Last month, his family faced the moment they had been both praying for and fearing.
What began as a routine albumin infusion in Melbourne on Tuesday, November 18, quickly became a race against time.
“Blood tests showed his liver was failing, and we were advised to stay until a donor became available,” mum Justine Turedi said.
“I expected we’d be waiting months — we’d been on the list since August.”
By Thursday, November 20, doctors were asking the family to consider relatives for donation as things grew critical.
Just hours later, hope arrived: a liver had become available, though it wouldn’t be confirmed as a match until in the operating theatre.
On Friday, November 21, the family received the news they had been longing for — the transplant was going ahead.
He went into surgery at 3pm, and his parents finally saw him again at 3am in ICU.
Incredibly, the donor organ came from New Zealand.
“To the donor and their family, in their moment of heartbreak, they chose to give our son the gift of life,” Justine said.
The family remains in Melbourne, and Christmas will likely be spent in hospital.
“But having Aydin with us is the greatest gift we could ever receive,” Justine said.
Contributions can be made to support the Turedi family at tinyurl.com/bdd92rcs
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