When his four-month-old daughter needed a liver transplant, every potential donor in the family faced rejection. Then her father decided to change his own health to give her another chance at life.
From the day their daughter, Tokya, was born, she cried a lot. At first, her parents thought it was normal newborn behaviour. But when Tokya was four months old, her crying became unusually intense, and her parents knew something was wrong.
They took her to a paediatrician, hoping to find an explanation.
The doctor noticed that Tokya’s liver was slightly enlarged and advised them to consult a liver specialist.
That visit changed everything.
The specialist told them that Tokya needed a liver transplant to survive.
For any parent, hearing that their four-month-old baby needs a major organ transplant is devastating. Suddenly, Tokya’s parents were faced with a frightening reality: their little girl needed surgery, and they had to find a way to make it happen.
They visited multiple hospitals, hoping for a different answer. But the doctors kept telling them the same thing.
Tokya needed a liver transplant.
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Her family somehow managed to arrange the money for the surgery. But another challenge stood between their daughter and the treatment she needed: finding a suitable donor.
When her parents couldn’t become donors
Both parents wanted to donate part of their liver to save their daughter.
But neither was initially approved.
Her father was rejected because he had a slightly fatty liver. Her mother was also rejected because a nerve near her liver posed a potential risk of complications during surgery.
Then Tokya’s grandmother stepped forward.
For two months, she tried to become a donor. But she developed high blood sugar, which meant she could not proceed either.
One by one, the family’s hopes of finding a donor within their own home were fading.
But Tokya’s father was not ready to give up.
If he could not donate his liver in his current condition, he would do everything he could to become eligible.
He went from 67 kg to 55 kg in a month
Tokya’s father decided to work on improving his liver health.
He followed a strict diet and exercise routine, determined to lose weight and address the fatty liver that had prevented him from becoming a donor.
Within one month, his weight dropped from 67 kg to 55 kg.
He was doing everything he could to give his daughter the chance she needed.
His goal was simple: to become a suitable donor and help save Tokya’s life.
Eventually, his efforts paid off, and he was able to proceed as her donor.
## A surgery that changed their lives
The transplant surgery lasted the entire day.
For Tokya’s family, those hours must have felt endless. Their daughter’s future depended on a major operation, and all they could do was hope and pray that everything would go well.
Thankfully, the surgery was successful.
Tokya’s father had donated part of his liver to his baby girl, giving her a chance to continue growing up with her family.
People told him that he had given his daughter a new life.
And in many ways, that is exactly what he had fought so hard to do.
## A father’s determination to give his daughter another chance
Tokya’s story is a reminder of how frightening a child’s serious illness can be for a family. Her parents faced a diagnosis they never expected, the challenge of arranging an expensive transplant, and repeated setbacks while searching for a suitable donor.
But each obstacle was met with another attempt to find a way forward.
When neither parent was initially eligible, Tokya’s father worked towards improving his health so he could donate.
His story is not simply about losing 12 kilograms. It is about a father who refused to stop looking for a way to help his daughter.
**Sometimes, a parent cannot take away a child’s pain. But they will do everything in their power to give that child another chance at life.**
For Tokya, that chance came through a successful liver transplant and a father who was determined to be there for her.
