10-year-old receives desperately needed liver transplant, community surpasses GoFundMe fundraising goal to support family

Tim Brody - Editor

A 10-year-old girl from Sioux Lookout has received the liver transplant she desperately needed and is doing well after transplant surgery.
Timothy Yewchyn said there was no rhyme or reason for his daughter Charli’s liver failure, “This came out of nowhere and it was rapid,” he shared.
Yewchyn said he and his wife Yasmyne Blanquisco rushed their daughter to the emergency room at Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre where it was determined Charli’s liver enzymes “were through the roof.” 
Charli was airlifted to Toronto after her condition worsened.
“Her condition continued to get worse and the medical staff knew her liver was failing and needed to be replaced,” Yewchyn said. 
“They found a donor immediately and her transplant took place July 27 at 9 a.m., she was in the operating room for 11.5 hours.”
Yewchyn said his daugther’s recovery journey is far from over, “She will be on medication for the rest of her life and have to endure blood tests four times a year... in the meantime, the entire medical staff, surgeons are beyond pleased with her progress. We may be in the Toronto Sick Kids Hospital for one month during recovery.”
He added of Charli’s recovery, “Three days after surgery she is sitting up and doing everything she needs to be doing.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Charli and her family by Jaime Caul, Charli’s teacher at Sacred Heart School this past school year.
Caul said of setting up the fundraising page to support Charli and her family, “Setting up the GoFundMe was a pretty easy process. I know that being suddenly out of town for an unknown amount of time is stressful and I wanted Charli and her family to have one less thing to worry about. I am so grateful that we reached our goal (of $5000) and it’s even slightly higher than the original goal now. I don’t know how long we will leave it active, but people can still donate. Charli will have a long road of recovery ahead of her with medications and lots of follow-up appointments so I will leave it active until we know more about how that will look for her.”
People can donate to the family at: t.ly/avSGQ.
Yewchyn and Blanquisco said they are incredibly grateful for all the support their family has received, “We are so grateful for such community support, for a dearest friend who has supported us in so many ways, we cannot express enough gratitude for everyone who was with us in our hour of need.”