Ezra’s blood type — O positive — matched hers.
“I felt like, if I can help him, I’m not going to sit here and watch him get sicker,” said Fisher. “I didn’t even have a second thought about it.”
Without telling Ezra’s family, Fisher began investigating whether she would be a good fit for the 5-year-old’s liver transplant. She didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up until she knew it would work.
Fisher first met Ezra in 2022 at Precious People Daycare in Alden, N.Y., a small town east of Buffalo. At the time, Ezra was in foster care and had health issues — including chronic liver disease and developmental delays.
“He did have a bunch of medical problems, and he had scars on his stomach,” Fisher said. “He kind of clung onto me. We were really close.”
Karen Toczek and her husband adopted Ezra in July 2022 after fostering him for nearly three years.
“He was born very, very, very ill,” said Toczek, 44, explaining that Ezra had a traumatic birth and was born with liver damage. His birth parents could not meet his medical needs, Toczek said, and “he was placed with us in foster care at 7 months old.”
Toczek is a registered nurse, she said, and she felt she and her husband could provide Ezra with the care and support he needed.
Ezra’s doctors told Toczek and her husband that Ezra would one day need a liver transplant. While he remained stable for longer than expected, over the past year, his symptoms — ranging from intense itching to fatigue and mood swings — steadily worsened.
In January, Toczek traveled with Ezra to New York City for a doctor’s appointment, and a month later, he was put on the transplant list. Toczek has the same blood type as her son, she said, but Ezra’s medical team deterred her from donating part of her liver as she is his primary caregiver.
“I’m the only one who has a matching blood type in the close circle of people who would otherwise be eligible,” said Toczek, who has seven biological children, ranging in age from 10 to 22.
Toczek took to social media to try to find a live liver donor for Ezra — which would allow him to bypass the wait-list and give him the best chance for a seamless recovery. She never anticipated his preschool teacher, of all people, would step up to the plate.
“This is something I have to do,” said Fisher, who, right after seeing Toczek’s Facebook post in March, got in touch with staff at NYU Langone Health, where Ezra is being treated.
She completed initial bloodwork in March, and a month later, went to New York City for a full medical evaluation, which included an MRI, CT scans, an electrocardiogram and more bloodwork.
“I wasn’t nervous,” said Fisher. “I was just like, ‘I’m going to do this.’”
On May 24, she got a call from NYU Langone Health letting her know she was approved to give Ezra a part of her liver in a lifesaving transplant procedure. The story was covered by WKBW-TV in Buffalo.
“I was excited,” said Fisher.
During a liver transplant, the diseased liver is removed and replaced with a portion of a healthy liver. Fisher will give Ezra about 30 percent of her liver, which will grow back to normal size shortly after the operation. The portion of Fisher’s liver transplanted into Ezra will also grow to normal size. There are risks involved for both the donor and recipient — including wound infection, bile duct complications and scar tissue formation. The success rate for living donor liver transplants is around 90 percent.
The day after Fisher learned she was a match, she and her mother showed up at Ezra’s house to surprise him and his family with the good news. She brought stuffed animals, balloons and a handmade sign that read: “Hey Ezra! Would you like to share my liver?”
The Toczeks were stunned.
“It was the most unexpected thing,” said Toczek, who broke down in tears when she realized what was going on. “It is so incredible … it just seems so crazy to think that someone would go through all that for somebody else’s child.”
Fisher said she has no doubts about her decision.
“I’m just happy to be able to help him,” she said. “It was very emotional.”
The highlight was Ezra’s adorable reaction.
“Ezra turned to his family after his mom explained what was going on, and was like, ‘She’s going to share her liver with me! She’s going to make me feel better,’” Fisher said. “That was the cutest thing.”
New York States requires a two-week reflection period for live liver donors, which, for Fisher, ended June 7. They said they hope to schedule their surgeries for the end of July.
Ezra will be required to stay in New York City for three months following the operation, and Fisher will need to stay for at least a month to be monitored. Fisher’s mother and aunt will be her caregivers during her recovery, which will involve a week-long hospital stay, follow-up appointments, as well as some lifting restrictions during the first few months.
“I knew the costs would be a lot. I’ve been saving up money,” said Fisher. “I’ve gotten so much support from everybody. I’m excited and ready to go.”
Ezra is ready, too, his mother said. After the operation, as long as everything is successful, he is expected to live a normal and healthy life. He will need to lie low after the surgery, and attend regular follow-up appointments for about a year to ensure his new liver is functioning well. He will also be on several medications that he will slowly go off, his mother said.
“There’s a big relief to not have it hanging over us,” said Toczek.
In addition to restoring Ezra’s health, Fisher has another goal: “I want to encourage people to not be afraid to get out of their comfort zone and help others,” she said. “I hope they read this story and feel inspired.”
