Being the youngest in a bustling family of four, Crew Dearth has learned the art of keeping pace. This Ohio toddler thrives in his role as the little brother, delighting in welcoming his siblings home from school and exploring every nook and cranny of their home.

However, in February, at just 11 months old, Crew’s boundless energy took a hit when he tested positive for influenza A, the most prevalent strain of the flu. For young children, whose immune systems are still developing, such illnesses can be particularly harsh. Crew’s mother, Nicole Dearth, grew increasingly concerned as weeks passed without her son regaining his usual vigor.

“Something just seemed off,” Dearth shared with the Daily Mail. “He was restless. He was cranky, and he is not a cranky baby – and he’s not restless. It was just weird.” Her instincts told her something more was amiss.

Initially, doctors suspected an ear infection and prescribed antibiotics, but Crew showed no signs of improvement. Then, Dearth noticed that his stomach appeared unusually distended and swollen. “I just knew it wasn’t right,” she recalled, trusting a mother’s intuition that pushed her to seek further answers.

‘Something just seemed off,’ Dearth told the Daily Mail. ‘He was restless. He was cranky, and he is not a cranky baby – and he’s not restless. It was just weird.’

Doctors at first suspected the infant had an ear infection and put him on antibiotics, but he still failed to improve. Several days later, Dearth noticed Crew’s stomach seemed distended and swollen. ‘I just knew it wasn’t right,’ she said. 

Physicians at Cleveland Clinic immediately ordered an ultrasound and blood work, which revealed several masses practically swallowing Crew’s liver and ‘dangerously low’ sodium levels, leaving him at risk of seizures, a coma and brain damage. 

On March 17, Crew was diagnosed with stage four hepatoblastoma, a rare form of liver cancer that strikes just one in every one million children between the ages of one and three in the US. 

Crew Dearth, pictured above, was just under one year old when he was diagnosed with stage four hepatoblastoma in March 2025

The disease grows slowly, with symptoms such as abdominal pain, weight loss and yellow skin or eyes not appearing until the cancer has spread, much like in Crew’s case. 

‘We knew something was wrong, but I wasn’t expecting to hear cancer,’ Dearth told the Daily Mail. ‘I was stunned, shocked, like I couldn’t believe it.

‘He was fine. He was eating fine, playing fine, acting fine. Everything was fine until influenza hit, and that’s when everything went downhill.’ 

It’s unclear what causes hepatoblastoma, but low birth weight or preterm birth have been shown to raise the risk because the liver may not be fully developed.

The disease, however, carries a good prognosis with an average five-year survival rate of 80 percent, though the rate can dwindle to 20 percent if the cancer spreads beyond the liver. 

Doctors immediately started Crew on chemotherapy but quickly realized a liver transplant would best help him avoid intense side effects like vomiting and dehydration.

Crew, pictured above in the hospital, immediately underwent aggressive chemotherapy, but doctors quickly realized he would need a liver transplant

Several friends and family members were tested to be Crew’s liver donor. His aunt, Taylor Dearth, ended up being a match. Crew is pictured in the hospital

At just one year old, Crew became one of the 9,000 Americans awaiting a liver transplant, which makes it the most sought after organ behind kidneys. Roughly five to 10 percent of these patients are children. 

While most organs come from deceased donors, more and more patients with liver disease are seeking live donors.

Living donors provide up to 70 percent of their liver to a recipient. Unlike other transplanted organs, the liver regenerates. In fact, it only takes about three months for both the donor and recipient livers to regrow to their full size and capacity. 

Living donors need to be the same blood type as the recipient, or they can be the universal donor blood type O negative. Donors also need to be free of any form of liver disease, be under 50 years old and have a relatively healthy lifestyle. 

Doctors tested 15 family members and friends of the Dearth family, and the first match they found was Crew’s aunt, Taylor Dearth, a dietitian and mother of three daughters also living in Ohio. 

‘I was the very first person the nurse called,’ Taylor told the Daily Mail. 

Taylor Dearth, Crew’s aunt, is pictured above helping Crew ring the Bravery Bell at Cleveland Clinic, a sign that he had finished cancer treatment

Crew, pictured above with his family, now has no evidence of disease, but he will be closely followed for several years to make sure the cancer does not return

Once she found out she was a match, she immediately stopped drinking alcohol and bolstered her already healthy diet with additional nutrients like antioxidants and B vitamins to keep her liver in prime shape. 

Dearth told the Daily Mail she was surprised when Cleveland Clinic told her Taylor was being evaluated as a potential donor and was ‘super overwhelmed at first.’

‘It’s a big surgery for [Taylor], and she has three small kids,’ Dearth said. ‘I was like, “You’re going to put your life at risk to save ours?” It’s the most selfless thing that anyone could ever do for somebody.

‘I just felt so overwhelmed and just felt grateful for her, and I felt blessed that she wanted to do this for [Crew].’

Though liver donors can give 70 percent, young children like Crew can only receive about 15 to 20 percent due to their small size. Taylor’s operation took about six hours, while Crew’s took 15. 

Taylor was able to give Crew (pictured above) about 20 percent of her liver, which regenerates in both the donor and recipient within about six months

Crew is pictured above with his mother, Nicole Dearth, who said the family is looking forward to ‘moving on’ from cancer

Crew was in the hospital for 12 days, and Taylor stayed for about a week. After around three weeks, pain from the operation dissipated for Taylor and she was able to return to her regular activities. She will be evaluated for complications over the next two years.

‘It’s mind-blowing what living transplants can do,’ Taylor said.  

Crew started chemotherapy again three weeks after the surgery to make sure the cancer was eliminated. His last round of chemotherapy was in September. 

The toddler’s latest scans show no evidence of disease, but hepatoblastoma still has a 20 percent chance of returning, even after a liver transplant. 

Crew now has weekly blood tests to check his liver enzymes and he is on medication to prevent his immune system from rejecting the transplanted liver.

But four months after completing chemotherapy, Crew is ‘thriving,’ Taylor said. ‘It’s just amazing,’ she added. ‘You would not even know that he went through all of that. He’s just so happy.

‘It’s so fulfilling to think that I had a healthy liver and that I could save Crew’s life,’ Taylor told the Daily Mail. Crew, now almost two years old, is pictured above

‘It’s so fulfilling to think that I had a healthy liver and that I could save Crew’s life. I’ve always liked to help others, and I’ve always wanted to make a big impact on someone’s life, and for it to be my nephew just makes it so much more meaningful.

‘I had a chance to take his pain away and help in a way that I never imagined I would be able to help him.’

Crew will be immunocompromised for the rest of his life due to the transplant, which makes him more likely to get sick. Even a common cold or the flu could land him in the hospital.  

He also will not be able to go to daycare due to the risks of getting sick and will have to avoid contact sports when he gets older, as they may injure the liver. 

Still, the family is looking forward to celebrating Crew’s second birthday in March.  

‘We’re looking forward to moving on from this disease, just doing the normal things,’ Dearth told the Daily Mail. ‘I’m so ready to live as normal as we possibly can.’