HASKINS, Ohio — A northwest Ohio mom is now breaking her silence after receiving the news her daughter is in immediate need of a new liver.
Jen Diaz's 14-year-old daughter, Isabella, is battling end-stage liver disease, and with no other way to fix her condition, they need financial assistance, and more importantly, a new liver for Isabella.
"As a mother, you can see her declining, you can hear her short of breath," Jen said. "You can see the fluid and her legs swelling, you can see how tired she is. She's ready to get on with her life, and I'm just ready to make that happen for her."
Jen Diaz is a registered legal nurse who adopted Isabella 14-and-a-half years ago and has been with her ever since she took her first breath. When Isabella, currently a freshman at Otsego High School, was six weeks old, Jen received the news her daughter has Alpha One Anti-Trypsin Deficiency.
Commonly referred to as Alpha One, it is a genetic condition that increases risk for liver and lung diseases, according to the Alpha-1 Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes research of the condition.
Isabella's biological mother had to get a liver transplant and Jen knew Isabella would need one someday too.
Last week, Jen said she had a gut feeling to take Isabella down to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where they stayed at the Ronald McDonald House.
"After a week long liver transplant evaluation, she's actually worse than what we thought and has Hepatopulmonary Syndrome. That means her liver is now affecting her lungs," Jen said.
Jen's partner, Ryan Maher, will do anything to help his future step-daughter, even if he's unable to donate his own liver.
"From the beginning it would be her," Maher said. "I would pick her from the same hospital she got picked from in a second. I love her to death. And I will do anything for her."
Friends and family have been crucial to Isabella's battle with liver disease.
"They make me laugh a lot, they distract me," Isabella said. "It just helps me get through the day easier being able to see them and hang out with them."
On Thursday, Isabella was approved to be listed on the national transplant registry. Jen said Isabella has a rare blood type of B-Positive, but that other blood types can be used under specific circumstances.
Jen said they have insurance, but expenses after coverage will reach up to $1.5 million and antibotics for Isabella cost $3,000.
So, Isabella's friends created a GoFundMe to help.
To become a live organ donor, visit cchmc.donorscreen.org and fill out the information. Required information for Isabella include her name, date of birth (01/21/2008), that she needs a liver and is a current patient at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Editor's note: This story has been edited to correct the amount of money raised by the GoFundMe.