It could’ve been a worse diagnosis for Evan Spence.

But after his return to the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa., the Spence family learned that Evan was having a mild rejection to his new liver.

“He was feeling fine, but his bilirubin level was high when they did his weekly test,” Diane Lewis, a registered nurse and mother of Evan’s girlfriend said. “But the doctor’s aren’t too concerned. They said it’s not unusual for rejection to happen within the first three months.”

According to Lewis, the doctors said it’s better for Evan to go through a rejection period now rather than later since his body is able to fight the rejection and the liver is still able to regenerate itself.

“This is treatable. They will put him on steroids and increase his rejection medication,” Lewis said. “They are going to continue to watch his lab work and his numbers are already coming down.”

Evan’s doctors said he may be discharged this weekend, depending on how he responds to the medication. However, the mild rejection hasn’t gotten Evan down.

“He’s fine, just bored. He’s talking on the phone,” Lewis said, “but he’s just ready to come home.”