After finding out that one of her former students, 5-year-old Ezra Toczek, was in desperate need of a liver transplant, preschool teacher Carissa Fisher, of Alden, New York, applied to become a living donor.
The 5-year-old had suffered liver damage at birth, but earlier this year doctors determined that he now has end-stage liver disease and placed him on the transplant waitlist in February.
Shortly after that, Carissa Fisher traveled to New York, unbeknownst to Ezra and his family, to undergo the necessary tests to apply as a donor. After weeks of waiting for the results, she was told she was a perfect match.
Once she was approved to donate a portion of her liver to Ezra, she surprised the 5-year-old by showing up on his porch with a stuffed animal, balloons, and this sign:
Ezra's mom, Karen Toczek, posted the photo on her Facebook page, saying that when Carissa showed up at their door she was in shock. She wrote,
My brain literally couldn't process what I was reading until she said it out loud. Miss Carissa is a perfect match! I can't even begin to express our gratitude! The tears keep coming, and though I knew we'd be relieved to get the news eventually, I had no idea just how it would hit me!
There has been no shortage of love, generosity, and genuine kindness from our family, friends, and community - but this? The most amazing gift!!
Thank you, thank you!!
Fisher encouraged others who are considering applying to be live organ donors, saying,
You never know whose life you are going to be changing. It was emotional. It made me very happy to see both of them happy.
The Toczek's hope is that Ezra's transplant will be able to take place later this Summer.
The transplant will take place in New York City, where both Toczek and Fisher will have to remain for about a month after the surgery during the recovery process. The preschool teacher has started a GoFundMe to raise money to cover her travel and expenses during that time.
As for Ezra, his mom says he is in good spirits, saying of the 5-year-old,
We are very fortunate that they were able to get him approved to be listed when they did, rather than waiting until he's critically ill. He has struggles, fatigue, sleep difficulties, and days where he just isn't feeling well, but overall he is a trooper, and finds joy every day.
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