An 11-year-old Winnipeg girl who waited eight months for a liver transplant is now in surgery, according to a family spokesperson.

Tina Lussier said that Allexis Siebrecht was taken into surgery at Toronto's Sick Kids Hospital early Monday morning.

Lussier said the transplant was expected to take between eight and 12 hours.

Ahead of the surgery, Lussier said Allexis was in good spirits.

"She was feeling pretty good," said Lussier. "She doesn't act like a sick kid. You wouldn't know other than the jaundice."

Allexis suffers from biliary atresia, a rare and potentially fatal liver disease. She was in desperate need of a liver transplant and had been waiting for a donor for months.

A living donor was found and the surgery was expected to happen later this week. But then a deceased donor’s liver proved a match and the operation was moved up to Monday.

Before they got the call, Allexis’ family worked hard to raise awareness about organ donation and asked people to see if they are a viable living donor match.

The family has been fundraising to help cover Allexis’ medical costs and travel expenses to Toronto.

With files from The Canadian Press