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Dad's Gift: Dad Donates Liver, Bowel to Save Son
1 Sep
Summary
- A father donated part of his liver and bowel to his six-year-old son.
- The extremely rare transplant took place at King's College Hospital in London.
- This life-saving operation is one of only about ten of its kind globally for children.
A father's profound love led him to donate part of his liver and bowel to his six-year-old son, Harry, in an extremely rare pediatric transplant. This life-saving operation, performed at King's College Hospital in London, is believed to be one of only around ten such procedures worldwide.
Harry was born with malrotation, a bowel abnormality, and developed a liver condition due to his treatment. His parents explored the possibility of a transplant, and Harry's father was found to be a 98% human leukocyte antigen match. He underwent rigorous preparation, including significant weight loss and abstaining from alcohol, to be a suitable donor.
The 17-hour surgery saw the father donate approximately 20% of his liver and over four feet of his small intestine. He has since recovered and considers it the greatest privilege of his life to have saved his son. This remarkable case highlights the rarity of combined liver and bowel living donor transplants for children.
