cause of pediatric liver disease and liver transplantation, according to research published in PMC. The Cummings family says Michael cannot donate because he carries a genetic variant associated with Alpha-1, leaving the family to search outside their own household for a match.
Camron has been on the deceased-donor liver transplant waiting list since January, the family says, and he was referred to Boston Children's Hospital for his care. He spent multiple weeks-long stretches in the hospital over the summer as his liver failure progressed. The family says he needs a transplant sooner rather than later.
What a Living Donor Would Need to Qualify
The family is asking that a potential living donor have an O-positive or O-negative blood type and be under 45 years old. Those blood types function as universal donors, meaning organ portions from O-type donors can be safely matched to recipients of any blood group, according to UC Davis Health. Living donor age limits vary, with some programs accepting candidates up to age 60.
The liver is unique among solid organs in its ability to fully regenerate — a donated segment can regrow to its original size in both the donor and the recipient within three to four weeks, Mayo Clinic notes. That regenerative capacity is what makes living liver donation possible at all, offering families like the Cummingses a path that doesn't require waiting on the national deceased-donor list.
Parents Describe Watching Their Son Suffer
Brittany said she simply wants her son to grow up healthy and happy, adding that Cam wants to play and deserves to do so. Michael said watching Cam be sick, in pain, and in and out of hospitals has been tough, and he hopes a living donor is found soon so his son can live his life. Michael also said that without a living donor, Cam could get sicker before a liver becomes available through the standard list.
Nationally, the shortage of deceased-donor organs is acute: surgeons performed a record 11,458 liver transplants in 2024, yet more than 10,000 patients remain on the waiting list, where roughly one in five candidates dies or becomes too sick for surgery before an organ becomes available, according to data from the Health Resources and Services Administration. That shortage has pushed more families toward living donation; living donors provided 19.4 percent of pediatric liver transplants nationwide in 2024, up from 14.6 percent the year before, per the same federal data.
Deceased-donor pediatric candidates under 12 are ranked using the Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease, or PELD, score, which weighs lab values including bilirubin, albumin, and INR along with growth failure markers rather than time spent on the list. There is currently no drug cure for advanced Alpha-1-related cirrhosis; orthotopic liver transplantation remains the only definitive treatment, as RNA interference therapies aimed at the condition are still confined to clinical trials, according to the PMC research.
Boston Children's Hospital's Track Record
Boston Children's Hospital is treating Camron. The case echoes another recent North Shore story: a North Shore boy got a lifesaving transplant at the same hospital after a Beverly resident stepped forward as a living donor. Hoodline's story about Beckett Connolly's Fenway appearance was published September 18.
The Cummings family says interested potential donors can reach Brittany and Michael through the Cam the Alpha Facebook page. For now, the family is focused on finding a match before Camron's condition worsens further, hoping that word of his case reaches someone in Peabody or beyond who meets the medical criteria and is willing to step in.
