New York — Sometimes, life presents moments so profound, so deeply moving, that they leave us awestruck. This is one of those moments.
Carissa Fisher didn’t set out to be a hero. In fact, she was just a 20-year-old preschool teacher when she first met Ezra Toczek, a shy boy with wide eyes and a spirit bigger than his fragile body could contain. At five years old, Ezra was already facing battles no child should ever have to fight. Born with a rare liver disease, his future was precarious—a ticking clock, counting down in ways neither he nor the people who loved him could fully understand.
Two years passed. Life moved on, as it does. Ezra left the preschool, and Carissa continued to teach other children, nurturing them the way she had nurtured Ezra. Then, one day, while scrolling through Facebook, Carissa came across a post that would change everything. There it was: a plea for help. Ezra, now seven, needed a liver transplant. Desperate, his family was seeking a living donor—a match. And Carissa felt something stir inside her, something she couldn’t ignore.
The Selfless Choice: Teacher’s Unexpected Journey to Becoming a Living Liver Donor
Being a living liver donor is not a decision most people expect to make in their lifetime. It’s a choice that requires sacrifice, courage, and a love that transcends logic. Yet, for Carissa, it didn’t feel like a choice at all. “He’s one of my kids,” she said. “How could I not try to help?”
Carissa didn’t pause to weigh the risks or hesitate over the impact on her own life. She knew in her heart what she had to do. She signed up for the donor evaluation process, keeping her decision secret from Ezra’s family until she knew for sure. In her quiet, determined way, she was preparing to give a piece of herself—literally—to save a boy she once sang lullabies to in a classroom.
The idea of organ donation is often associated with tragedy—the loss of life making way for another. But living organ donation, particularly for children with diseases like pediatric liver disease, is different. It’s a conscious, deliberate act of generosity. One person gives a portion of their liver, and within weeks, both the donor’s and the recipient’s livers regenerate, growing back to near full size. It’s a miracle of modern medicine, yes, but also a testament to the resilience of the human body—and the human spirit.
Facing the Risks: Understanding What’s at Stake
The decision to become a living organ donor isn’t without risks. Carissa underwent a series of intense medical evaluations—blood tests, MRI scans, CT scans, and consultations with surgeons. They needed to determine if her liver was not only healthy but also the right size and shape for Ezra’s small frame. There were countless what-ifs: What if something went wrong during surgery? What if her body didn’t recover as expected? What if Ezra’s body rejected the liver?
But in May, after months of waiting, the call came. Carissa was a match.
There’s something indescribably brave about standing on the precipice of uncertainty and choosing to leap anyway. As Dr. Jennifer Vittorio, the lead surgeon from NYU Langone’s Transplant Institute, explained, “It’s not just about cutting out a piece of liver and transplanting it. There’s a real risk of complications—both for the donor and the recipient.” These risks include infections, bile leaks, and in rare cases, death. And yet, Carissa didn’t waver.
The Emotional Weight of Surgery: Child’s Trust in His Teacher
As the day of the surgery approached, Carissa prepared a special way to break the news to Ezra. She showed up at his family’s doorstep with a poster that read, “Hey Ezra, would you like to share my liver?” It was a playful way to make a heavy conversation lighter, but the truth behind it was monumental.
For Ezra, a child who had already been through so much, the idea of sharing his former teacher’s liver was bewildering, even exciting. He took a moment, then marked the “yes” box on the sign. It was a quiet, profound agreement between them, a bond that went beyond the walls of a classroom.
His adoptive mother, Karen Thorpe Toczek, shared the emotional gravity of the moment in a Facebook post: “Ezra’s been asking so many questions. ‘How long will we be in the hospital?’ he wonders. ‘Will I be able to play with my brothers and sisters soon?’ And the hardest one: ‘Will it hurt?’”
The answers were complicated. Liver transplant surgery, especially for children, comes with immense challenges. Ezra would spend weeks, possibly months, recovering in a hospital far from home. But for the first time in years, there was hope.
Hope in the Face of Uncertainty: What the Future Holds for Ezra and Carissa
The surgery, scheduled for August 7, 2024, will take place at NYU Langone. It’s a delicate procedure: surgeons will remove 30% of Carissa’s liver and place it into Ezra after removing his diseased organ. If all goes well, both will recover within months—Carissa with a liver that regrows to near full size, and Ezra with a new lease on life.
For Carissa, the road ahead isn’t without challenges. Recovery means weeks of being unable to lift heavy objects, a restriction on bending or twisting, and constant follow-up appointments to ensure her body is healing properly. But when asked about her fears, she simply smiles. “I’m ready,” she says, “Not because it’s easy, but because it’s right.”
Ezra, on the other hand, has more immediate concerns. “I’ll miss my brothers and sisters,” he told his mom. “It’ll be a lot of weeks, won’t it?” His innocent question, so filled with the pure, unfiltered thoughts of a child, reminds us all of the human element in this story—the emotional weight that comes with these medical miracles.
Community United: Supporting Carissa and Ezra Through GoFundMe
Both families are preparing for the financial burdens that come with extensive hospital stays and recovery. GoFundMe pages have been set up for both Carissa and Ezra’s family, providing an opportunity for their communities to rally around them in this time of need.
It’s not just about the money, though that is certainly a concern. It’s about the human connection—about people coming together to support an act of love so profound that it transcends the ordinary. This is what it means to be human, after all: to show up for each other in the moments that matter most.
Conclusion: Lesson in Humanity We All Can Learn From
In a world that sometimes feels fractured, where we often wonder if kindness has lost its place, stories like this remind us that the human spirit is capable of extraordinary things. Carissa Fisher’s decision to donate a part of her liver to a child she once taught is more than an act of generosity—it’s a testament to the enduring connections we make, the impact one person can have on another’s life, and the lengths we will go to when love is our guide.
As Carissa prepares to step into the operating room, she does so with a heart full of hope. And as Ezra lies waiting, perhaps wondering what the future holds, we can only imagine that somewhere inside him, there’s a glimmer of understanding—that no matter what happens next, he is deeply, profoundly loved.
