A gift of life across time and space: Teacher donates liver to help former children 

Life is a wonderful journey, full of unknowns and touching moments. In New York, a touching miracle of life took place: a young teacher donated part of his liver to a child he had taught, igniting the child’s hope for rebirth.

Five-year-old Ezra Tocheck, from Alden, New York, unfortunately suffers from severe liver disease. Since birth, he has faced the dilemma of bile duct obstruction and liver damage. In 2019, the Tochecks took Ezra, who was only seven months old at the time, home for foster care and officially adopted him in 2022. Little Ezra is lively and cute, and he quickly integrated into this big family with seven biological children and several foster children.

However, the disease did not let him go. Although doctors temporarily relieved his condition through surgery, Ezra’s liver disease worsened over time. In February 2024, he was diagnosed with advanced liver disease, and symptoms such as severe itching, liver scarring, and fatigue seriously affected his daily life. He could not run and play like other children, and even had difficulty in ensuring normal sleep.

“Despite our best efforts with medical therapy, Ezra continued to have difficulty sleeping and was unable to function like a typical five-year-old. It was clear that we needed to put him on the list for a liver transplant,” said Dr. Jennifer M. Vittorio, medical director of the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital.

For a five-year-old child, liver transplantation is undoubtedly the only hope, but how easy is it to find a suitable liver source? Anxious mother Karen shared her son’s story on social media, hoping to find a suitable organ donor.

That’s when an unexpected “angel” showed up. Carissa Fisher, who had been Ezra’s daycare teacher many years before, saw Ezra’s story on social media and was deeply moved. She didn’t hesitate to reach out and secretly applied to donate part of her liver through the liver transplant program at NYU Langone’s Transplant Institute.

“I didn’t hesitate,” Carissa said. “If I was five years old, I would have wanted someone to do this for me. I knew I could help, and I was determined to do it.”

After a series of rigorous tests, Carissa and Ezra were a perfect match! This news was undoubtedly a ray of light in the darkness for the Tocek family. They no longer had to wait for a long time, but directly had the hope of life.

On August 7, 2024, Carissa underwent minimally invasive robotic surgery at NYU Langone to remove 30% of her liver for donation. At the same time, Ezra also underwent a liver transplant. The surgery was a great success!

The liver is the only organ in the human body that can regenerate. Incredibly, in just six months, Carissa’s donated liver completely regenerated. And Ezra quickly recovered and regained his lively personality and good health.

“His energy, mood and appetite returned almost immediately,” Karen said with relief.

On November 1, 2024, Ezra returned to his family, back to school, playing with his friends, and frolicking with his brothers and sisters. He was doing all the things he loved and looking forward to the future.

On November 11, Ezra returned to Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital to reunite with the medical team that had cared for him and to meet Carissa again. It was a reunion filled with love and gratitude.

This story is not only a medical miracle, but also a hymn about love and dedication. Carissa’s selfless dedication not only saved a child’s life, but also lit up the hope of a family. Their story reminds us that life is so precious, and love can create miracles.

We hope that through this story, more people will be encouraged to learn about organ donation and consider becoming an organ donor. Because a seemingly small decision can change a person’s destiny and even save a precious life. As Karen said, “I will always be grateful to Carissa for giving Ezra the gift of life.” Carissa also said, “It feels very fulfilling to know that I have helped someone in need. I hope more people will consider becoming a donor. This is a decision that can truly change lives.”