“Her gift to us is the reason Crew’s thriving today,” the toddler’s mom said of her sister-in-law

NEED TO KNOW

• Crew Dearth, 2, overcame a rare form of cancer after his aunt Taylor donated a portion of her liver to the toddler
• “I never thought about being a living organ donor for someone until Crew’s diagnosis, but I am so happy that I got the chance to do so,” Taylor said
• Crew was diagnosed with stage 4 hepatoblastoma when he was 11 months old

A 2-year-old boy from Ohio is “thriving” after a liver transplant from his aunt helped him overcome a rare form of cancer. 

In February 2025, Nicole Dearth noticed that her son, Crew, had come down with what seemed to be the flu. And although his pediatrician initially suspected an ear infection, her son’s persistently “swollen and bloated” stomach prompted Nicole to seek further testing at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital.

Soon, an ultrasound and blood test results led to Crew being diagnosed with stage 4 hepatoblastoma, a rare liver cancer affecting one to two children per million in the United States.

"I was shocked, overwhelmed — just deep sadness. I just couldn't believe it," Nicole recalled to ABC News. "Me and my husband, Chad, we just could not believe that this is what we were facing with our 11-month-old at the time."

Since the cancer had also spread to Crew’s lungs, the next few months were filled with intense rounds of chemotherapy and close monitoring. And although the treatments were proving successful, the toddler would ultimately need a liver transplant due to the location of the tumor in his liver. 

“We couldn’t safely remove the entire tumor while preserving Crew’s liver function,” said Stefanie Thomas, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at the hospital, per the Cleveland Clinic. “It was intertwined with critical vessels that are essential to how the liver works.”

While Crew was initially placed on the transplant waiting list, his aunt Taylor became aware of the possibility for a living donor to safely give a portion of their liver to someone who is medically compatible. 

“I felt like I was meant to be the one to do this for him,” the mom of three told the Cleveland Clinic. “I’ve always wanted to help people and do something really meaningful, so to get the chance to do this for someone close to me made it so special.”

“Crew’s diagnosis resonated with me even more because my youngest child is only 12 days older than Crew,” she continued. “Being with my girls the day of the surgery, the nerves hit way harder. I was hoping for and expecting the best, but I was nervous. At the same time, I was also ready to do it. I was ready to do this for Crew so they could get the cancer out of his body.”

Before Crew underwent surgery, Nicole remembered her son being “so calm and peaceful” — though she and Chad found it to be an incredibly “stressful” time. 

Thanks to a talented team of pediatric and transplant surgeons, both procedures went smoothly, and both Taylor and Crew were back home in under two weeks. 

"The first thing that I just wanted to know [after surgery] was if Crew was OK, because I know his surgery was way more intense than mine,” Taylor told ABC News. “So to hear that he was doing well just meant everything.”

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By September 2025, Crew’s family was overjoyed to learn that Crew had gotten clear scans, meaning there were no signs of remaining cancer. 

“I honestly didn't know if we would ever see that day,” Nicole told the Cleveland Clinic. “We were feeling pure joy and happiness. The transplant was a success, and we were finally done with chemo.”

“The bell ringing was such a special day I will remember forever,” Taylor added of the moment Crew got to ring the Bravery Bell. “I just kept thinking how out of reach this all felt when we first found out he had cancer. But for this day to come, and to see the smile on his face as he walked down the hall — it meant everything."

Now, Crew’s family is committed to sharing his story with others in hopes that more people will be aware of how life-changing organ donation can be. 

“I never thought about being a living organ donor for someone until Crew’s diagnosis, but I am so happy that I got the chance to do so. It has filled me with such joy and gratitude,” Taylor emphasized. “Organ donation gives recipients a second chance to create new memories with the people they love.”

Nicole added, “When I tell people my sister-in-law donated a portion of her liver, they're like, ‘Wow, you can do that?’ Her gift to us is the reason Crew’s thriving today.”

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