'Save Lucas': 10-year-old Indiana Township boy in dire need of another liver transplant

Lucas Goeller is looking for another miracle.

At age 2, Lucas received a lifesaving liver transplant on July 1, 2015, at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh from a 3-year-old Nebraska girl, Olivia Swedberg. Olivia died of brain cancer a day earlier. Lucas had waited 18 months for a match. Doctors didn’t know how much longer he’d live.

Now, at age 10, Lucas is in need of another liver.

In 2015, the Indiana Township family initiated a public campaign, which included 25 billboards donated by Lamar Advertising, and Facebook posts that caught the attention of Olivia’s mother, Lauressa Swedberg. When she saw Lucas’ photos, Swedberg said she knew her terminally ill daughter could live on in him.

They’re undertaking a new public campaign as Lucas’ liver is failing.

Lamar Advertising is donating another round of billboards, and the Goellers are taking to Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram to share not only Lucas’ story but the importance of organ donation.

“He’s going to need a transplant sooner rather than later,” said Jessica Goeller, Lucas’ mother.

The mother and son gathered Wednesday at Eat’n Park on Butler Street in Shaler to promote the “Save Lucas” campaign. The restaurant, a Goeller family favorite, hung a “Save Lucas” poster and featured it on the digital sign outside the building along Route 8.

Lucas said few words, letting his mother speak for him. He leaned against her and mischievously drank all of her water while she was distracted.

“Thankfully right now, he’s functioning well on the outside,” Jessica Goeller said. “But if you look at his labs and imaging, it shows a completely different picture; it shows a very sick child. So there is a sense of urgency for him to get this transplant. Because we know that when a liver is failing, there is a fine line between life and death.”

Lucas is one of four children in the Goeller family. He has three brothers, 12, 8 and 4.

His family likes to hunt, so it was natural to call Lucas’ story “Hunting for Hope” on YouTube.

“Lucas helped develop that name,” Jessica Goeller said. “He loves to hunt and fish and be in the outdoors.”

The goal to go elk hunting after a transplant keeps him motivated, she said.

The family is seeking a deceased or living donor. In his case, a living donor must be between the ages of 20 and 49, and have type O blood and a body mass index of less than 30.

Jessica Goeller said her hope is not just for her son.

“We want to make this a national story because there are so many lives at stake,” she said. “There are so many people waiting for transplants that we’d like to help as well.”

More than 100,000 people are awaiting an organ transplant across the country, according to the Center for Organ Recovery and Education. About 300 children are in need of a liver transplant.

In Pennsylvania, about 7,000 people are awaiting a transplant. About 20 children are in need of a liver transplant.

“We’re in the season of giving, and it’s time to think about that gift,” said Katelynn Metz, spokesperson for CORE. “I would encourage people to think: ‘What if it was your loved one?’ ”