When Prime Isogon and Raquiza Baring welcomed their daughter, Aiah, into the world on December 3, 2024, at Wodonga Hospital, they never imagined they would soon face a medical crisis. Just two months later, Aiah was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare and life-threatening liver disease. Now, at one year old, she is in end-stage liver failure, and her parents are appealing to the community for help.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise the $24,000 needed for Aiah’s life-saving liver transplant. As of 3:30 PM on December 22, the campaign has raised $5,098. The family has praised the medical staff at Albury Wodonga Health and the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne for their support, but they now face the daunting challenge of securing a liver transplant.
Facing the Worst-Case Scenario
The Isogon family is confronted with the harsh reality that they cannot access the liver transplant services in Australia due to their status as international students from the Philippines. “Unfortunately, our doctor told us, ‘sorry guys, you cannot do the liver transplant in [Australia] because you are not permanent residents, so you have to go back to your home country’,” Ms. Baring explained.
The couple is hesitant to return to the Philippines for the procedure due to limited experience with pediatric liver transplants there. “Because they haven’t done many liver transplants [in the Philippines], we don’t want to risk our daughter there,” Mr. Isogon said. Instead, they are considering India, where the procedure is more affordable and has a higher success rate.
Exploring Options Abroad
In India, the survival rates for pediatric liver transplants are promising, with an average of 89 percent between 90-day and 10-year survival times. The couple has been advised by fellow Filipinos in similar situations to seek treatment there. “We asked all our countrymen, Filipinos, [with] the same case with us,” Mr. Isogon said. “They told us they go to India because that’s the only way to get [the surgery] cheap.”
Both parents are undergoing testing to determine if they can donate a portion of their liver to their daughter. Aiah’s first birthday was marked by a hospital stay, where she underwent the Kasai procedure, a temporary measure to prolong her native liver function. However, complications have arisen, including ascites and portal hypertension, which could lead to severe consequences if not addressed.
The Urgent Call for Support
The Isogon family is now reaching out to the community for support, both financial and emotional, to help them through this challenging period. “The cost of Aiah’s treatment and the upcoming transplant is far beyond what we can afford on our own,” Ms. Baring shared. “This is why my husband and I are humbly seeking help and support from you – financial, emotional, or otherwise – [which] would mean the world to us during this extremely difficult time.”
The family’s story highlights the challenges faced by international students in accessing healthcare in Australia, as well as the broader issues of medical accessibility and affordability for non-residents. The Isogons’ journey underscores the importance of community support in times of crisis and the potential for international cooperation in medical treatments.
As Aiah’s condition remains critical, the family continues to hope for a successful outcome, relying on the generosity of strangers and the expertise of international medical professionals to give their daughter a fighting chance.
