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
RCMP uncovers plot to sell drones and equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
BREAKING Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Thieves use stolen forklift to rip cash machine out of U.K. bank
Police in the U.K. are searching for a group of suspects seen on video using a forklift to steal a cash machine from a bank.
'There was a lot of black smoke': Crane operator sounds alarm while trapped during highrise fire in Halifax
A tower crane operator alerted emergency crews after noticing a fire on a construction site in Halifax Tuesday morning.
Cherry blossoms blooming in Canada: Here's what to know
There is a swaying sea of colour in some cities across Canada, and it's a sure sign of spring: cherry blossoms are in bloom.