A 5-year-old boy was released from the hospital after receiving a liver transplant, which was made possible after his former preschool teacher donated a portion of her liver. Ezra Toczek suffered liver damage at birth, causing him to face health challenges over the years. Doctors recently diagnosed him with end-stage liver disease, and he went on the transplant list in February 2024.
His former preschool teacher, Carissa Fisher, learned of his condition and wanted to help. In May, she was approved to become a living donor so she could donate a portion of her liver to him.
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Ezra and the 21-year-old teacher underwent their procedures in mid-August. The 5-year-old boy was finally discharged from the hospital on September 20, 2024, after having had four surgeries. He ended up having three surgeries after the liver transplant and then spent 45 days in the pediatric intensive care unit.
His mother, Karen Thorpe Toczek, says he is at a facility near the hospital for the next “several weeks, while he recovers,” she exclusively told People. She added that he “had a few post-op complications that kept him in the hospital longer than originally expected, but his new liver doing really well” and he’s “slowly gaining his strength back.”
Though she says he’s been through a lot, he’s “in really good spirits.” Ezra is now learning about “a new medication regimen, follow-up appointments and blood work,” as part of his daily life following the surgeries.
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“We have an amazing village of support rallying around us through this,” Karen said of Ezra, her husband, and their other kids. She added that they “frequently” check in with Carissa. Since the procedure, she’s been “doing pretty good,” though the recovery process was a bit “more difficult” than she expected.
Besides from “fatigue,” she says she’s “mostly back to normal.” She added that she’s “happy to be home seeing my friends and family” and that she “can’t wait for Ezra to be home so [she] can give him a big hug!”
