An Aberdeen woman has launched a fundraiser to help support her family, after her 10-year-old brother in Hungary was struck by a mystery illness that caused his kidneys and liver to fail.
At the beginning of this summer, Rita Toth’s brother Aron was a “very healthy and sporty” boy, who met up with friends to play football and ice hockey several times a week.
However, two months ago he suddenly became violently sick following a meal at home.
His parents, fearing a stomach bug, told him to get a good night’s sleep – but when he struggled to regain consciousness the following morning, they immediately called an ambulance.
Rita, who moved to Aberdeen from Budapest in 2009 and now lives in Culter, said: “He was in and out, sometimes very mildly coming back in but he wasn’t reacting to anything.
“No results came back, until one of the blood tests came back for copper toxicity.
“At that point they realised that his liver and both his kidneys were failing as well.”
Weeks in coma
She said Aron’s condition was so serious that doctors initially told his parents – just a day after he began showing symptoms – that he could have two days to live.
He was prioritised in a system that meant he would receive the first viable donor liver that became available across the European Union, and a week after his bout of vomiting he was on the operating table undergoing a transplant.
Aron remained in the induced coma he had been placed in upon arrival at the hospital for several weeks following the surgery, with a dialysis machine humming beside him as doctors tried to remove the copper from his bloodstream.
Rita, 33, said: “He’s a very sporty and very clever boy – very social, he’s got a huge circle of friends who have shown their support over this as well, which has been absolutely amazing.
“They all gathered up at the hospital, under his window and said prayers.”
Around two weeks ago, he was brought out of the coma, though there was more pain for his family when they realised he was unable to speak.
It took until last week for Aron to say his first word since he was taken to hospital – “no” – and last Saturday he smiled at his dad for the first time since becoming ill.
Despite the signs of recovery, the journey is far from over, and Rita knows Aron’s parents – her dad and step-mum – will come under financial pressure as they need to take time off work to look after their son.
She said: “I just don’t want them to feel like money is an issue for anything. Of course, he will also need therapies including for his speech, though we don’t know exactly what yet.
“It’s a long road ahead of them and it’s looking like he may have to stay in hospital for a long time.”
‘Reaching out for answers’
Her fundraiser is mainly to ease that burden, but she also hopes it will raise awareness of Aron’s condition, and maybe link her family who can provide something money cannot buy: answers.
Rita said: “At the moment, the doctors and nurses are preparing my dad and step-mum for perhaps not ever getting an answer to why all this happened.
“You just never know, there might be people out there who have been through similar, or the same, and potentially have got a diagnosis.
“I wanted to reach out to people and see if there’s anybody out there who has any words of advice, in terms of recovery, to encourage my parents that things will get easier and will get better.”
Rita’s fundraiser for Aron can be found on GoFundMe here.