So the Aiea woman is donating part of her own liver to her 7-month-old baby diagnosed with a rare disease.

As they prepare for the surgery, their family is hoping for the best.

Robyn Hashimoto smiles when she talks about her grand daughter Hiilei.

"She's really cute and we thought she had a nice tan. This is before they actually said she had a problem," said Hashimoto.

Seven-month-old Hiilei Ching was diagnosed with biliary atresia in April.

It's a rare liver disease found in 1 out of 10,000 children.

Hiilei's condition has caused her skin and the whites of her eyes to turn yellow from serious jaundice.

Doctors said she has the liver of a 35-year-old alcoholic and she needs a new one to stay alive.

"Kind of shocked. You never expect this to happen to your own family for no reason, there's no pinpoint cause for this," Hashimoto said.

At Stanford's Lucille Packard Children's Hospital, Hiilei will undergo an 8-hour surgery on Tuesday.

Hiilei's mother will be donating part of her own liver to save her daughter.

"Just being here and watching her get sicker. I just decided that something, that's something I want to do like for her to get better," said Hiilei's mother Kauhane Ching in a phone interview with KGMB9.

Hiilei's mother Kauhane Ching said life has been a roller coaster of emotions recently.

The Aiea Elementary School teacher and her husband, Shane, a federal fire fighter, are trying to stay positive.

"We wouldn't want this to happen to anybody else so we just have to deal with what's going on now and hopefully everything will work out," Ching said.

The Ching's other daughter, three-year-old Sierra, hopes her little sister gets better soon.

As for mom, she believes little Hiilei can overcome any challenge even this surgery.

"Just a miracle that she's here that long and that's she's endured everything, just complete bravery," Ching said.

Complete bravey for someone so small.

Biliary atresia is not an inherited disease. It's more common in girls than in boys. It's also affects more Asian and African-American newborns.

Hiilei will be recovering in the hospital for 10 days after the surgery.

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