7-month-old Toronto baby with rare liver disease in 'desperate' need of a transplant
A seven-month-old baby is in “desperate” need of a liver transplant in Toronto, but with her parents incompatible and extended family far away in Bangladesh, all she can do is wait for her name to reach the top of the donor list or hope for a living match.
“We have been on the list for almost four months now and the doctor said it is completely uncertain. They say babies are a priority but they will not tell us how many are above us or what our position is. We don't have any idea of how long we will have to wait,” Aliza’s mother Preetha Haque told CTV News Toronto.
Ontario Health says wait times are based on a variety of factors, including blood type, the patient’s health, and organ type. Their data indicates 235 people of all ages in the province are waiting for a liver transplant.
Aliza’s medical team suggested trying to find a living donor, a healthy person who gives a piece of their liver to a patient in need, since it can speed up the search. The University Health Network has completed nearly 900 of these transplants since 2000.
But so far, the potential living donors who have come forward are not a match for Aliza’s O +/- blood type.
“Last week we heard from the hospital. There are no other applicants for Aliza, so we got more upset,” Aliza’s father Moniruzzaman Moni said.
Uncertainty has filled the hearts of Aliza’s parents since she was two months old. She was born with jaundice, a common yellow discoloration among newborns, but blood test results proved Aliza’s condition was far from common.
“The doctor called us back and said visit my office immediately and get prepared, you might need to go to the hospital,” Haque said as she wept, struggling to get words out.
They learned Aliza had Biliary Atresia, a rare liver disease that blocks the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder, and she needed a transplant.
Aliza playing with a toy in her high chair. “We need to look for a donor from outside our family because we don't have any family here and we can’t bring a donor from Bangladesh because it's very expensive,” Haque said after her and Moni learned they were not compatible matches.
After they placed Aliza on the donor list, they returned home, but it wasn’t long before they were back at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. Aliza could not digest food, but when they gave her a feeding tube, her liver was growing too big and supressing her stomach, causing vomiting and dehydration.
Since then, Aliza and Haque have been living at the hospital for more than two months while Moni takes care of their seven-year-old daughter at home. After recovering from contracting RSV, Aliza has reached a stable state with the assistance of daily nutritional IV fluids.
Aliza at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. But time is proving critical. Haque said doctors have told her that Aliza needs the transplant before she reaches the age of two.
“She is almost one-year-old now and the doctor says that she doesn't have liver failure symptoms but if she has any the progress will be too fast to control,” Haque said.
“She is stable now, she grows well, she has enough weight and it’s the right age to support the transplant. This is the perfect time for her to get a transplant. Only if we can manage [finding] the liver.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CFIA monitoring for avian flu in Canadian dairy cattle after U.S. discoveries
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to keep an eye out for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Vancouver firefighter in rehab at home after losing leg to flesh-eating infection overseas
A family trip took a frightening turn for Christopher Won when he was diagnosed with flesh-eating disease while in Hong Kong and now, after weeks of treatment overseas, the Vancouver firefighter is back home recovering.
WATCH Video shows dramatic police takedown of carjacking suspects chased through parking lot north of Toronto
Police have released video footage of a dramatic takedown of a group of teens wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.