They never imagined his first months would be spent beneath hospital lights, his future dependent on the generosity of strangers — or perhaps even on a piece of his parents’ own liver.
From the moment of his 20-week scan, uncertainty shadowed Aydin’s journey.
Doctors couldn’t find his gallbladder — a small detail that would later unfold into a devastating diagnosis.
“It wasn’t until he was born that we really knew what we were up against,” Justine said.
Aydin was born with biliary atresia — a rare and life-threatening condition that scars and blocks the bile ducts, causing severe liver damage.
In Australia, only six to eight babies are diagnosed each year.
“We were at the Royal Children’s Hospital for the first two months of his life,” Justine said.
“It was tough sleeping in a hospital with a newborn while my husband stays at the Ronald McDonald House.”
At just four weeks old, Aydin underwent the Kasai procedure in the hope of restoring bile flow from the liver to the intestine.
The complex six-hour surgery offered no guarantee — and heartbreakingly, it wasn’t successful.
“Now, we’re looking at a liver transplant,” Justine said.
Both she and Tarik are being assessed as potential live donors, though strict requirements mean not everyone can be a match.
“They have to look at the anatomy of the liver to make sure it’s right for Aydin,” Justine said.
“The doctors said Tarik may be too tall — his liver could be too big for such a small baby. So we’re hoping I can be a donor.”
If Justine is a match, she faces three months of recovery following surgery — on top of the 12 months of intense care Aydin will need post-transplant.
It’s time she and her husband cannot return to work, meaning a costly financial burden to manage their mortgage, living costs and travel to Melbourne for regular hospital visits.
“Every trip to the Royal Children’s is subsidised $45; it helps, but it doesn’t cover everything,” she said.
“We go every three weeks for check-ups — sometimes more often — so the costs add up quickly.”
The Goulburn Valley community has come together in an extraordinary show of generosity to support the Turedi family.
Since launching their GoFundMe page, the family have raised $24,000 of their $30,000 goal to help cover medical costs and living expenses as Aydin undergoes preparation for a liver transplant.
While the road ahead remains uncertain, Justine says the community’s kindness has been a lifeline.
“I thought maybe we’d raise $5000, but the fact we’ve had more than 220 donations — from people we know and people we’ve never even met — it’s so special,” she said.
“The fact that it’s such a dark time for us, and yet there are so many good people out there helping, means everything.”
If Justine isn’t a match, Aydin will be placed on the national transplant wait list — a limbo every parent dreads.
In Australia, only parents can be live donors for children, unlike overseas where relatives or friends may also be considered.
Aydin has to have over eight different medications each day that his parents administer.
He is solely fed through a feeding tube, as he can’t take any feeds orally now, as his disease has progressed.
If he is on the wait list too long and he becomes more ill, the family will have to stay in hospital until a donor comes — which could mean months waiting at the Royal Children's Hospital.
“We asked if there’s a chance he could die waiting, and the doctors told us that in the past 10 years, no child has,” Justine said.
“But it’s so unpredictable — one moment you’re having dinner, the next you’re packing for Melbourne.”
Through every setback, one thing remains constant: the family’s hope.
“We just want our boy to be well,” Justine said.
“That’s all we want.”
Contributions can be made to support the Turedi family at tinyurl.com/bdd92rcs
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