For Sue and Chris Favilla, it’s not their first choice.
Then again, coping with a life-threatening illness never is.
The husband and wife from Russell, Ontario, are appealing to the public to help save their daughter.
8-year-old Gianna-Lynn suffers from two serious diseases, Crohn’s Disease and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. The PSC is damaging her liver to the point where she needs a transplant.
The Favillas have decided they can’t wait while their daughter sits on the transplant list. And a search among friends and family has failed to produce a suitable match. So they’ve launched a Facebook page looking for a donor among strangers, someone who will give a portion of their liver to Gianna-Lynn.
"Obviously putting our daughter's face out there for all to see and exposing our situation, we thought about it,” says Sue Favilla. “But really at the end of the day all we ever think about, all we really want is to find a donor for Gianna."
Two years ago Gianna-Lynn was a typical, active young girl, enjoying activities like Brownies, dancing and horseback riding. A feeder pumps liquid nutrients into her body through a tube, as a result of a flare-up of her Chron's disease.
She can’t go to school anymore, and misses playing with her friends. “I can't really, like, play outside that much and stuff. Like playing with my friends outside at the park," she says.
The family is looking for a donor with type-O blood, between the ages of 18-55, in good health. Their asking potential donors to fax a required health history form to Toronto General Hospital's Living Donor Assessment Office at 416-340-4317.
