'The greatest privilege' - Dad donates organs to son

A six-year-old boy has received part of his dad's liver and bowel after he became in desperate need of a transplant.

Harry, from Cambridge, was born with an abnormality of the bowel that can cut off the blood supply, and also developed intestinal failure-associated liver disease.

His parents knew he would probably need a bowel transplant at some point, but it came "much sooner than we ever imagined", said his mum Annie.

Luckily, tests revealed his father, Gary, was a suitable match. He said it was the greatest privilege of his life, adding: "When you're a parent, you'd give your child anything in a heartbeat."

He said: "The journey to surgery wasn't easy.

"I had to lose six stone, follow a strict diet, completely give up alcohol and stay focused for months to make sure I was healthy enough to donate."

Harry was born with a malrotation of the bowel, which occurs when a baby is developing in the womb.

Volvulus is a complication of the malrotation and it occurs when the bowel twists so the blood supply to that part of the bowel is cut off, which can be life-threatening.

Meanwhile, the intestinal failure-associated liver disease was caused by years of receiving an intravenous form of feeding to manage his condition.

On discovering his liver was failing sooner than hoped, his mum and dad underwent tests at King's College Hospital in London, to see if either of them were a match.

His dad was confirmed to be a 98% human leukocyte antigen (HLA) match with Harry, meaning their immune systems were similar.

"I was just incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to do something that could help save his life and give our little boy a second chance," Gary said.

The operation, which took place in January, lasted 17 hours and his recovery took about six weeks.

King's is one of just three NHS centres in the UK to perform living donor liver transplants.

Prof Nigel Heaton, consultant transplant surgeon, said: "The surgery was performed through a vertical scar in the upper abdomen and removed about 20% of Gary's liver and one and a half metres (about 5ft) of the small bowel."

The small bowel is usually about six metres (20ft) long.

He added: "Gary was always positive and uncomplaining and recovered very quickly."

"Living donor transplants involving the small bowel and liver, such as the one that saved Harry's life, are extremely rare," said Miriam Cortes-Cerisuelo, liver transplant consultant surgeon and clinical lead for transplant surgery at King's.

She believes there have been about 10 cases worldwide, all involving children.

Currently, about three in 100 liver transplants performed in the UK are from living donors and the majority of these are for children.

Cortes-Cerisuelo said they offered "much better chances of success for the transplant".

Gary added said: "It was tough, but nothing compares to seeing Harry looking healthier and stronger afterwards.

"It remains the greatest privilege of my life, and I would do it all again without a second thought."

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