Tristin Hopper/National Post
It is the hardest decision a parent has to make: faced with 2 sick daughters who both need a liver transplant and only having one available, they deferred that decision to their doctors, and saved little Phuoc Wagner. That meant her twin sister, Binh, was left with a diseased liver and a lesser chance of surviving.
Phuoc (left) and Binh Wagner (right) were the recipient of liver transplants that saved their lives. (Photo courtesy of Sick Kids)
Both girls were adopted by Michael and Johanne Wagner from a Vietnamese orphanage, and at the time, they weighed less than nine pounds due to a very rare liver condition called Alagille syndrome. It affects roughly one in every 10,000 births.
But thanks to an anonymous donor who matched, Binh also received a transplant. Michael, their adopted father, matched and was able to donate part of his liver to Phuoc. The couple went public with their plea for help and over 600 people answered their call, with one matching and eventually donating. The transplants were successfully performed at Toronto General Hospital.
To find out more about their condition, and this heartwarming story, click here:
