Kids & Family

Fairfield Boy, 11, In Need Of Liver Transplant

The community is rallying around an 11-year-old boy, who is currently in intensive care as he awaits a liver transplant.

FAIRFIELD, CT — The community is rallying around an 11-year-old Fairfield boy who is in need of a liver transplant. Kevin Garcia-Vazquez is currently in intensive care at Yale-New Haven Hospital awaiting a liver transplant.

Garcia-Vazquez, a sixth-grade student at Fairfield Woods Middle School, was diagnosed with acute liver failure after his mother took him to the doctor with a stomach ache, according to the Connecticut Post. Doctors were concerned with how swollen his stomach was and ran additional tests.

The Post reports that no family members can be a match for a liver donation because they don’t have his blood type O. A GoFundMe page was created to help get the word out to find a donor.

Find out what's happening in Fairfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The page, which was created by Kevin’s sister, Ashley Vazquez, is also being used to raise funds for their mother while she misses work to stay with Kevin in the hospital.

“I'm asking for your help because my mom normally works two minimum wage jobs just to afford the rent,” Ashley wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Any amount that you can contribute would mean the world to our family because it will bring peace of mind in a very difficult time. The money will go directly to my mom so she can focus on providing the best care for my brother and helping us provide transportation for possible donors to get to Connecticut for an evaluation. Thoughts and prayers for Kevin's recovery are also much appreciated. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

Find out what's happening in Fairfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

More than 120 people have donated, raising $6,900 in the first 10 days of the campaign.

Read more at the Connecticut Post here and visit the GoFundMe page here.

Photo via GoFundMe / Go Fund Me is a Patch promotional partner.

To sign up for Fairfield breaking news alerts and more, click here.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.