Babysitter Donates Part of Her Liver to Save the Life of the Child in Her Care

The babysitter told reporters she considered donating part of her liver only a few weeks after meeting Talia.

The news came as a shock for the little girl’s parents who employed the services of 22-year-old Kiersten Miles only three weeks before she decided to donate a part of her liver to save the child’s life. 16-months-old Talia Rosko was suffering from rare a life-threatening liver disease. According to Talia’s mother, the little girl’s central bile duct had been inexplicably destroyed and bile was building up into her liver. The babysitter was among the first people to notice the symptoms that made Talia’s skin turn yellow and whites of her eyes turn gray. Without emergency surgery, the doctors said the girl wouldn’t have been able to live past her second birthday.

The babysitter said donating part of her liver to save the little girl’s life did not strike her as much of a sacrifice, “especially for a baby who can’t really ask for help”. The operation was performed earlier this month and deemed a complete success.

Talia Rosko’s parents, George and Farra of Jackson, New Jersey, hired Kiersten Miles to take care of Talia and her two older siblings in the summer of 2016. Kiersten says that only weeks after dealing with Talia’s condition she began to think about how to help the little girls to survive through her disease. The 22-year-old babysitter told reporters that she started by researching living organ donation online. Thanks to her relationship with the patient’s family, she knew the little girl’s blood type and realized she was a viable candidate for transplant.

Only a short while afterward, she talked to her parents about donating part of the liver to Talia and proceeded to inform the Rosko family about her decision. Kirsten said she was nervous the first time she came up with the proposal, but moved on with her plant. Over the course of the following months, the babysitter underwent multiple testing procedures to make sure she was a match for Talia.

On January 11^th, a team or surgeons removed a part of Kirsten’s liver at the University of Pennsylvania’s Hospital and implanted it in Talia. What struck the Rosko family as surreal was that immediately after waking up from the surgery, Kirsten asked about the little girl’s condition, as she feared something could have gone wrong. Fortunately, both girls are in stable condition. However, Talia will have to take anti-rejection medication for the rest of her life, and Kirsten will never be able to donate another part of her liver again, even if she would be a perfect match for someone in her family.

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Anne-Marie Jackson

Anna grew up on a steady diet of 20th century literature, science-fiction movies and Viking lore. Unsurprisingly she turned into a technology geek with an inclination for history & fantasy.