MELFORT — Kevin Nagy never left his daughter Jayda's side for 12 days.
The Melfort 14-year-old was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, a condition where the body's immune system turns against its liver. For months, her unknown sickness forced her to leave school with a fever, but her symptoms remained a mystery. All the COVID-19 tests came back negative.
On May 20, staff at Melfort Hospital determined something was wrong, rushing her by air ambulance to Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. With her dad by her side for 12 days, Jayda learned she needs a new liver as soon as possible, requiring several trips to Edmonton's children’s hospital over the course of weeks.
Kevin worried for his daughter, but also over the bills and his lost wages from the City of Melfort.
"The thing is being uncertain," the volunteer firefighter said. "How long am I going to get off work? How are we going to get by and pay bills? It's pretty stressful."
Randy Martin, a captain at the Melfort Fire Department, is a longtime friend of the Nagy family. He saw them facing a "total upside down disaster" — and didn't have the resources to help on his own, he said.
 He aimed for $20,000 to help cover the uncertain costs of interrupted work and medical treatment in Edmonton.
By Monday afternoon, the money raised was nearing $8,000. Many of the donors were strangers.
"It doesn't matter whether it's $5, or it's $500. Every dollar is going to help," Martin said.
The shows of support reflect the family's contributions to the community, he said. It was humbling to ask for help to begin with, but once Kevin took the step, Martin said it was heartwarming to see the community rally around the family.
"[The Nagys] are just good people. That's all there is to it," he said.
Kevin traces his friendship with Martin back roughly 14 years, when he joined the fire department shortly after Martin did. He said they've faced some hard times as firefighters, but he never expected the wide show of support on the fundraiser page.
That help is needed as the family enters a trying time. Kevin said he expects Jayda's first trip to Edmonton for an assessment in early July. A second trip will replace her liver, followed by a long stay and more followup visits in the future as Jayda fights her illness.
"She's only 14," Kevin said. "She's pretty young to be going through this."
