'Like a fairy tale': 10-month-old Toronto baby with rare liver disease saved by anonymous donor

A 10-month-old baby underwent a life-saving liver transplant in Toronto after matching with an anonymous donor following a months-long search.

About a month ago, Aliza’s doctor at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children walked into her room, and relayed the words her parents had been desperate to hear – they found a compatible donor.

Baby Aliza is seen with her older sister while recovering at the Hospital for Sick Children (supplied). “It seemed like a fairy tale,” Aliza’s mother Preetha Haque, and father, Moniruzzaman Moni, said in a statement earlier this week.

“We told them that the donor must be an angel, and angels are not easy to find. For someone to donate their liver so selflessly to save Aliza’s life is a miraculous gift.”

At two months old, Aliza was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, a rare liver disease that blocks the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder.

Her parents started the search for a transplant donor around last summer, after learning they were not compatible. For most of the time since then, Aliza has been living at SickKids.

The night Aliza’s doctor delivered the news, she underwent surgery, according to her social media donor campaign manager, Afsana Lallani. About 24 hours later, she was transferred from intensive care to a transplant unit. 

Baby Aliza is seen smiling with her parents. “Aliza is no longer suffering from such a debilitating disease. Her smile is bigger and brighter than ever, she is eager to play and interact with her surroundings, and she is now more vibrant,” her parents said.

Lallani said typically, a liver transplant recovery takes six months. About a year ago, she went through the procedure herself. She said Aliza was recently discharged from the hospital and returned back home.

“To the incredible donor who saved Aliza, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and pray you have a smooth recovery,” Haque and Moni said.