Neriah’s Liver Transplant Journey

In May Our son Neriah James Riley at 6 weeks old was diagnosed with a rare liver disease called biliary atresia. This is a rare condition where the baby is born without bile ducts, causing bile to build up and slowly scar the liver. The first surgery he had to help prolong his liver has been unsuccessful and Neriah now 4 months old is in end stage liver failure and is in desperate need of a new liver transplant to help cure his disease.

We are from wellington and due to our son being in a more critical condition he will need to stay here at Starship for close monitoring and treatment until his transplant day which could be anywhere between 1-12 months if we can’t find a matched live donor. With recovery post transplant also taking 1-3 months roughly. We are at this point unsure when we will be able to return to work. As I look to support my son and wife who will be looking to be a live donor (hopefully a match) and give part of her liver which isn’t a small procedure in itself, she will be out of action for a good 6 to 8 weeks if she ends up being a donor.

With no sick leave or paid leave left due to Neriahs previous surgery, it means we won’t have income for our regular rent, and other bills that we will need to continue to pay. Any help would be so appreciated so we don’t have to stress or worry about bills and would allow us to be together as a family during this difficult time.

Thank you heaps.