A brave 22-year-old babysitter donated part of her liver to the infant she had in care.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – On the subject of faith in humanity restored, we are proud to tell you the story of a brave 22-year-old babysitter from New Jersey who donated part of her liver to the infant she had in care, despite knowing her for only a couple of months. Devoted and altruistic to some, and reckless to others, Kirsten Miles of New Jersey, has become somewhat of a hero after she agreed to undergo major surgery to save the life of Talia Rosko, a 16-month-old infant, who struggled with a debilitating illness called Biliary Atresia. The story of how the brave babysitter and college student saved Talia’s life began a few months ago when Miles first met the Rosko family and their daughter. According to Miles, she became Talia’s babysitter after a mutual acquaintance recommended her for the job. As the story goes, once Miles first set eyes on little Talia, she absolutely became smitten with her. However, the babysitter would soon discover that the 16-month-old girl was suffering from a terrible disease which literally drained the life out of her. In fact, Talia’s doctors said that the little girl might not live past the second year. Miles found out that the girl has a rare condition called Biliary Atresia, a life-threatening condition. Talia’s liver ducts were so backed up with bile that the substance would invade the liver, destroying it from within. The college student also discovered that Talia’s only chance to live a normal and healthy life was to undergo a liver transplant. Without even flinching or worrying about the consequences of such an act, Kirsten Miles went straight to the hospital to see if she’s a match for Talia. The doctors told her that she’s compatible and that her liver can help the little girl. When Kirsten told the Rosko family about her being a donor, the family greeted her with mixed feelings. On the one hand, they were very happy from the perspective of their daughter beating the disease, but on the other hand, they were a bit worried about Kirsten being too carried away. The babysitter told them that she talked with her parents about the transplant and that they’ve told her that it’s the right thing to do. And so, after six months of testing, Kirsten was wheeled into the OR, where the doctors removed part of her liver. The surgery lasted roughly five hours, and it was described as being a textbook operation. A team brought Kirsten’s liver to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, were the doctors managed to graft it in Talia’s body. Both operations were successful, and the two patients are recovering and responding well to treatment.
As for Talia, she will have a chance to live a normal and healthy life thanks to her babysitter’s selfless gesture.