Family of Vaughan infant in need of new liver overwhelmed by public support

CP24.com
May 29, 2015

The family of an eight-month-old Vaughan girl in need of a liver transplant says they are overwhelmed by the number of complete strangers who have volunteered to be possible donors.

Speaking to CP24 Friday, Betsy Amores-Budziak said she and her husband made a public appeal on Facebook for donors for their infant daughter Delfina on Wednesday.

“I was like flabbergasted with the amount of response. It really hit our hearts. We never expected this much of a huge outpouring from virtual strangers,” Amores-Budziak said.

Delfina, who was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a congenital disease of the liver, at two months old, previously underwent corrective surgery that was unsuccessful. When members of the family were ruled out as potential liver donors, the family decided to ask the public for assistance.

To date, Amores-Budziak said about 900 people have reached out see how they can lend support to the family and some have offered to be potential donors.

Amores said just yesterday she underwent a procedure that may render her liver suitable for donation.

“They told me that I had nodules in my liver that wasn’t making me a viable donor,” she said.

“Overnight, literally, I was expedited at Toronto General and they had a procedure done for me yesterday.”

She said while the results of that procedure are not yet known, she hopes to be Delfina’s donor.

“Thankfully she is comfortable and not in pain and (it is not) life or death at this moment ... We want to get her transplanted now instead waiting for the worst-case scenario,” Amores-Budziak said.

“Obviously you want to go into surgery as healthy as you can be.”

Anyone interested in offering assistance to Delfina and her family can email HelpDelfina@gmail.com or visit https://www.facebook.com/delfinasliver.