Calgary girl receives crucial liver transplant in U.S.
Just as a Calgary family’s life was returning to normal after their two-year-old daughter survived liver cancer, they received some devastating news: the cancer had returned.
With a liver transplant her only chance of survival, the Marofkes were informed by transplant teams in Alberta and Ontario that their daughter, Greta, now age 3, was not eligible for the surgery in Canada.
But on Saturday, news the family had been praying for since last year came through. A liver for Greta had been found, and she would undergo transplant surgery at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on Sunday.
“We are so scared, but this is what we have been fighting for,” the family wrote on Facebook from Cincinnati. “We are so sad to think about the family who lost their baby yesterday, but so thankful they decided to help give Greta the shot at life she deserves.”
Recent updates from the family Sunday evening indicated the surgery was successful.
“Mama and Dad are with Greta now. She’s looking pretty good all things considered!” they wrote.
Greta was first diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a rare form of liver cancer, in 2015. Starting her first chemotherapy treatments on her second birthday, it looked like the disease was completely gone after surgeries and rigorous treatments. But a few months later the cancer was back, and the family began exploring options in the U.S. for a liver transplant that couldn’t be done in Canada.
While the family is overjoyed that a new liver was found for Greta, they are now struggling to come up with the cost of covering the surgery, which is not covered by Canada’s public health system and costs more than $600,000 U.S.
To show support for the family or to donate, visit their Go Fund Me page at: gofundme.com/gretasguardians.