6-Year-Old’s Gripping Plea for Liver Fails--Sister, 2, Dies

A 2-year-old girl died today without receiving a crucial liver transplant despite her 6-year-old brother’s stirring pleas for a donor through the media.

Kimberly Izzo died at 5:30 a.m. after lying through the night comatose and in critical condition at Children’s Hospital. She suffered from a sudden and undiagnosed infection that destroyed her liver.

Her brother, Michael, who lives with his family in Woodbridge, N.J., had spent much of the weekend appealing through the broadcast and print news media for a liver donation.

“I feel that my sister is in pain,” he said Sunday. “I hope she stays alive because I will miss her if she is dead.”

Kimberly was admitted to the hospital Tuesday in critical condition. About 1 1/2 months ago she came down with chicken pox, which was followed by a virus that attacked her liver.

Last week, parents Alfred and Lois Izzo asked President Reagan for help. He responded with a telegram urging them to “keep your faith strong and your spirits high.”