Twins Harvey and Edward Tomicki were born in November 2006. Eight weeks after birth Harvey was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia (Biliary atresia only occurs about once in every 15,000-20,000 births worldwide. It is a rare liver disease that destroys the bile ducts, which carry bile from the liver to the intestine. Because the bile is unable to drain, it builds up in the liver and damages the liver. The cause of biliary atresia is not known).
Harvey had a Kasai operation at Randwick Childrens Hospital when he was 8 weeks. This treatment helped improve his health
for a short time but in May 2008 he was diagnosed with Portal hypertension as a result of his liver condition. Varicose veins growing in his oesophagus resulting in internal bleeds. Harvey has often been rushed to hospital to stop these life threatening bleeds. Doctors have advised us that we should not be more than 90 minutes away from a hospital with an A&E where Harvey could be treated as a result of an internal bleed. Today at two years old, Harvey is jaundiced, weighs 2kgs less than his twin brother and now gets most of his nutrients through a tube in his nose. Harvey’s liver is now failing and is now on the liver transplant list. If he does not have a liver transplant soon Harvey will die.
